Injury Prevention

Medical Society Issues Guidelines for Contact Lens Use in the Workplace

Contact lenses are not eye protective devices and wearing them in an industrial environment does not reduce the need for eye and face protection, according to a new guideline document from the American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine (ACOEM). At the same time, ACOEM reiterated OSHA's position that the use of contact lenses does not pose additional hazards to workers.

ACOEM said that "individuals who wear contact lenses in the workplace must combine them with appropriate industrial safety eyewear or a respirator as required by the hazard analysis." The guidelines state that workers should be permitted to wear contact lenses when handling most hazardous chemicals and in other eye-hazardous environments, unless specifically banned by regulation. ACOEM noted that workers who wear contact lenses may wear full-face respirators because the lenses will not interfere with the face piece seal. In fact, according to the guidelines, contact lenses provide the best visual ergonomics for users of full-face respirator masks.

ACOEM recommends that employers conduct an eye injury hazard evaluation and implement a contact lens policy. The bottom line, according to ACOEM, is twofold:

• Contact lens use should be allowed in most industrial environments.
• Contact lenses should not be seen as protective; safety eyewear is still needed.

The contact lens guidelines are posted online at www.acoem.org/guidelines/pdf/ContactLenses-Guideline052003.pdf.