The regulations that cover VDU work are the Health and Safety (Display Screen Equipment) Regulations 1992.

Regulation 5 covers the employers responsibility for providing eyesight tests and states:

Where a person -

• is already a user on the date of coming into force of these regulations; or
• is an employee who does not habitually use display screen equipment as a significant part of his normal work but is to become a user in the undertaking in which he is already employed,

His employer shall ensure that he is provided at his request with an appropriate eye and eyesight test, any such test to be carried out by a competent person.

The guidance states:
Employers have a duty to ensure the provision of appropriate eye and eyesight tests on request:

• to their employees who are already users when the Regulations come into force;
• and (thereafter) to any of their non-user employees who are to become users.

The Regulations do not give employers any duty to offer eye and eyesight tests to persons not in their employment, such as applicants for jobs. However, where somebody has been recruited and is to work with display screen equipment to the extent that they will become a user, Regulation 5(1)(b) becomes applicable. Hence where a newly recruited employee of this kind - whether or not they have been a user in any previous employment in a different undertaking - requests one, an appropriate eye and eyesight test should be arranged by their new employer. The test should be carried out before the newly recruited employee becomes a user, as required by Regulation 5(2)(b). This does not mean that new recruits must be given a test before doing any display screen work, but they would have to be given a test (if they requested one) before doing sufficient display screen work for this to be regarded as a significant part of their normal work.

References

L26, Display screen equipment work, (ISBN 0 7176 2582 6 - available from HSE Books).

• Working with VDU's' - free leaflet [740kb]