Question 1

Most of our employees just use the optician voucher. Is anything actually wrong with that?

Accepted Answer

For low-risk admin or visitor use, often no. But for any role involving impact, dust, machining, or chemical exposure, the standard high-street dispensing default — CR-39 plastic — only meets EN 166 S (a low-energy drop test). It does not meet the F-grade impact rating required for industrial work. Most companies discover the gap after an incident rather than during procurement. Certus closes the gap by only dispensing impact-rated materials (Polycarbonate or Trivex) and by matching every product to the role's hazard profile before it can be ordered.

Question 2

We already buy non-prescription safety glasses from our existing supplier. Do we have to switch?

Accepted Answer

No. Keep your existing supplier. Add those employees to Certus as non-prescription wearers, upload the EN166 certificate that came with the product and their most recent eye examination, and they appear on the same compliance dashboard as your prescription wearers — same renewal alerts, same one-click audit trail. No charge for non-Rx employees. You self-certify the uploaded documents.

Question 3

Do employees still need a separate eye test?

Accepted Answer

No. Nearly every employee already has a valid prescription from their own optician for their everyday glasses — that is the same prescription used to manufacture safety eyewear. They simply take a photo of it in the portal, our qualified opticians verify it before glazing, and the lenses are made to that spec. No second eye test, no off-site dispensing appointment, no lost hours.

Question 4

How fast can we roll out across multiple sites?

Accepted Answer

Most multi-site programmes are live within a week. You add the sites and employees once, and every location runs through the same portal with one compliance dashboard. For 50+ employees we recommend a short implementation call to walk through hazard assessments and onboarding cadence.

Question 5

What happens to our existing optician arrangement?

Accepted Answer

Nothing changes overnight. Most companies wind down the optician programme as employees come up for replacement or Rx renewal — by the end of year one, the off-site visits have stopped and everyone is on Certus. We don't require you to cancel anything to start.

Question 6

Is there a minimum headcount or contract?

Accepted Answer

No. There's no subscription, no headcount minimum, and no contract. You pay per order at the published rate card. Coverage is optional and renews annually — opt out any time.

Question 7

What does the H&S manager actually do day-to-day?

Accepted Answer

Most days, nothing. You approve hazard assessments at setup, then the dashboard runs itself: employees order, opticians verify, certificates issue automatically, and you get alerts only when something needs your attention — an expiring prescription, a new starter to onboard, or a renewal to approve.

Question 8

How are prescription updates and renewals handled?

Accepted Answer

Prescriptions are tracked per employee with their expiry date. We send automated reminders to the employee (and to you) before they lapse. The employee uploads the new Rx through the portal — no off-site visit, no manual chasing, no compliance gap.

Question 9

How is Certus GDPR compliant?

Accepted Answer

Certus is ICO-registered, processes data under lawful basis, and stores all personal and health data (prescriptions, fitting images) in encrypted UK/EU cloud infrastructure. Employees can request data deletion at any time. Full details are in our Privacy Policy.

Certus — Prescription Safety Eyewear Compliance