16 replies to this topic

[Evez]

can anybody share how you handle personnel who are using eye contact lens? or visitors going to production area who are using eye contact lens?

[Charles.C]

can anybody share how you handle personnel who are using eye contact lens? or visitors going to production area who are using eye contact lens?

Hi Evez,

 

Do you accept workers who wear spectacles ?

[Scampi]

You don't

[Setanta]

There is nothing different between someone wearing contacts and someone not wearing any. It won't be a food safety issue.

[Miss Frankie]

As a former contact wearer, (Lasix is the BEST thing ever!) the wearer will know immediately if their contact moves or falls outs.  I wore contacts for over 30 years, the only time a contact ever 'fell out' was if I was rubbing my eye.  Chances are EXTEMELY low that a contact would ever fall out w/o the eye being touched.

There is a MUCH higher chance of glasses breaking than a contact falling out.

[Setanta]

As a former contact wearer, (Lasix is the BEST thing ever!) the wearer will know immediately if their contact moves or falls outs.  I wore contacts for over 30 years, the only time a contact ever 'fell out' was if I was rubbing my eye.  Chances are EXTEMELY low that a contact would ever fall out w/o the eye being touched.
There is a MUCH higher chance of glasses breaking than a contact falling out.

We have had lost lenses in glasses 2 or 3 times in the past 5 years. BIG search to find them.

[G M]

There is nothing different between someone wearing contacts and someone not wearing any. ...

 

Isn't that, theoretically, why it is a problem?  If they don't report it, no one else is going to notice either, until the customer/consumer does.  Whereas other people can notice you're missing a lense out of spectacle type eyewear.

 

 

It's a situation comparable to maintenance personnel not reporting a tool missing.  Some people would rather suffer the loss than deal with the complications of reporting the loss if they don't think it will be traced back to them.

[Setanta]

A maintenance tool is going to cause quite a bit more damage than someone's contact lens.

[Miss Frankie]

A maintenance tool is going to cause quite a bit more damage than someone's contact lens.

 

True.  

However, I would rather find a drill bit in my salad (or whatever) than a contact lens.

 

Gotta say, the worst thing I ever found in food (as a consumer) was a live worm in a candy bar. 

[jfrey123]

My GMP's and glass/brittle plastics policy call on employees to report lost or damaged eyewear to their supervisors.  I'm happy to admit I've overlooked contact lenses in drafting these documents historically, and I'll be seeking to correct this oversight in the next round of updates moving forward.  In short, I see no reason to handle them differently than employees who wear standard glasses (either corrective or safety types).

[G M]

A maintenance tool is going to cause quite a bit more damage than someone's contact lens.

 

There are pathogens transmissible by eye mucosal secretions.  I wouldn't make that bet, either for internal containment cost or liability if it made it out.

 

Reflecting on the earlier example of a person only losing a contact when rubbing their eye, it seems like a behavior more likely to occur when someone has an infection.  

 

I'm mostly just playing devils advocate, but if a person can lose their dentures in a processing environment (yeah, that happened), I wouldn't put it past them to lose any other personal/medical device or aid like a contact either.

 

Thinking on it does make me want to revisit the wording of my 'medical device' GMP program entries.

[Setanta]

All of this reflects the need for a risk analysis.

Figure out what is the likelihood of this occurring, what is the risk, what are the preventative actions needed?

[MDaleDDF]

True.  

However, I would rather find a drill bit in my salad (or whatever) than a contact lens.

 

Gotta say, the worst thing I ever found in food (as a consumer) was a live worm in a candy bar. 

 

yeah, but would you rather swallow a contact lens, or a small sharp piece of metal?

[Miss Frankie]

yeah, but would you rather swallow a contact lens, or a small sharp piece of metal?

 

Tough question!  
If it was my own contact, no problem.  Someone elses... I don't know. 
I'd like to think I'd feel either object in my mouth before swallowing.  Contacts are kind of tough. I've tried tearing them, and it's not easy.

[MDaleDDF]

Tough question!  
If it was my own contact, no problem.  Someone elses... I don't know. 
I'd like to think I'd feel either object in my mouth before swallowing.  Contacts are kind of tough. I've tried tearing them, and it's not easy.

Lol, this convo reminds me of a Simpson's episode....

[olenazh]

As they say, don't be afraid of the worm you eat, but be afraid of the one who eats you:)

[Marloes]

I would recommend making an overlapping rule regarding hygiene and loss of any items.
This makes it more robust to future changes and exemptions.

 

Because what if someone wears a facial prosthetic, veneers, hair pieces, medical braces etc. etc. You can never keep up or name them all.