Industrial and Occupational Requirements.

Colours are constantly used to distinguish the difference between objects in everyday life. The use of colour extends to the work environment, and so it affects jobs and careers which require some degree of colour identification. These careers vary in the extent of reliance on colour vision, and so have been grouped into categories depending on if it is desirable or vital for operatives to have normal colour vision. This list can never be comprehensive and many jobs fall into several categories, as there are often different activities within a specific trade, profession or occupation⁷.

Careers/Jobs/Occupations/Industries requiring perfect colour vision.

Armed Forces (British)-

Air Forces - certain grades

Navy - certain grades

Army - certain grades

Civil aviation

Colour matcher in dyeing, textiles, paints, inks, coloured paper, ceramics, cosmetics.

Carpet darner/inspector, spinner, weaver, bobbin winder

Electrical work -

electrician

electronics technician

colour TV mechanic

motor mechanic

telephone installer

Navigation -

pilot

fisherman

railways

Police - certain grades

Occupations/activities where defective colour vision may be an asset

Camouflage detection.

Careers/Jobs/Occupations/Industries where defective colour vision is a handicap and important consequences might result from errors of colour judgment.

Air traffic controller

Buyers -

textile

yarns

tobacco

food e.g. fruit, cocoa, timber

Car body resprayer, retoucher

Cartographer

Ceramics - painter/decorator of pottery

Ceramics - inspector (quality control)

Chemists and chemicals -

laboratory analysis

food chemist

teacher of chemistry

manufacturer of chemicals and polishes and oils

Colour printer, etcher, retoucher

Colour photographer

Colour TV technician

Coloured pencils/chalks/paints manufacturing

Colourist/colour matcher in paints, paper, pigments, inks, dyes, wallpaper

Cotton grader

Coroner

Forensic scientist

Market gardener e.g. fruit

Meat inspector

Oil refining

Paper making

Pharmacist

Plastics

Paint maker and distributor

Restorer of paintings/works of art

Safety officer

Tanner

Tobacco grader

Careers/Jobs/Occupations where good colour vision is desirable, but defective colour vision would not necessarily cause a handicap.

Accountant

Anaesthetist

Architect

Arts -

graphic

commercial

advertising

Auctioneer

Barmaid/Barman

Bacteriologist

Baker

Beautician

Botanist

Brewer

Butcher

Builder/Brick Layer

Buyer -

textiles

yarn

tobacco

food e.g. fruit, cocoa, timber

Carpenter

Carpet/lino fitter/planner

Chiropodist

Clothes designer

Cook or chef

Coroner

Confectioner

Cosmetics director (stage, film, TV)

Dental surgeon and technician

Draughtsman

Dressmaker

Driver Instructor

Driver in public services e.g. bus

Engineer (various)

Farmer Fishmonger

Florist

Forester

Furrier

Gardener and landscape gardener

Geologist

Gemologist e.g. setting stones, diamond grader

Grocer

Hairdresser

Horticulturist

Illumination engineer

Interior decorator/designer/planner

Jeweller

Librarian

Lighting director (stage, film, TV)

Manicurist

Metallurgist

Milliner

Miner

Nurse

Optometrist/ophthalmologist/orthoptist

Osteopath

Painter

Pharmacist assistant (counter service)

Physician

Physiotherapist

Post Office counter assistant

Potter

Salesman/woman (fabrics, drapery, yarns, wool carpets)

garments/footwear

china and glass

linen

cosmetics/toiletries

jewellery

confectioner

stationer

storekeeper

Shoe repairer

Surgeon

Tanner

Tailor

Telephone switchboard operator

Theatre/stage props manager

Veterinary surgeon

Waiter

Window dresser

Zoologist

¹ Voke, J. (1976). The Industrial Consequences of Deficiencies of Colour Vision. The City University: London.