safety
staying laser safe
For those not used to being around lasers, there are many safety issues
that should be considered, as William Payne discovers
E
ffective laser systems safety is not only a safety, while 60825-10 comprises explanatory
mandatory regulatory issue, it can be a notes to the standards, and 60825-15 is a guide to
critical factor affecting a firm’s the standards-making technical committees in
competitive positioning and ability to survive developing or modifying the overall standard.
in tightening market conditions. Key issues under discussion in the EN 60825
Firms can fi nd themselves in court if they do technical committees include the health Safety forums
not implement effective laser safety procedures. implications of the more complex and multi- Most countries operate laser safety forums where
Worse still, they can fi nd themselves subject to functional lasers entering the market. In particular, laser safety offi cers and other professionals can
heavy fines and personal injury actions if an lasers that produce highly divergent beams are seen exchange information. Such forums provide
accident occurs. as a potential hazard. However, the committees are important platforms for training and education of
However even the best regulated fi rm, with the concerned to develop multi-beam safety laser safety offi cers. They also allow members of
tightest and most conformant laser safety regimen, measurement calculations that address the real the industry to have an input into the evolution of
can be damaged by adopting too narrow a view of concerns, without being unnecessarily national standards within the standards making
just how laser safety issues affect the company. But prescriptive. committees.
the damage is to the fi rm’s competitive position, A similar problem is posed by femtosecond In the United States, the Board of Laser Safety
and is measured in lost revenue and rising costs, lasers. At present, EN 60825 allows multiple pulses in association with the Laser Institute of America
not days spent in court and number of fi nes. to be grouped if they are below a given uniform (LIA) and the National Council for Laser Excellence
A fi rm’s concerns over laser systems safety may duration. However, consensus in the EN 60825 (NCLE) has established the US Laser Safety Forum.
restrict its use of lasers to only certain materials or technical committees is that a threshold of 1ns It also provides certifi cation of laser safety offi cers,
environments. This may mean that, for its core should be established to deal with safety concerns with certifi ed offi cer and medical offi cer grades,
production and materials processing systems, it around femtosecond lasers. The committees are and a programme of ongoing training.
may still be using traditional or conventional also likely to tighten restrictions on exposure limits In Europe, laser safety is managed at a national
techniques, such as chemical or electrical. But in the 1,300-1,400nm wavelength region. level. In the UK, for example, the principal body
adopting a systems-wide approach to laser safety In addition to EN 60825, the EN 207 and responsible for laser safety offi cer training and
often means that, by modulating or switching EN 208 standards cover fi lters and eye protection education is the Health Protection Agency – the
wavelengths, or by effective venting, lasers are for users and operators. In these areas, the NHS agency responsible for managing infectious,
increasingly suitable – and safe – in a far wider European standard-making committees are chemical, biological and radiological hazards. The
range of manufacturing environments, and for a concerned that personal protective measures HPA’s Laser Safety Forum, part of its Radiation
larger range of materials, than in the past. should be seen as a last defence, not as the primary Protection Division, runs training and certifi cation
Implementing effective laser safety on a systems means of safety. These standards may well be courses at both standard and advanced levels.
and production fl ow level can extend the benefi ts revised to incorporate a more systems-oriented
of laser-based manufacturing – greater approach, detailing the place of personal laser
Non-beam hazards growing
manufacturing flexibility, agility, reduced cost, protection within a schedule of workplace laser Recent research by Duke University Medical Centre
lower inventories and faster time to market – across safety systems and methodologies. in the US has identifi ed the changing nature of laser
a fi rm’s entire production processes. In current In 2006, the European Council published a risks. Beam hazards have always been a key
economic conditions, that can mean the difference directive covering employee health and safety from concern for laser safety professionals. Perhaps
between survival or failure. lasers (directive 2006/25/EEC). The directive has because of that concern, and the effect of laser
to be adopted into each EU member state’s safety standards designed to minimise that risk,
Europe’s laser safety standards
legislation by 27 April 2010. The directive beam hazards are declining relative to the number
While the main laser safety standard in North establishes the employer’s duty to assess and of lasers being deployed in the workplace.
America is ANSI Z136.1, together with the CDRH measure employee risk from laser and other light However, non-beam hazards are emerging as an
21 CFR 1040.10 and .11, throughout the European sources. Unlike most existing regulations in force increasing danger. These can include electrical
Union all member states have adopted the across EU member states, the directive requires the fi res, plasma radiation and explosions. In the past
European Standard EN 60825. The European adoption of non-discretionary exposure limits. The 10 years, non-beam laser incidents have increased
Standard is made up of 15 different documents, directive also applies to laser sources fully enclosed by roughly 200 per cent. Nd:YAG and CO lasers
2
although some of these are guidance documents. within laser systems, as these may be exposed accounted for around 49 per cent of all non-beam
60825-14, for example is a user’s guide to laser during maintenance or servicing. laser incidents – representing a particular non-
12 LaseR systeMs eUROPe • issue 2 www.lasersystemseurope.com
LSEspr09 pp12-13 Safety.indd 12 3/3/09 10:43:05
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