LASER WELDING SAFETY
HAND-HELD LASERS USED FOR WELDING AND CLEANING
T
he Society for Radiological Protection (SRP) has produced an information sheet in
response to the rise in prevalence of hand-held lasers being used for tasks such as welding and cleaning. The lasers used for welding and cleaning are extremely high power (potentially in the kiloWatt range) and their use, without adequate control measures, not only poses a significant risk of injury, but puts organisations in breach of Health and Safety Legislation, leaving them open to enforcement action. This information sheet aims to raise awareness of the specific hazards associated with this type of work. The use of handheld lasers for
welding and/or cleaning certainly has its benefits in terms of the ease of use and the quality of the finish. It is therefore likely the use of such equipment will grow in the coming years. However, it is important that
organisations that are considering using handheld lasers for welding or cleaning are aware that the hazards are very different from the more conventional methods of welding/ cleaning they may be familiar with. For example, a laser welder cannot be treated in the same way as a MIG or TIG welder, and equally, a laser used for paint or rust removal cannot be treated in the same way as more conventional techniques such as sandblasting. Doing this would put both the laser operator and others in the area at risk. For work with handheld lasers, the control measures that are likely to be needed include, a well-controlled restricted area, appropriate laser protective eyewear or face visor, skin protection, and effective local extraction plus a positive pressure visor. In addition to this there will be the need to train and appoint Laser Safety Officers to ensure routine compliance with laser safety requirements, and to
24 / WELDING WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 04 - AUGUST 2025
provide adequate laser safety training to all persons involved. However, enforcement authorities in the UK place greater emphasis on engineering controls than administrative controls and personal protective equipment. Therefore, any organisation that
is planning to work with handheld lasers for welding or cleaning must seek expert advice from a laser safety professional (e.g. from a certificated Laser Protection Adviser) before commencing this work.
Hand-held laser welding and cleaning Hand-held laser welding/cleaning
involves the operator holding the laser handpiece, which may emit a laser beam with powers of up to 3 kW, and manually carrying out the welding or cleaning process. This means that the laser beam and the process (which produces hazardous fume and laser scatter) is likely not to be enclosed,
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