Laser Safety
Laser Safety Ken Barat, Laservision USA
The primary focus of firms using and producing industrial laser systems is new laser applications and improved performance. Laser safety also is an important consideration. The safer the product is made the less user resources need to be applied to specific laser safety elements. This is why laser users look for Class 1 laser products (those who during normal operation there is no laser hazard). The exception to this is when service or maintenance is performed and enclosures, housing, interlocks etc. are bypassed to allow access to the internal system.
The reasons one would desire the Class 1 system are: since there is no laser hazard there is not a requirement /need to provide laser safety training to the operator, no laser protective eyewear (personal protective equipment PPE) is required, cleanliness is greater, any hot particles are contained, and no laser medical surveillance is required. On the last item firms should know the laser ANSI standard Z136.1 has not required base line eye exams since its 2007 version.
To be clear on terms, a Class 1 laser product is a laser product/system where during “normal” operation (routine use) there is no exposure to laser radiation and all beams are contained. The hazard classification or output of the laser does not matter as long as it is contained. Just think of the laser printer. It contains a Class 3B laser but, because it is embedded a hazard label is not even required on the outside of the product. Look at your own laser printer, can find anything to indicate a potential laser hazard risk to the user? Careful not to drop it on your foot while looking!
One point of confusion for operators and those around industrial lasers is the bold red Danger Class 4 laser label. This label refers to the laser inside the unit so there is no danger when found on a Class 1 product. Including information on laser labels in new employee orientation can help address this common concern.
In industrial settings this changes when service or maintenance is being performed on these units. In the case where an enclosure and housing are removed and/or interlocks bypassed, exposure to Class 3B or Class 4 laser radiation becomes possible.
There are three common scenarios when this happens: in-house staff does the work, an outside vendor comes in, or a combination of both, meaning in-house for preventive maintenance and vendor for repairs. Each scenario has its own safety protocols even though the work is being done on the same unit.
Do laser accidents happen? The simple answer is yes. Laser incidents occur from a lack of understanding of laser hazards, working from “skill of the craft”, not being familiar with particular units, only similar ones, and not being familiar with issues from equipment integrated from different manufactures. Accidents can be prevented with consistent education on laser safety fundamentals, protective steps and equipment reviews.
You can catch Ken’s full presentation on laser safety at FABTECH in Session F30: NEW Laser Processing 101 on Monday, November 09, 2015: 1:30 PM – 3:30 PM. Learn more here.
