Develop a Safety Program for High-Risk Lasers

Do you have lasers at your facility? Think about the equipment you work with, the laser pointers used in presentations, bar code scanners, or a piece of equipment that has an embedded laser– typically low risk. Potentially significant risk is if you are designing equipment with a laser component or using lasers as part of the manufacturing or lab processes and operations. Depending on the types of lasers used in your facility, you may need to develop safe practices and instructions and a Laser Safety Program.

Laser is an acronym for Light Amplification by Stimulated Emissions of Radiation. The potential hazards associated with lasers include radiation hazards to the eyes and skin, chemical hazards (chemicals used in lasers, for example dye, may have hazards), electrical hazards, and other non-beam hazards -- such as cryogenic coolants or noise hazards. A particularly dangerous situation is when the eye is exposed to all or part of a direct laser beam. Lasers are classified by their hazard potential. The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) assigns the following hazard classes, with the highest classification number having the highest hazard potential: Class 1, Class 2, Class 3a, Class 3b, and Class 4.

Engineering controls, administrative controls, and PPE (personal protective equipment) must be used, depending on the class of laser, to protect against the hazards associated with lasers. Reviewing regulations and guidelines associated with laser hazards, performing a risk analysis and, if necessary, working with a well trained Laser Safety Officer will help you to determine which controls are appropriate for the laser you work with. Some examples of controls are protective housings, signs and labels, and eyewear specific to the wavelength of the laser beam.

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Safety Partners efficiently and cost-effectively implements hands-on environmental, health, and safety (EHS) programs at emerging life sciences companies. Safety Partners tailors its programs to each client's unique science, processes, procedures, and facilities, while reducing program implementation burdens. Its expertise is unmatched, clocking over 85,000 hours at over 120 New England life sciences firms.