[QUOTE=mixedgas;287213][QUOTE=wmodes;287210]Uh, is there a rant room reserved for people to abuse each other? It makes it a bit challenging to work through the actual information. I'm a newbie here, but public spankings -- even when someone is well-intentioned but dead wrong -- do little to preserve the friendly welcoming character of this esteemed forum. When a new person sees someone offering incorrect information and getting smacked down for it, it doesn't encourage new people to share what they know. Just sayin'.
That said, thanks for all the information. Still trying to wade through it.
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In your thread right now you have three of the five people who have published the most on how to do the paperwork. The "smackdown" was needed to eliminate a persistent source of noise. Sorry for that, but he was getting annoying and off topic.
How may we help you? The actual process is easy if you have the correct information, and free.
It basically comes down to the following hardware An emission indicator, a key switch(key cannot be removed in ON position), an external interlock, the right stickers, no light leaks, and the right labels. Some of us still suggest a spring loaded master shutter, but in modern times that has been waved for low power products. If the ILDA cable is disconnected, or the lid is off, no laser emission shall occur. (defeatable interlock sticker advised for servicing and alignement) Audience scanning requires some additions to the hardware, depending on the methods used, including a scan fail interlock of some form.
You have two portions, the hardware and what could be termed a user manual, procedures / operations, safety, and record keeping portion.
I have in my hand a document with a VRA number, something many commenters here have never achieved because its too "hard". Considering the many color drawings were done in WIN 95's version of PAINT, when I was in my 20s, I'm not so sure its that difficult. Recently the paperwork has been simplified.
If you buy a already approved device, can you fill out a four page form and a cover letter? Its that easy.
Audience scanning can be done via "PASS", or doing some serious math and controlling what and how you scan. It requires additional nightly quality control steps and operator training. However the degree of training is not severe, the system designer gets to decide what is what. Without Pass(TM), you purchase a power meter, fast photodiode, and oscilloscope, and provide a live operator. For some "weak" effects, the effects can be designed so that the scan fail safeguard does not need to be so fast, but the rules speak of 200 nanoseconds to ensure shutdown.
Once upon a time, the US Government published a document on how to do audience scanning effects, it was pulled from the NTIS a while back. It is suggested the book had a few small math errors. In reality, I suspect politics was behind the culling. Drop me a PM with a phone number, and we'll talk about it. I've published parts of it on the forum. My fear is that some one will take the equations, write a so called "free app", and then we will end up with a accident, when the data is misapplied.
Before some one slams me with "withholding" information, I can make the argument that at least one error in the math is significant, and the book does not entail a "cookie cutter" approach. There is some serious algebra involved. The higher power exposures have a cumulative effect, something no "App" will manage correctly, because humans are fallible. I like the idea of trusting my eyes, and the public's eyes, only to something that has undergone peer review. (And I ain't publishing the mirror ball, trade secret)
If your installing on campus, incidentally the CDRH has reduced authority on a campus. OSHA, however, does not wave its rights to enforce laser safety. So the fallacy that shows on school campuses are exempt from laser safety is, just that, a fallacy. In fact the shift to ANSI Z136 under OSHA could be argued to be stricter then 21 CFR 1040.
Quoting PL poster Stiffler, "There are no Laser Cops". However there is the CDRH, University Health and Safety, OSHA, and the local Fire Marshal. In the US, NFPA has a "cover all" clause on laser use. I've been inspected by fire marshals more then once. I did perform once for 20,000 people on the campus I worked on. H&S wanted to see the paperwork, all "I"s dotted and "T"s crossed.
Steve
Last edited by mixedgas; 03-01-2014 at 12:57.
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