Hi Guys,
For those that are interested, the new second edition of IEC/TR 60825-3 has just been published by the IEC in the last few days. The full title of the document is Safety of laser products - Part 3: Guidance for laser displays and shows, which gives a good clue as to what the document is all about.
It is possible to preview some of the document and purchase the full version through the IEC’s webstore http://webstore.iec.ch/webstore/webstore.nsf/artnum/039142 for 83 Swiss Francs, which I think works out around £45 sterling.
For anyone involved in working with lasers for display purposes it is an essential read. The interesting thing about this document is that it has not just been generated by the people in white lab coats or grey suits who have never been near a laser show. A great deal of effort was taken by the committee to get the active participation of laser show users through the likes of ILDA, and to listen to their opinions and comments as the new document evolved. The idea behind this approach was to come up with something that would end up being practical and workable within the industry.
The document itself covers a wide range of issues relating to laser displays and how they should be set up and performed. The MPE figures used are the same as those specified in the rest of the IEC 60825 series of laser safety publications. The guidance states that under no circumstance should any person be exposed to laser radiation in excess of the applicable MPE. A new 5 times the MPE zone is defined for unsupervised displays. Scanning safeguards are covered in some detail too, with the requirements highlighted to consider the different elements of the system; T1:detection time + T2:time to trigger the control measure + T3:time for control measure to become effective. (simply put; this is the time it takes for the system to detect the fault, act on it, and reduce the output to a safe level). A notable part of the laser safety guidance is the necessity and requirements of the Display Safety Record; A set of documents a laser installation should have to accompany it and its operation.
Attendees of our recent Laser Safety Training Days should be aware of most of the DSR requirements, and those which have attended in the past will shortly be receiving an update on these points.
As to the legal standing of the new document it will be down to each EU member state to decide how it wants to treat the guidance. But even its mere existance does have implications. In the UK it is likely to be published by the British Standards Institute in due course.
Best regards,
James Stewart