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Thread: New Laser Safety Guidance Published

  1. #1
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    Default New Laser Safety Guidance Published

    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

  2. #2
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    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by JStewart View Post
    ... and those which have attended in the past will shortly be receiving an update on these points.[/FONT]
    Ooh, i'll look forward to that then

    Guess it won't be long before it's picked up by the UK as we seem to like European rules and regulations

    Still, it's nice to see that people who actually work in the laser entertainment industry have been involved in producing the document, that should hopefully mean that it's a workable document rather than just an unnatainable set of instructions.

    Cheers

    Jem
    Quote: "There is a theory which states that if ever, for any reason, anyone discovers what exactly the Universe is for and why it is here it will instantly disappear and be replaced by something even more bizarre and inexplicable. There is another that states that this has already happened.”... Douglas Adams 1952 - 2001

  3. #3
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    Default

    thanks for the heads up.

    why charge for it!? pfffffffffffff
    Eat Sleep Lase Repeat

  4. #4
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    Default

    I have to say its about time really - I think that the existing guidelines such as HSG 95 (which is what most people are aware of) are getting long in the tooth and its only right that a more thoughtful and up to date guide be published. Even better that there has been direct involvement from within the industry.
    The important thing I guess is making sure that people are made aware of this and that its seen as being of benefit to the industry rather than just more red tape to deal with (while rolling eyes). Unfortunately often with new regs or guidelines it creates more work for the people who wanna do it right and has little or no effect on the idiots who want to operate without any thought for H&S.
    I look forward to seeing the guide and getting the update from LV

    Rob
    If you need to ask the question 'whats so good about a laser' - you won't understand the answer.
    -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Laserists do it by the nanometre.

    Stanwax Laser is a Corporate Member of Ilda

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  5. #5
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    Quote Originally Posted by andy_con View Post
    why charge for it!? pfffffffffffff
    why not - nothing is free.
    would you research and complie such a guide without pay?
    Someone has to pay to have this created therefore someone must pay to have a copy

    Rob
    If you need to ask the question 'whats so good about a laser' - you won't understand the answer.
    -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Laserists do it by the nanometre.

    Stanwax Laser is a Corporate Member of Ilda

    Stanwax Laser main distributor of First Contact in UK - like us on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/FirstContactPolymerCleaner
    www.photoniccleaning.co.uk

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