Introduction

Documentation

While as yet no specific legislation exists to cover the use of lasers, codes of practice and standards of protection have been drawn up by several bodies, of whom the most significant for laser users in the United Kingdom are the British Standards: "Safety of Laser Products Part 1: Equipment Classification, requirementsa and user guide" (BS EN 60825-1: 1994) and "Safety of Laser Products Part 2: Safety of Optical Fibre Communications Systems" (BS EN 60825-2: 2000), and "Radiation Safety of Laser Products, Equipment Classification, Requirements and User's Guide", produced by the International Electrotechnical Commission, IEC standard (publication 825, 1984 and subsequent amendments).

A summary of the rules on laser safety as they apply to universities in the United Kingdom, is embodied in the AURPO document ‘Guidance on the safe use of Lasers in Education and Research’ January 2007.

This document is a summary of the above Codes of Practice drawn up in the interests of rapid reference, and as a set of Local Rules for the University of Exeter with a section generally applicable within the University and another specific to each laboratory. It is not intended to supersede any of the above publications, particularly that of the AURPO, which must be available to and studied by all laser users.

Administration

  1. The Senate is the Controlling Authority in all matters of safety and control in the University. It has decided that Laser Safety shall be the responsibility of the Radiation Hazards Committee.

  2. The University appoints members to a Radiation Hazards Committee (Safety Group 9) which is a sub-committee of the University Safety Committee and meets at least once a year. The Committee is composed of a chairman, who reports to the Safety Committee, a Secretary who is for this University the Radiation Protection Adviser, the University Radiation Protection Officer (URPO), and a representative from each College involved with the use of ionising radiations. The Committee is responsible for all matters of ionising and non-ionising radiation safety within the University, and its duties are carried out by the URPO.

  3. The day-to-day running of the University Radiation Protection Service is undertaken by the URPO.  This service is incorporated within the University Health and Safety Office.

  4. Each College involved with the use of lasers must appoint a College Laser Safety Officer (CLSO) and, where appropriate, one or more Laser Safety Supervisors (LSS). These appointments must be made through the College Dean. The CLSO oversees all matters concerned with laser safety for the particular College and liaises with the University Radiation Protection Service. The LSS is responsible for ensuring that adequate laser safety procedures are carried out in specific areas in a College, eg a research group, research laboratory or teaching laboratory. The LSS is responsible to the CLSO and both the CLSO and the LSS are responsible to the College Dean who is ultimately responsible for all matters concerning laser safety in his College.

  5. Risk Assessments must be performed, and Local Rules and Schemes of Work must be written, for each sphere of work involving lasers of classes 3B and 4. These rules should be brought to the attention of all employees and students who may be affected by them and should be displayed at each work area. These rules may in the first instance be drawn up by the user of the laser, but they must be approved and ratified by the CLSO and/or the LSS. In the event of any uncertainty or dispute, the URPA must be consulted. It is the duty of the College Dean through his CLSO and LSS to ensure that the Local Rules are adhered to, and that all persons working with lasers in his College are properly trained in their use.

  6. It is the duty of each person whose work involves a laser to ensure that the Local Rules and safety procedures are adhered to.

Responsible persons and contact details

University Radiation Protection Officer:

Mr Mike Bell, Health and Safety Office,  Tel: 5339  Fax: 3115

College Laser Protection Officers:

In this guidance: