By Ken Barat
A Review of the ANSI Z136.8 and Why You Should Be Using It
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Tag Archives: ANSI Z136.8
LIA – 45 Years Preparing You for the Demands of Laser Safety
By Geoff Giordano
The presence of so many attendees wearing red Certified Laser Safety Officer (CLSO®) and Certified Medical Laser Safety Officer (CMLSO®) ribbons at the International Laser Safety Conference (ILSC®) in Orlando, served as a clear indicator that the ranks of laser safety professionals are growing. And their job is going to be increasingly demanding as photonics expand into more advanced applications in aviation, energy, medicine, defense and manufacturing.
“We train about 1,000 laser safety officers a year,” noted LIA Education Director Gus Anibarro. But that’s just the tip of the iceberg when considering the enormity of the task ahead for companies and research facilities making an intensive use of lasers and trying to ensure the safety of their personnel. Continue reading
New ANSI Z136.8 – Improves Laser Safety in the Research Lab
A new standard geared to lasers employed in research takes a “more realistic” approach to guiding safety officers overseeing such work, in which the use of customized laser devices and fiber optics is common.
American National Standard for Safe Use of Lasers in Research, Development, or Testing, the title of the new ANSI Z136.8 standard, also addresses injury prevention in specific areas where experiments are conducted.
“In the research setting, you’re often dealing with lasers that don’t have all the bells and whistles,” explains Ken Barat, chairman of the subcommittee that developed the new standard. “Z136.8 recognizes that many lasers in the research setting are homemade and may not have all these controls, so I do not have to explain why they are missing to auditors. (Z136.8) allows LSOs to accept those things rather than say you’re out of compliance.”