Individual protection

A laser safety course is mandatory for any person likely to use laser sources of classes higher than 1.

Of course, the maintenance staff must have a more complete formation. Indeed, these people may not only work directly on the laser source, but also on every peripheral systems, such as the electric high voltage supplies for example. More specific training courses can be found, depending on the concerned laser system. For example, a chemical hazard course should complete the laser safety course for gas and dye lasers users.

As for most employees, the laser operator must have regular medical consultations in order to evaluate his ability to occupy his position. The doctor makes a somehow general consultation, and if required mandates the employee to a complementary consultation to a specialised doctor. The employer must then give to the doctor every information on the employee's position. When a high power laser source is to be used, the employer must ensure that the working conditions form has been established and transferred to the doctor.

The medical surveillance is mostly required for class 3A, 3B and 4 laser source users. When hired, the employee must not only have the standard medical consultation, but also do an opthalmologic checkpoint every 2-3 years and after any accident or ocular symptom.

The subject of this paragraph is the protection of one individual by fully or partially isolating him from the laser radiation. This protection generally concerns the eyes, and sometimes the skin.

Its purpose is to attenuate any incident radiation, so that the eye exposure always stays under the M.P.E. that is defined in the standard for the considered wavelength. This protection is mandatory when it is impossible to confine by some way the laser beams and the eventual parasitic reflections (which commonly occur in laboratory experiments, and during maintenance operations). This individual protection mostly consists in safety goggles.

These goggles are subjected to the safety standards (NF) EN 207 [ ] and (NF) EN 208 [ ]. Why two different standards? Depending on the protection required by the user (ordinary safety goggles or adjustment goggles), they must obey to one of these two standards.

Ordinary safety goggles are subjected to the standard (NF) EN 207, and must have the following informations written on them :

• First, a letter specifying the laser type :

  • D for continuous sources

  • I for pulsed sources

  • R for giant pulses

  • M for mode-locked pulsed sources

• A number indicating the wavelength(s) or the spectral domain on which the goggles ensure a protecting filtering.

• A “L number” (L1 to L10), quantifying the filtering.

• The name of the manufacturer

• Eventually, the certification label

• And eventually the standard reference.

Adjustment safety goggles are subjected to the standard (NF) EN 208. They must have the following informations written on them :

• The maximal power of the source, or the maximal energy carried by the pulses

• The wavelength or the spectral domain

• A “R number” (R1 to R5), quantifying the protection

• The manufacturer

• The certification label

• The explicit notification “Adjustment goggles” on the mount (in France, it must be written in French : “lunettes de réglage”)

• Eventually, one of the codes specifying the mechanical resistance as defined in the standard (NF) EN 166