Laser Safety

Both lasers and UV light have the potential to cause serious eye injury even to the point of permanent blindness. Prolonged exposure to UV light can cause premature aging of the skin and skin cancer. Lasers can also pose a skin or fire hazard as well as an electrical hazard. Some lasing mediums can be carcinogenic or mutagenic. Finally, some processes with lasers can create non-beam hazards such as laser generated air contaminants (LGACs) or may cause air to spark when focussed. Lasers and laser systems are classified based on their capability of injuring personnel. Laser operators must wear appropriate safety goggles for the lasing wavelength and necessary optical density which can be found in the laser’s manual. SOP for laser systems should include hazards, required optical density for eyewear, and protocol start-up, shutdown, emergency procedures, and other procedures related to operation such as mirror alignment. Mirror/laser alignment should always be performed at the lowest possible power. The University trains users of Class 3B and Class 4 lasers in the safe use of those lasers, conducts hazard evaluations of Class 3B and Class 4 lasers at the time of installation. Users can find Laser Safety Training in eNDeavor.