Use of laser pointers; Safety perspective

Use of Laser Pointers: Safety Perspective

Laser pointers are becoming ubiquitous and they may present environmental and occupational hazards when not handled properly. Red diode lasers, once the most common laser is now falling to the wayside in favor of green and other colors since the early 2000s. The use of laser pointers in various applications including the classroom and outdoor environment conditions poses safety concerns. The increased availability and popularity of handheld lasers presents an increasing occupational risk to aviators, flight crew members and possibly the general public in setting such classroom or lecture halls. The number of incidents has increased significantly over the years. This presentation will present an overview as to the types of laser pointers available and will focus on the hazards associated with outdoor environmental conditions and classroom settings; review the applicable regulations with FDA, CDRH, FAA and ANSI and MDPH. I will also outline the potential occupational health exposure factors such as glare, flash blindness and afterimage affects; review the established occupational maximum exposure limits set from various regulators and how it impacts the proposed use and limitations; discuss how these exposures affect vision during and after an exposure situation. Describe the possible control measures applied such as physical beam stops, adjusting wavelength, beam divergence and output power, airspace observers and automated aversion systems. This perspective should provide safety professionals with an overview as to the limited circumstances under which laser pointers could present an environmental and occupational problem.