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Laser Health and Safety - ELA Laser Safety

ELA Safety Policy

GENERAL

  1. All laser equipment (laser, scanning head, control panel, power supplies, water supply etc) must be set up within a Control Area, to which only authorized personnel are permitted access.
  2. Each entrance to the Control Area must have a sign clearly visible displaying the laser warning symbol and stating 'Danger, Laser Radiation, Authorised Personnel Only'.
  3. Authorised Personnel means laser and lighting operators and safety officers.
  4. All laser and lighting operators involved in a laser display must be trained in electrical and laser safety
  5. The Control Area must be kept in a tidy and ordered condition. In particular, cables must be tidied away, and where they cross an operator walkway, they must be covered by a cable trap or ramp.
  6. Power supplies must be entirely enclosed so that there is no possibility of access to bare electrodes, and cables and connectors must be in good and sturdy condition.
  7. Water supplies and cooling equipment must be sealed so that there is zero leakage. Pipes must be in good and sturdy condition and be tidied away.
  8. Where power supplies and other heavy objects are situated more than 4ft above floor level they must be firmly fixed down, or be incapable of movement without deliberate effort.
  9. Lasers and scanning heads must be positioned in such a manner that they cannot be accidentally moved or jolted.
  10. Scaffold towers holding lasers must be situated in the Control Area, and be of a sturdy construction and not liable to movement if knocked.
  11. Mirrors positioned in the auditorium for reflecting the laser beam must be well secured to stable objects. Consideration must be given to the possibility of a beam missing the mirror, and where this would cause the beam to present a hazard, the mirror must be surrounded by a beam stop.
  12. Where possible each laser show should be well planned in advance. Particular care must be taken with outdoor shows and consideration given to where the beams will terminate and where members of the public are or could be situated.
  13. Operators must be aware of the situation of the nearest fire extinguisher.

ALIGNMENT PROGRAMMING AND OPERATION

  1. Masking plates must be used to ensure that there is no laser output from the scanning head until the laser has been accurately aligned.
  2. Alignment must be performed with the laser at low power.
  3. Programming must be performed at the lowest power level which is practical. This should be aided by the reduction of ambient lighting levels during programming.
  4. Alignment and programming of the laser must be performed before the arrival of the audience.
  5. During alignment and programming all people present in the auditorium / show area must be informed of the potential hazard.
  6. During operation of the laser, the control desk must be continually manned by a trained laser operator. The operator must maintain an awareness of what is happening in the audience and be ready and able to switch off the laser quickly should anyone be in danger of receiving an exposure not originally intended by the operator. ('Quickly', means within 2 seconds).

NON-AUDIENCE SCANNING EFFECTS

  1. Where audience scanning is not intended, the laser must be masked off using metal masking plates, in such a way that it is not possible to direct the laser into the audience.
  2. The masking plates must be firmly fixed.
  3. Where the laser show is performed out of doors and beams are not terminated the operator must inform the Civil Aviation Authority.
  4. During setup the laser operator must survey the projection area for possible specular reflection hazards (ie flat shiny metal surfaces, mirrors, windows, ice, water etc) and either remove such objects or take steps to ensure the laser cannot be directed onto them (eg by the use of masking plates).

AUDIENCE SCANNING

  1. Pulsed lasers or those which can be switched to pulsed mode, must never be scanned into an audience.
  2. Stationery beams must never be directed into an audience. This includes fast 'dotting' of the laser beam.
  3. Audience scanning must be performed at a scan rate of 1kHz or greater. (Scan rate refers to the speed of the scanner itself).
  4. To avoid the possibility of a concentrated exposure on a small number of people, any effect should be moved around the audience. In particular, flat scans must be panned.
  5. The laser operator must ensure that no one is exposed to laser radiation in excess of the relevant MPE's.
  6. The laser operator must ensure that members of the public are warned not to use opera glasses, binoculars or other optical aids (N.B. Prescription lenses are not a hazard).

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