The following are taken from paragraph 4.1.2 of the international standard PD-IEC-TR-60825-14 2004 'Safety of laser products - Part 14: a user's guide'.

Class 3B laser products (all wavelengths)

Risks: Class 3B laser products are those which have a high level of accessible emission. Looking directly into the beam is always hazardous while specular reflections may be harmful to the eyes. At the energy levels towards the upper limit of the class (0.5 W) specular reflections could also be harmful to the skin. Diffuse reflections are not harmful, though should be avoided.

Protection: Prevent eye exposure and control the beam so that it or its reflections cannot be directed into areas where people could be present. Beam stops (beam dumps) must be used to terminate the beam at the end of its useful path.

Class 4 laser products (all wavelengths)

Risks: Laser products having a high level of accessible emission. Looking directly into the beam and specular reflections are always hazardous to the eyes and the skin. Diffuse reflections are likely to be hazardous.
Laser beams may be able to ignite flammable materials or damage walls and metal components. Beam stops will need to be appropriate to the beam’s energy levels, and should disperse heat effectively. Beams can also generate dangerous fumes by reacting with materials in the beam path, or during certain applications, e.g. ablation or drilling.

Protection: Prevent any exposure to the eyes or skin by fully controlling the beam and any reflections. It is also important to consider fire precautions and ventilation.

The risks associated with every laser experiment must be asessed to determine the appropriate controls required to prevent exposure to the beam and other hazards.

Further information about how to assess the risks is available from your Local Laser Safety Advisor.

Essential Documents

University Arrangements (What must be done)

University Arrangements Chapter 27 on laser safety must be followed by all laser users. It provides details of what is required to ensure lasers of all classes are managed appropriately.  

Laser Safety Management Forms

The following forms are to be used  to implement the arrangements in Chapter 27

Laser Safety Management Form LS1 - For PI use to notify the Local Laser Safety Advisor and RSU of new laser activity or significant change in laser activity

Laser Safety Management Form LS2 - For PI use to notify Local Laser Safety Advisor and RSU of new/newly acquired lasers or lasers for disposal

Laser Safety Management Form LS3 - For new users to record their Laser induction and training received

Guidance notes:

The Guidance on the Safe Use of Lasers in Education and Research published by the Association of University Radiation Protection Officers is a very helpful document and contains worked examples of risk assessments and laser calculations. 

All laser users must receive a local induction and relevant training.

New users need to complete our basic laser safety training offered online or face to face and complete a local induction. 

Follow these steps to access the training:

1. Register for the required course, listed below via the Training Catalogue.
2. The catalogue will send you an email regarding your application. 
3. When you have attended the course you will be given a LS3 form to complete.
4. The completed form should be returned to your Local Laser Safety Advisor and a copy sent to Katharine.sullivan@manchester.ac.uk in RSU

Basic Courses offered: 

Goggles must only be used when other controls are ineffective – for example complex alignment of high power beams. Your LLSA can tell you when goggles should be worn and when.

However, in properly-designed experiments goggles should not be required. If there is a concern that beams and reflections may leave the optical bench you need to address the issue, rather than relying on a pair of goggles.

It is also important to remember that goggles are only rated for certain regions of the spectrum (UV, visible, infrared) and rarely protect across different regions. For example, if a colleague in the same laboratory is wearing UV goggles, they won’t be protected from the visible laser beam from your experiment.