Description

Laser Safety Auditing addresses the responsibilities, requirements and recommendations for operating lasers in accordance with international consensus standards.  It is intended to provide guidance for users of lasers and laser systems in general industry, where there are no OSHA regulations that cover laser usage.  It does not address compliance with the OSHA standard for nonionizing radiation at 29 CFR 1926.54, which applies to lasers used in construction operations and in the power generation, transmission, and distribution installations of electric utilities, as well as equivalent installations of industrial establishments.

In preparing this guide, all major international consensus standards related to lasers were considered.  The rulebook includes a brief discussion of the requirements for laser manufacturers under the U.S. Food and Drug Administration s Federal Laser Product Performance Standard at 21 CFR 1041.10 and the International Electrotechnical Commission s IEC 60825-1, Safety of Laser Products Part 1: Equipment Classification and Requirements.  At this time, there is no international standard that governs users of lasers, so only the requirements and recommendations of the American National Standard for Safe Use of Lasers (ANSI Z136.1-2014) are discussed in any detail.