ABSTRACT
If one reads the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) Z136.1 (Safe Use of Lasers, 2007) standard, it would appear that the laser safety officer (LSO) has the overwhelming responsibility for laser safety. This fact is firm, and without someone responsible for laser safety, safety will not happen. As with any activity, there are really many parties that play a role. In the case of laser safety, several groups have a role to play in providing, performing, or evaluating laser safety. A common expression is “line management accountability,” pushing down safety responsibility to the user level. Regardless, it is the role of the LSO either to see that controls are being carried out or to help develop those controls. The controls must be workable, or they will be defeated by the individual users. Let us go down the command chain of the team for laser safety, starting with institution management:
Institutional management• Laser safety officer• Laser safety committee• Laser supervisor• EH&S (environment, health, and safety) support• Laser user 1•
Introduction .............................................................................................................. 11 Institutional Management ........................................................................................ 12 Laser Safety Committee ........................................................................................... 12 Supervisor, Responsible Individual, Principal Investigator, or Work Leader Responsibilities ........................................................................................................ 13 EH&S Support ......................................................................................................... 13 Laser User Responsibilities ...................................................................................... 14 Laser Safety Officer Responsibilities ....................................................................... 14 Key LSO Tools ......................................................................................................... 16
Substitution of Alternate Control Measures ........................................................ 16 Temporary Control Area/Temporary Work Authorization .................................. 16
Guests and Visitors ................................................................................................... 17 Service and Repair Providers ................................................................................... 17 Regulatory Bodies ....................................................................................................24
