Laser Safety Training

According to the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970, Section 5(a) “each employer shall furnish to each of his employees employment and a place of employment which are free from recognized hazards that are causing or are likely to cause death or serious physical harm to his employees.” Furthermore, according to the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) Z136-1 for Safe Use of Lasers standard, “Management (employer) has the fundamental responsibility to ensure the safe use of lasers owned by and/or operated in facilities under its control.” Laser systems that are Class 3B and Class 4 are considered hazardous lasers. Therefore, as part of a laser safety program the ANSI Z136-1 for Safe Use of Lasers standard requires that training is provided to all employees working with Class 3B and Class 4 lasers. Under the OSHA Act “employers must provide safety training in a language and vocabulary workers can understand.”  In addition, the employer must consider the liability to the company if an employee was injured, maimed, or killed. The cost to the employer could be enormous let alone to the employee.  The emphasis for the employer must be on laser safety when using a Class 3B or Class 4 laser.