I was having a conversation with a colleague last week and the topic of OSHA came up regarding onsite visits and laser safety. An OSHA inspector may be visiting you for any number of reasons and may notice you are using lasers at your facility – a known hazard. OSHA has been known to cite ANSI Z136.1 “Safe Use of Lasers” standard under the General Duty Clause – OHS Act of 1970 – and a knowledgeable inspector may ask some questions regarding your program.

  1. Do you have a written Laser Safety Program in place? If your current answer to this question is yes, then you are starting off great – if you don’t have one contact me and I’ll send you a sample.
  2. Do you have a Laser Safety Officer? If the answer is no and you are using Class 3B or 4 lasers you should name and train one.
  3. What types of lasers are you using and what are you using them for? This is where an updated accurate inventory comes in handy.
  4. Has a hazard evaluation been performed for all laser areas? Auditing your laser use areas annually will help here.
  5. What types of control measures are you using to ensure employee safety? For example, interlocked entryway, warning signs, laser eyewear, etc.
  6. Is PPE required and is it being used? If yes, only properly marked laser eyewear in good condition should be available.
  7. What type of training is provided to employees who work with lasers? Always keep training records and sign in sheets with date of training included.
  8. Do you have a procedure in place for investigating accidents? A good accident report form is useful – contact me if you need one.

This is by no means a complete list of questions but if you can answer these with confidence you will most likely avoid any further inquiries. As always having a copy of ANSI Z136.1 is key to any successful laser safety program along with a trained LSO.  Here are a couple useful OSHA links:

General Industry Standard – https://www.osha.gov/SLTC/laserhazards/standards.html

OSHA Technical Manual, Section III, Chapter 6 Laser Hazards – http://www.osha.gov/dts/osta/otm/otm_iii/otm_iii_6.html