Product Code: ILSC2009_1201

Laser Safety Management in a Research Institute
Authors:
Shimon Gabay, DGS Laser in Medicine Technologies; Modi'in Israel
Presented at ILSC 2009

The laser safety management in a research institute is a complicated business, made of many topics that are supported by mutual interfaces. This paper presents our experience in Weizmann Institute of Science at Rehovot, Israel. The activity in such research institute is characterized by the following facts that require appropriate handling to keep the laser safety on a high standard level:
1.The laser labs entrance is accessible to the public, where many of them are not aware of laser hazards. - High risk for visitors.
2.The experimental set-up consists of multiple wavelengths, many optical components, short pulses, and alignments are done on a daily basis. - High risk for personnel
3.New graduate students all the year around. - Need follow-up for safety education.
4.New lasers and new labs are added every year. - Need follow-up for protective means

All the above topics pose the research institutes at the most risky sector within the laser users, leading to an extra burden on the personnel in charge for laser safety.

The above topics, and more, will be discussed in details. In addition, some good practice rules will be mentioned and some technical means to be implemented in the research lab will be shown. As a result of our efforts to improve the laser safety level, only one accident was occurred during the last 10 years. The accident details will be also presented.