Product Code: ILSC2007_101

Summary of Changes to the Next Edition of ANSI Z136.1
Authors:
Nikolay Stoev, Valkom Laser Consulting; Toronto ON Canada
Presented at ILSC 2007

This presentation is a summary of the changes introduced into the next edition of the ANSI Z136-200X standard compared to the current 2000 edition. It resulted from the author's effort in reviewing the drafts within the SSC-1 subcommittee and the editorial group. Revised ANSI standards currently lack sections summarizing the introduced changes, which is somewhat difficult for users of the new editions. One would have to read the whole document to identify some changes. The summary covers all normative sections including appendices and some non-normative appendices. It is not a word-by-word review and mostly identifies sections or paragraphs, where text was added, removed or modified. Further details are provided on major changes such as laser classification (similar to IEC 60825-1), hazard evaluation, new measurement conditions including optically aided viewing, limiting apertures and measurement distances (tables 8 and 9), laser safety programs, education and training, duties and responsibilities of LSO and other personnel, new normative appendix A, control measures (e.g. change of status for alignment procedures for Class 3B and 4 from informative to normative), non-beam hazards (significantly revised with many additions), medical surveillance (reduced from "shall" to "should"), revised definitions (new, modified or deleted), tables, examples of calculations (Appendix B), etc.