Laser safety and protection are on the one hand to protect, obviously. We refer to the protection of people first and foremost, but investments, equipment must also be protected.
But laser safety is also an obligation, there are norms, it is regulated, so it is also there to be complied with.
Royal Decree Real Decreto 486/2010 of April 23, on the protection of the health and safety of workers against risks related to exposure to artificial optical radiation, is the transposition into Spanish law of the European Directive 2006/25/EC on the minimum health and safety requirements regarding the exposure of workers to risks arising from artificial optical radiation.
To date, RD486/2010 is the basis for all laser safety activities in Spain. In any other European country, there will be a very similar provision transposing the European directive.
Apart from RD486, there are also a series of standards that apply to different matters that allude to laser protection:
- UNE-EN 207: Personal eye-protection equipment - Filters and eye-protectors against laser radiation (laser eye-protectors). Full blocking laser eyewear (goggles, spectacles).
- UNE-EN 208: Personal eye-protection - Eye-protectors for adjustment work on lasers and laser systems (laser adjustment eye-protectors). Not full-blocking laser eyewear to allow laser alignment.
- UNE-EN 12254: Screens for laser working places - Safety requirements and testing. Windows, panels, walls, curtains,…
- IEC 60825: compendium of different sections related to the safety of laser products, where we emphasize:
- 60825-1: Part 1: Equipment classification and requirements.
- 60825-4: Part 4: Laser guards. Cabins, enclosures, fairings,…
If you have any questions regarding any laser safety regulations, please do not hesitate to contact us.
And of course, if what you need are laser protection products (glasses and helmets, windows, curtains, screens, clothing, cabins and enclosures) we are the best to advise you (or so we think, that's why we are a team of LSOs).
