

This relates to optical beam hazards other than laser beam hazards.

The laser target and elements of the optical train which may shatter during laser operation shall also be enclosed. High-pressure arc lamps and filament lamps or laser welding equipment shall be enclosed in housings which can withstand the maximum pressures resulting from lamp explosion or disintegration. Adequate ventilation shall be installed to reduce noxious or potentially hazardous fumes and vapors, produced by laser welding, cutting and other target interactions, to levels below the appropriate threshold limit values, e.g., American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists (ACGIH) threshold limit values (TLV's) or Occupational Safety and Health Administration's (OSHA) permissible exposure limits (PEL's). Potential hazards associated with compressed gases, cryogenic materials, toxic and carcinogenic materials and noise should be considered. In some laser operations, particularly in the research laboratory, general safety and health guidelines should be considered. WAVELENGTHS OF MOST COMMON LASERS Laser type Table III:6-2 lists some of the major uses of lasers. Laser use today is not restricted to the laboratory or specialized industries.

Table III:6-1 lists most of the laser types and their wavelength ouput defined by the medium being excited. The wavelength output from a laser depends upon the medium being excited. They may be built into larger arrays, e.g., the writing source in some laser printers or compact disk players. These electronic devices are generally very small and use low power.

When electrically stimulated, a pseudomolecule or dimer is produced and when lased, produces light in the ultraviolet range. Excimer lasers (the name is derived from the terms excited and dimers) use reactive gases such as chlorine and fluorine mixed with inert gases such as argon, krypton, or xenon.CO 2 lasers emit energy in the far-infrared, 10.6 micrometers, and are used for cutting hard materials. Gas lasers (helium and helium-neon, HeNe, are the most common gas lasers) have a primary output of a visible red light.The neodymium-YAG laser emits infrared light at 1.064 micrometers. Solid state lasers have lasing material distributed in a solid matrix, e.g., the ruby or neodymium-YAG (yttrium aluminum garnet) lasers.Lasers are commonly designated by the type of lasing material employed. The laser medium can be a solid (state), gas, dye (in liquid), or semiconductor. The pumping system uses photons from another source as a xenon gas flash tube (optical pumping) to transfer energy to the media, electrical discharge within the pure gas or gas mixture media (collision pumping), or relies upon the binding energy released in chemical reactions to raise the media to the metastable or lasing state. The optical cavity contains the media to be excited with mirrors to redirect the produced photons back along the same general path. Industrial Robots and Robot System SafetyĮxcavations: Hazard Recognition in Trenching and ShoringĬontrolling Lead Exposures in the Construction Industry: Engineering and Work Practice Controls Oil Well Derrick Stability: Guywire Anchor Systems Legionnaire's Disease, see OSHA's Safety and Health Topics Page for updated information.Ĭontrolling Exposure to Hazardous Drugs, see OSHA's Safety and Health Topics Page for updated information. Polymer Matrix Materials: Advanced Composites Technical Equipment: On-site Measurements
