Laser safety officer

According to Section 5 of the German Ordinance on the Protection of Employees from Risks from Artificial Optical Radiation (OStrV), issued in July 2010 and amended for the second time in October 2017 , employers have an obligation if they do not themselves have the necessary specialist knowledge have to appoint a laser safety officer with specialist knowledge in writing before the start of operation of class 3R, 3B and 4 lasers .

The specialist knowledge must be proven through successful participation in a course (with final examination) and kept up to date through regular training (TROS laser radiation specifies this for at least every 5 years) (OStrV § 5 Paragraph 2).

Since May 2019, the German Social Accident Insurance (DGUV) has had a principle for the training and advanced training of laser protection officers as well as advanced training for skilled persons to carry out the risk assessment according to OStrV for laser applications (DGUV principle 303-005).

If training is carried out according to this principle, the following applies: The requirements for training laser safety officers in the OStrV and TROS laser radiation can only be fully met by a face-to-face event with the minimum duration in accordance with TROS laser radiation. The acquisition of the required specialist knowledge of the laser safety officer through e-learning alone does not meet these requirements (DGUV principle 303-005 chapter 7).

tasks

The laser safety officers have the following tasks:

The laser safety officers support the employer

when carrying out the risk assessment according to § 3 OStrV,
when implementing the necessary protective measures according to § 7 and
when monitoring the safe operation of lasers according to § 5 sentence 1

The tasks of the laser safety officer include in particular:

participation in the preparation of the risk assessment,
Participation in the implementation of the protective measures specified in the risk assessment by the company such as participation in the training of employees, delimitation and marking of the laser area, procurement of suitable personal protective equipment such as laser safety goggles ...
ensuring safe operation by regularly checking the effectiveness of the protective measures taken.

If only laser classes 1 and 2 according to DIN EN 60825-1: 2008 are used, no laser safety officer is required.

Attention: Many class 1 material processing lasers exceed the exposure limit values according to OStrV during repair work and are then more or less in class 4 operation - in this case protective measures are required.

When operating lasers of class 1M, 2m or old class 3A, a laser safety officer is recommended according to TROS laser radiation part 3, depending on the task.

Courses for the acquisition of specialist knowledge

According to the Optical Radiation Ordinance OStrV, the employer must ensure that the laser safety officers receive the specialist knowledge required for their work by selecting the appropriate course / course providers for courses for laser safety officers. In DGUV Principle 303-005 "Training and advanced training of laser protection officers as well as advanced training of competent persons to carry out the risk assessment according to OStrV for laser applications" , the requirements of the DGUV for the training of laser protection officers and competent persons are taken into account, taking into account the changed legal framework (OStrV, technical rules Optical radiation (TROS) laser radiation). Course providers who train according to the principle can thus demonstrate a basic quality of the seminars.

Depending on the application, a distinction is made between “general courses” (at least 14 teaching units of 45 minutes each) and “application-related courses” (at least 8.5 teaching units of 45 minutes each). After the TROS laser radiation, part "General", both types of courses must contain at least the following topics:

physical properties of laser radiation
biological effects of laser radiation
legal principles and rules of technology
Laser classes, limit values, hazards (direct / indirect)
Selection and implementation of protective measures
Tasks and responsibilities of the LSB in the company
exemplary implementation of a risk assessment

General courses:

Laser safety officers who are deployed where changes are made to the systems on a regular basis and who therefore have to regularly reassess the risk should take part in a general course. Examples of this are research institutions, universities and companies in which the laser devices are repeatedly being converted for different applications or in which non-classified laser systems are used.

Application-related courses:

If laser systems are operated for only one specific application in a company or institution, the training of the laser safety officer can take place in one day, depending on the application. The application-related training of laser safety officers in one-day courses is suitable for the following areas of application:

medical application
cosmetic application
Surveying technology
Show laser
Fiber optic communication systems
Material processing laser

E-learning

E-learning can be a good opportunity to prepare participants for the corresponding courses for training laser safety officers and to deepen their knowledge through the interactive transfer of knowledge.

According to § 5 Abs. 2 OStrV, the laser safety officer has to prove his required specialist knowledge by successfully participating in a course. The content and scope of a corresponding training are specified in the TROS laser radiation, part "General". There the implementation of the examination is regulated with a written and, if necessary, an oral part.

Exam at the end of the course

The examination serves as proof of the successful acquisition of the specialist knowledge of an LSB according to OStrV. The aim is to show that you can reproduce and apply the required knowledge - successful here means that the training to become a laser safety officer must end with an examination. The duration of the examination is 1 LE (45 minutes) for general courses and 0.5 LE for application-related courses (cf. Tab. 1 and 2 in the TROS Laser Radiation Part “General”).

Passing this test is a prerequisite for being appointed as a laser safety officer. Course participants who have completed a course without an exam have to go to school.

Web links

Individual evidence

↑ Guide for laser safety officers - training and practice | Claudia Schneeweiss | Jumper . ( springer.com [accessed July 17, 2018]).

[1] Guide for laser safety officers - training and practice | Claudia Schneeweiss | Jumper . ( springer.com [accessed July 17, 2018]).