Don’t Turn a Blind Eye to Safety: Protecting Personnel from Harmful Lasers

Anish Donda

doi:10.56094/jss.v53i3.109

Authors

Anish Donda Raytheon

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.56094/jss.v53i3.109

Keywords:

laser, eye safety, skin hazard, ANSI Z136, PPE

Abstract

While lasers have many useful purposes for both commercial and military applications, they can also be hazardous if not operated safely. This paper discusses the safety precautions that must be taken to adequately protect personnel when operating and/or testing lasers in a free-space environment. First, a brief overview of lasers and associated terminology are introduced. Second, the properties of one of the two most common beam profiles, Gaussian, are discussed. An understanding of the beam profile is important in correctly identifying the safe operating environment for the laser. Exposure to laser energy can result in damage to the eye and skin. Therefore, the concepts of Optical Density, Nominal Ocular Hazard Distance and Skin Hazard Distance are discussed. These parameters help ensure that the correct Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) is used and help identify the hazard zone. Finally, recommendations for selecting the appropriate PPE are discussed. The concepts presented in this paper can be applied to any hazardous laser system.

Author Biography

Anish Donda, Raytheon

Anish Donda is a principal systems engineer for Raytheon Space and Airborne Systems in McKinney, Texas. He earned his B.S. in computer engineering from the University of Arizona in 2000, his M.S. in Computer Engineering from the University of Arizona in 2003 and his M.B.A. from the University of Arizona in 2005. He has worked for 18 years in the system safety group at Raytheon, spending the last five years as a system safety engineer in the advanced electro-optical systems group specializing in laser safety.