LIA to release revised Z136.1 laser safety standard in February 2014
Orlando, FL - The update of the Z136.1 parent standard for laser safety is in the final stages of approval and is anticipated to be available for sale in February, said the Laser Institute of America (LIA). For a limited time, LIA is offering a discounted pre-publication price for the print version.
The revised Z136.1 standard provides guidance for the safe use of lasers and laser systems by defining control measures for each of seven laser hazard classifications.
Last revised in 2007, the Z136.1 has been painstakingly refined through a rigorous process of expert input and evaluation. The process has been steered by Dr. Ben Rockwell of the Air Force Research Laboratory. Rockwell, who has chaired LIA’s International Laser Safety Conference (ILSC), oversees the subcommittee that produces the Z136.1.
Some highlights of the new standard:
* 19 new definitions of key terms.
* New maximum permissible exposure limits (MPEs), including a significant increase in allowed exposure levels for wavelengths between 1.2 micron and 1.4 micron and a slight decrease in exposure limits for pulses shorter than approximately 10 micro-sec.
* An updated section on "special qualifications" for medical-related exposures to include MPEs expressed in terms of illuminance.
* Rearranged Section 4 (Control Measures) and rewritten Section 7 (Non-beam Hazards) to increase comprehension.
* Examples involving new exposure limits added to Appendix B.
* Vertical standards Z136.2 through Z136.9 now take precedence over this document, within the scope of that standard. This makes the Z136.1 officially a horizontal standard.
* The degradation of optics transmission in the UV and NIR is now included in the analysis of hazard classification of lasers.
The document can be pre-ordered now at a 20 percent savings at www.lia.org/store: $135 for LIA members and $155 for non-members. Pre-ordered Z136.1-2014 standards will be shipped as soon as they are available.
Laser Institute of America (LIA) is the secretariat and publisher of the Z136 series of laser safety standards, which provide guidelines for implementing a safe laser program in industrial, medical, military and educational applications nationwide.