Elimination
Use of a less dangerous cutting process
- Making Safety Simpler
BCCSA Search
Laser Hazards
Hazards from laser sources, including potential eye and skin injuries, risk of fires, and exposure to laser-generated air contaminants (LGACs). Workers can be exposed by operating a laser. Simply being in the area when a laser is being used can also result in exposure. Lasers can reflect in unpredictable ways off some surfaces, causing the beam to strike nearby workers.
Construction Industry Examples
- Laser levels for alignment
- Laser-based surveying equipment
- Laser cutting tools for metal or stone
- Fiber optic cable installation equipment
Tips on Identifying
- Identify all laser sources
- Consider potential for eye and skin injuries
- Assess risk of fires, puncture wounds, or amputations
- Look for potential laser-generated air contaminants
Control Method Examples:
More Effective
Substitution
Engineering Controls
Protective housing such as enclosures or barriers, interlocks, beam stops, shields, and curtains.
Administrative Controls
Procedures, training, warning signs, removing shiny surfaces
PPE
Eye protection
Less Effective