Introduction

This second edition of Laser Safety: Tools and Training is as much a surprise to others as myself. I hope the new chapters and updates are a welcome addition to your application and knowledge base.

The use of laser technology is on a Moore’s law track, increasing and expanding into areas unthought of a few years ago. So how do we make the user and those around them laser safe? As one reads through the text, one will see that it is really a matter of the hazards evaluation method and the desire to think laser safety. This means to think beyond laser-protective eyewear. One can say if eyewear is required, then the laser setup is not as safe as possible.

A number of chapters and sections deal with components of laser work and laser safety from the optical table, power meter, training adults, optics, and so forth. The purpose of including these items in this text is that they are generally not discussed in the contents of laser safety or only in stand-alone text if at all. Take the power meter for example, a common item in laser labs and owned by many laser safety officers (LSO). But here we present information on how to choose and the best way to use them, information I hope any LSO or laser user will find useful. The overall goal of this text is to provide the fundamental means or road map for laser users to see how simple laser safety can be with some thought and the desire to have the safest system possible.

I hope readers will find this text useful, entertaining, and informative.
 

Ken Barat
Laser Safety Solutions