IEC 60825-2:2004/ISH2:2018

INTERNATIONAL ELECTROTECHNICAL COMMISSION

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IEC 60825-2
Edition 3.0  2004-06
SAFETY OF LASER PRODUCTS –
Part 2: Safety of optical fibre communication systems (OFCS)

INTERPRETATION SHEET 2
This interpretation sheet has been prepared by IEC technical committee 76: Optical radiation
safety and laser equipment.
The text of this interpretation sheet is based on the following documents:
FDIS Report on voting
76/599/FDIS 76/606/RVDISH
Full information on the voting for the approval of this interpretation sheet can be found in the
report on voting indicated in the above table.

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IEC 60825-1 Ed. 3.0 (2014) introduced a new formula for C between 1 200 nm and
1 400 nm. This formula significantly increases the AEL of class 1 in this wavelength range.

The new formula for C in IEC 60825-1 Ed. 3.0 should not be used within IEC 60825-2 Ed. 3.2
(2010) because it may lead to excessive power limits, for example within Hazard Level 1.
Note e) to Table A.1 of IEC 60825-1 Ed. 3.0 states that: “In the wavelength range between
1 250 nm and 1 400 nm, the limits to protect the retina given in this table may not adequately
protect the anterior parts of the eye (cornea, iris) and caution needs to be exercised. There is
no concern for the anterior parts of the eye if the exposure does not exceed the skin MPE
values.”
IEC 60825-2 Ed. 3.2 Clause 2 (normative references) contains a dated reference to
IEC 60825-1:2007 in which the correction factor C was set equal to 8 within the wavelength
range of 1 200 nm to 1 400 nm. This dated reference in the normative references section is
technically sufficient for the correct interpretation of IEC 60825-2 Ed. 3.2, even though
undated references to IEC 60825-1 occur in other clauses. This interpretation sheet is
therefore provided as an additional warning and prompt for users of IEC 60825-2 Ed. 3.2.
Accordingly, within the wavelength range 1 200 nm to 1 400 nm the formula C = 8 is still to
be used within all affected clauses of IEC 60825-2 Ed. 3.2.
ICS 31.260; 33.180.01
IEC 60825-2:2004-06/ISH2:2018-06(en-fr)

– 2 – IEC 60825-2:2004/ISH2:2018  IEC 2018

This interpretation sheet will remain valid until a new edition of IEC 60825-2 is published.

NOTE Exposure limits for the eye and the skin of employees in the workplace and the general public are in many
countries specified in national laws. These legally-binding national exposure limits might differ from the MPEs

given in the informative Annex A of IEC 60825-1 Ed. 3.0.

COMMISSION ÉLECTROTECHNIQUE INTERNATIONALE

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IEC 60825-2
Edition 3.0  2004-06
SECURITE
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