IEC 60825-2:2004+AMD1:2006+AMD2:2010 CSV

IEC 60825-2
®
Edition 3.2 2010-12
INTERNATIONAL
STANDARD
NORME
INTERNATIONALE
colour
inside
Safety of laser products –
Part 2: Safety of optical fibre communication systems (OFCS)

Sécurité des appareils à laser –
Partie 2: Sécurité des systèmes de télécommunication par fibres optiques
(STFO)
IEC 60825-2:2004+A1:2006+A2:2010

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IEC 60825-2
®
Edition 3.2 2010-12
INTERNATIONAL
STANDARD
NORME
INTERNATIONALE
colour
inside
Safety of laser products –
Part 2: Safety of optical fibre communication systems (OFCS)

Sécurité des appareils à laser –
Partie 2: Sécurité des systèmes de télécommunication par fibres optiques
(STFO)

INTERNATIONAL
ELECTROTECHNICAL
COMMISSION
COMMISSION
ELECTROTECHNIQUE
PRICE CODE
INTERNATIONALE
CS
CODE PRIX
ICS 31.260; 33.180.01 ISBN 978-2-88912-246-2
® Registered trademark of the International Electrotechnical Commission
Marque déposée de la Commission Electrotechnique Internationale

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Publication IEC 60825-2 (Third edition – 2004 and its amendment 1 – 2006) I-SH 01

Safety of laser products – Part 2: Safety of optical fibre communication systems (OFCS)


INTERPRETATION SHEET 1


This interpretation sheet has been prepared by TC 76: Optical radiation safety and laser
equipment.
The text of this interpretation sheet is based on the following documents:
ISH Report on voting
76/376/ISH 76/380/RVD

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.
___________

Due to the inconsistency between the new IEC 60825-1:2007 and the current IEC 60825-2,
the previous edition of IEC 60825-1 (IEC 60825-1:1993 and its amendment 1 (1997) and
amendment 2 (2001)) should be used for calculating or measuring hazard levels of optical
fibre communication systems using IEC 60825-2:2004, incorporating amendment 1:2006.
This instruction will remain valid until a new version of IEC 60825-2 is published.

___________











April 2008

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IEC 60825-2:2004/ISH2:2018  IEC 2018 – 1 –
INTERNATIONAL ELECTROTECHNICAL COMMISSION
____________

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.

___________

IEC 60825-1 Ed. 3.0 (2014) introduced a new formula for C between 1 200 nm and
7
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
7
(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
7
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
7
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)

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– 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.

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– 2 – 60825-2 Ó IEC:2004+A1:2006+A2:2010
CONTENTS
FOREW ORD . 4

1 Scope and object . 6
2 Normative references . 7
3 Terms and definitions . 7
4 Requirements . 10
4.1 General . 10
4.2 Protective housing of OFCS . 11
4.3 Fibre cables . 11
4.4 Cable connectors . 11
4.5 Automatic power reduction (APR) and restart pulses. 12
4.6 Labelling or marking . 13
4.7 Organizational requirements. 18
4.8 Assessment of hazard level . 19
4.9 Hazard level requirements by location type . 20

Annex A (informative) Rationale . 21
Annex B (informative) Summary of requirements at locations in OFCS . 22
Annex C (informative) Methods of hazard/safety analysis . 23
Annex D (informative) Application notes for the safe use of OFCS . 24
Annex E (informative) Guidance for service and maintenance . 48
Annex F (informative) Clarification of the meaning of “hazard level” . 50

Bibliography . 52

Figure D.1 – PON (passive optical network)-based system . 33
Figure D.2 – Simple laser drive circuit . 35
Figure D.3 – Risk graph example from IEC 61508-5 Clause D.5 . 39
Figure D.4 – Graph of FIT rate and mean time to repair . 42

Table 1 – Marking in unrestricted locations . 14
Table 2 – Marking in Restricted Locations . 15
Table 3 – Marking in controlled locations . 16
Table D.1 – OFCS power limits for 11 mm single mode (SM) fibres and 0,18 numerical
aperture multimode (MM) fibres (core diameter < 150 mm) . 26
Table D.2 – Relation between the number of fibres in a ribbon fibre
and the maximum permitted power (example) . 32
Table D.3 – Identification of components and failure modes (example). 36
Table D.4 – Beta values (example) . 36

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60825-2 Ó IEC:2004+A1:2006+A2:2010 – 3 –
Table D.5 – Determination of failure rates (example) . 37
Table D.6 – Consequence classification from IEC 61508-5 Table D.1 . 39
Table D.7 – Frequency classification from IEC 61508-5 Table D.1 . 39
Table D.8 – Possibility of avoiding hazard classification from IEC 61508-5 Table D.1 . 40
Table D.9 – Classification of the probability of the unwanted occurrence
from IEC 61508-5 Table D.1 . 40
Table D.10 – Modes of operation – Definitions from IEC 61508-4, 3.5.12 . 41
Table D.11 – SIL Values from 7.6.2.9 of IEC 61508-1 . 41
Table D.12 – Determination of equipment monitoring classification . 43
Table D.13 – FIT rates from example above . 43
Table D.14 – Examples of power limits for optical fibre communication systems
having automatic power reduction to reduce emissions to a lower hazard level . 47

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– 4 – 60825-2 Ó IEC:2004+A1:2006+A2:2010
INTERNATIONAL ELECTROTECHNICAL COMMISSION
____________
SAFETY OF LASER PRODUCTS –
Part 2: Safety of optical fibre communication systems (OFCS)
FOREWORD
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8) Attention is drawn to the Normative references cited in this publication. Use of the referenced publications is
indispensable for the correct application of this publication.
9) Attention is drawn to the possibility that some of the elements of this IEC Publication may be the subject of
patent rights. IEC shall not be held responsible for identifying any or all such patent rights.
International Standard IEC 60825-2 has been prepared by IEC technical committee 76:
Optical radiation safety and laser equipment
This consolidated version of IEC 60825-2 consists of the third edition (2004) [documents
76/288/FDIS and 76/293/RVD], its amendment 1 (2006) [documents 76/346/FDIS
and 76/353/RVD] and its amendment 2 (2010) [documents 76/409/CDV and 76/419/RVC],
and the Interpretation sheets 1 (April 2008) and 2 (June 2018).
The technical content is therefore identical to the base edition and its amendments and
has been prepared for user convenience.
It bears the edition number 3.2.
A vertical line in the margin shows where the base publication has been modified by
amendments 1 and 2.
The French version of this standard has not been voted upon.

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60825-2 Ó IEC:2004+A1:2006+A2:2010 – 5 –
This publication has been drafted in accordance with the ISO/IEC Directives, Part 2.
IEC 60825 consists of the following parts, under the general title Safety of laser products:
Part 1: Equipment classification, requirements and user's guide
Part 2: Safety of optical fibre communication systems (OFCS)
Part 3: Guidance for laser displays and shows
Part 4: Laser guards
Part 5: Manufacturer's checklist for IEC 60825-1
Part 8: Guidelines for the safe use of laser beams on humans
Part 9: Compilation of maximum permissible exposure to incoherent optical radiation
Part 10: Application guidelines and explanatory notes to IEC 60825-1
Part 12: Safety of free space optical communication systems used for transmission of
information
Part 13: Measurements for classification of laser products
Part 14: A user’s guide
The committee has decided that the contents of the base publication and its amendments will
remain unchanged until the stability date indicated on the IEC web site under
"http://webstore.iec.ch" in the data related to the specific publication. At this date, the
publication will be
• reconfirmed,
• withdrawn,
• replaced by a revised edition, or
• amended.
IMPORTANT – The “colour inside” logo on the cover page of this publication indicates
that it contains colours which are considered to be useful for the correct understanding
of its contents. Users should therefore print this publication using a colour printer.

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– 6 – 60825-2 Ó IEC:2004+A1:2006+A2:2010
SAFETY OF LASER PRODUCTS –

Part 2: Safety of optical fibre communication systems (OFCS)



1 Scope and object
This Part 2 of IEC 60825 provides requirements and specific guidance for the safe operation
and maintenance of optical fibre communication systems (OFCS). In these systems optical
power may be accessible outside the confinements of transmitting equipment or at great
distance from the optical source.
This Part 2 requires the assessment of hazard levels at accessible locations as a replacement
for classification according to IEC 60825-1. It applies to the complete installed end-to-end
OFCS, including its components and subassemblies that generate or amplify optical radiation.
Individual components and subassemblies that are sold only to OEM vendors for incorporation
into a complete installed end-to-end OFCS need not be assessed to this standard, since the
final OFCS should itself be assessed according to this standard.
NOTE 1 The above statement is not intended to prevent manufacturers of such components and subassemblies
from using this standard if they wish to do so, or are required to do so by contract.
This standard does not apply to optical fibre systems primarily designed to transmit optical
power for applications such as material processing or medical treatment.
In addition to the hazards resulting from laser radiation, OFCS may also give rise to other
hazards, such as fire.
This standard does not address safety issues associated with explosion or fire with respect to
OFCS deployed in explosive atmospheres.
Throughout this part of IEC 60825, a reference to ‘laser’ is taken to include light-emitting
diodes (LEDs) and optical amplifiers.
NOTE 2 The optical hazard of light emerging from a fibre is determined by the wavelength and power emerging
from the fibre and the optical characteristics of the fibre. (See Annex A.).
The objective of this Part 2 of IEC 60825 is to:
– protect people from optical radiation resulting from OFCS;
– provide requirements for manufacturers, installation organizations, service organizations
and operating organizations in order to establish procedures and supply information so
that proper precautions can be adopted;
– ensure adequate warnings are provided to individuals regarding the potential hazards
associated with OFCS through the use of signs, labels and instructions.
Annex A gives a more detailed rationale for this part of IEC 60825.
The safety of an OFCS depends to a significant degree on the characteristics of the
equipment forming that system. Depending on the characteristics of the equipment, it may be
necessary to mark safety relevant information on the product or include it within the
instructions for use.

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60825-2 Ó IEC:2004+A1:2006+A2:2010 – 7 –
Where required by the level of potential hazard, it places the responsibility for the safe
deployment and use of these systems on the installer or end-user / operating organization or
both. This standard places the responsibility for adherence to safety instructions during
installation and service operations on the installation organization and service organizations
as appropriate, and operation and maintenance functions on the end-user or Operating
organization. It is recognised that the user of this standard may fall into one or more of the
aforementioned categories of manufacturer, installation organization, end-user or operating
organization.
2 Normative references
The following referenced documents are indispensable for the application of this document.
For dated references, only the edition cited applies. For undated references, the latest edition
of the referenced document (including any amendments) applies.
IEC 60825-1:2007, Safety of laser products – Part 1: Equipment classification and
requirements
3 Terms and definitions
For the purposes of this document, the terms and definitions contained in IEC 60825-1 as well
as the following terms and definitions apply.
3.1
accessible location
any part or location within an OFCS at which, under reasonably foreseeable events, human
access to laser radiation is possible without the use of a tool
3.2
automatic power reduction (APR)
a feature of an OFCS by which the accessible power is reduced to a specified level within a
specified time, whenever there is an event which could result in human exposure to radiation,
e.g. a fibre cable break
NOTE The term “automatic power reduction” (APR) used in this standard encompasses the following terms used
in recommendations of the International Telecommunication Union ITU:
– automatic laser shutdown (ALS);
– automatic power reduction (APR);
– automatic power shutdown (APSD).
3.3
end-user
person or organization using the OFCS in the manner the system was designed to be used
NOTE 1 The end-user cannot necessarily control the power generated and transmitted within the system.
NOTE 2 If the person or organization is using the OFCS for a communications application in a manner other than
as designed by the manufacturer, then that person/organization assumes the responsibilities of a manufacturer or
installation organization.
3.4
hazard level
the potential hazard at any accessible location within an OFCS. It is based on the level of
optical radiation which could become accessible in a reasonably foreseeable event, e.g. a
fibre cable break. It is closely related to the laser classification procedure in IEC 60825-1

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– 8 – 60825-2 Ó IEC:2004+A1:2006+A2:2010
3.5
hazard level 1
hazard level 1 is assigned to any accessible location within an OFCS at which, under
reasonably foreseeable events, human access to laser radiation in excess of the accessible
emission limits of Class 1 for the applicable wavelengths and emission duration will not occur.
The level of radiation is measured with the conditions for Class 1 laser products (see
IEC 60825-1), but with condition 2 being as defined in clause 4.8.1 of this standard
(IEC 60825-2)
3.6
hazard level 1M
hazard level 1M is assigned to any accessible location within an OFCS at which, under a
reasonably foreseeable event, human access to laser radiation in excess of the accessible
emission limits of Class 1 for the applicable wavelengths and emission duration will not occur.
The level of radiation is measured with the conditions for Class 1M laser products (see
IEC 60825-1), but with condition 2 being as defined in clause 4.8.1 of this standard
(IEC 60825-2)
NOTE If the applicable limit of hazard level 1M is larger than the limit of 2 or 3R and less than the limit of 3B,
hazard level 1M is allocated.
3.7
hazard level 2
hazard level 2 is assigned to any accessible location within an OFCS at which, under a
reasonably foreseeable event, human access to laser radiation in excess of the accessible
emission limits of Class 2 for the applicable wavelengths and emission duration will not occur.
The level of radiation is measured with the conditions for Class 2 laser products (see
IEC 60825-1), but with condition 2 being as defined in clause 4.8.1 of this standard
(IEC 60825-2)
NOTE If the applicable limit of hazard level 1M is larger than the limit of 2 and less than the limit of 3B, hazard
level 1M is allocated.
3.8
hazard level 2M
hazard level 2M is assigned to any accessible location within an OFCS at which, under a
reasonably foreseeable event, human access to laser radiation in excess of the accessible
emission limits of Class 2 for the applicable wavelengths and emission duration will not occur.
The level of radiation is measured with the conditions for Class 2M laser products (see
IEC 60825-1), but with condition 2 being as defined in clause 4.8.1 of this standard
(IEC 60825-2)
NOTE If the applicable limit of hazard level 2M is larger than the limit of 3R and less than the limit of 3B, hazard
level 2M is allocated.
3.9
hazard level 3R
hazard level 3R is assigned to any accessible location within an OFCS at which, under a
reasonably foreseeable event, human access to laser radiation in excess of the accessible
emission limits of Class 3R for the applicable wavelengths and emission duration will not
occur. The level of radiation is measured with the conditions for Class 3R laser products (see
IEC 60825-1), but with condition 2 being as defined in clause 4.8.1 of this standard
(IEC 60825-2)
NOTE If the applicable limit of hazard level 1M or 2M is larger than the limit of 3R and less than the limit of 3B,
hazard level 1M or 2M is allocated.

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60825-2 Ó IEC:2004+A1:2006+A2:2010 – 9 –
3.10
hazard level 3B
hazard level 3B is assigned to any accessible location within an OFCS at which, under a
reasonably foreseeable event, human access to laser radiation in excess of the accessible
emission limits of Class 3B for the applicable wavelengths and emission duration will not
occur. The level of radiation is measured with the conditions for Class 3B laser products (see
IEC 60825-1), but with condition 2 being as defined in clause 4.8.1 of this standard
(IEC 60825-2)
3.11
hazard level 4
hazard level 4 is assigned to any accessible location within an OFCS at which, under a
reasonably foreseeable event, human access to laser radiation in excess of the accessible
emission limits of Class 3B for the a
...