IEC TR 60825-3:2008

IEC/TR 60825-3
Edition 2.0 2008-03
TECHNICAL
REPORT
Safety of laser products –
Part 3: Guidance for laser displays and shows

IEC/TR 60825-3:2008(E)
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IEC/TR 60825-3
Edition 2.0 2008-03
TECHNICAL
REPORT
Safety of laser products –
Part 3: Guidance for laser displays and shows

INTERNATIONAL
ELECTROTECHNICAL
COMMISSION
PRICE CODE
P
ICS 31.260 ISBN 2-8318-9648-7
– 2 – TR 60825-3 © IEC:2008(E)
CONTENTS
FOREWORD.3

1 Scope and object.5
1.1 Scope.5
1.2 Object .5
2 Normative references .6
3 Terms and definitions .6
4 Zone limits and maximum permissible exposures (MPE) for laser radiation .8
4.1 Compliance with maximum permissible exposure (MPE) .8
4.2 Spectator MPE .8
4.3 Ancillary personnel MPE .9
4.4 Performer MPE.9
5 Safety criteria for equipment and installations .10
6 Responsibilities of designers, installers, operators and performers.13
6.1 Training.13
6.2 Planning by designers. installers and operators.13
6.3 Set-up and alignment .13
6.4 Operation .14
6.5 Display safety record (DSR) .14
7 Special considerations.15
7.1 Holographic displays .15
7.2 Ultraviolet and blue-light laser beams.15

Bibliography.16

Figure 1 – Time for a scanning safeguard to be effective .9
Figure 2 – Spectator separation with operator in control .11
Figure 3 – Audience/spectator separation with operator in control.12
Figure 4 – Audience/spectator separation from unattended beams .12

Table 1 – Summary of MPE selection criteria.10

TR 60825-3 © IEC:2008(E) – 3 –
INTERNATIONAL ELECTROTECHNICAL COMMISSION
____________
SAFETY OF LASER PRODUCTS –
Part 3: Guidance for laser displays and shows

FOREWORD
1) The International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) is a worldwide organization for standardization comprising
all national electrotechnical committees (IEC National Committees). The object of IEC is to promote
international co-operation on all questions concerning standardization in the electrical and electronic fields. To
this end and in addition to other activities, IEC publishes International Standards, Technical Specifications,
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agreement between the two organizations.
2) The formal decisions or agreements of IEC on technical matters express, as nearly as possible, an international
consensus of opinion on the relevant subjects since each technical committee has representation from all
interested IEC National Committees.
3) IEC Publications have the form of recommendations for international use and are accepted by IEC National
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4) In order to promote international uniformity, IEC National Committees undertake to apply IEC Publications
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between any IEC Publication and the corresponding national or regional publication shall be clearly indicated in
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5) IEC provides no marking procedure to indicate its approval and cannot be rendered responsible for any
equipment declared to be in conformity with an IEC Publication.
6) All users should ensure that they have the latest edition of this publication.
7) No liability shall attach to IEC or its directors, employees, servants or agents including individual experts and
members of its technical committees and IEC National Committees for any personal injury, property damage or
other damage of any nature whatsoever, whether direct or indirect, or for costs (including legal fees) and
expenses arising out of the publication, use of, or reliance upon, this IEC Publication or any other IEC
Publications.
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.
The main task of IEC technical committees is to prepare International Standards. However, a
technical committee may propose the publication of a technical report when it has collected
data of a different kind from that which is normally published as an International Standard, for
example "state of the art".
IEC 60825-3, which is a technical report, has been prepared by IEC technical committee 76:
Optical radiation safety and laser equipment.
This second edition cancels and replaces the first edition published in 1995. It constitutes a
technical revision. The main changes since the first edition include clarification of the scope;
specific guidance on factors to take into account regarding scanning safeguards; clarification
of the records to be maintained; and modification of the requirements for the zones where
unattended laser projectors are used.

– 4 – TR 60825-3 © IEC:2008(E)
The text of this technical report is based on the following documents:
Enquiry draft Report on voting
76/371/DTR 76/379/RVC
Full information on the voting for the approval of this technical report can be found in the
report on voting indicated in the above table.
This publication has been drafted in accordance with the ISO/IEC Directives, Part 2.
A list of all parts of the IEC 60825 series, published under the general title Safety of laser
products, can be found on the IEC website.
The committee has decided that the contents of this publication will remain unchanged until
the maintenance result 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.
A bilingual version of this publication may be issued at a later date.

TR 60825-3 © IEC:2008(E) – 5 –
SAFETY OF LASER PRODUCTS –
Part 3: Guidance for laser displays and shows

1 Scope and object
1.1 Scope
This part of IEC 60825, which is a technical report, gives guidance on the planning and
design, set-up and conduct of laser displays and shows that make use of high power lasers.
The laser power needed to produce effective theatrical or artistic displays in large spaces
such as theatres, arenas, or architectural sites is great enough to pose a severe accidental
exposure hazard, even when personal exposure is very brief. For this reason, subclause 4.1.5
of IEC/TR 60825-14 specifies that only laser products that are Class 1, Class 2 or visible-
beam Class 3R should be used for demonstration, display or entertainment purposes in
unsupervised areas. Laser products of other classes should only be permitted under carefully
controlled conditions and under the control of a trained experienced operator.
The guidance provided in this technical report is not intended to include the display or
demonstration of scientific, medical or industrial laser products. However, many of the
principles in this guidance may be relevant. This guidance provides recommendations for
safety for those laser displays or demonstrations that are shows, artistic displays, advertising
or light sculptures, or museum pieces used to demonstrate optical principles, etc.
Laser products available for use in a domestic environment or for use by people who cannot
be expected to have received a suitable level of training should be Class 1, Class 2 or visible
beam Class 3R. Therefore, such equipment is outside the scope of this guidance.
1.2 Object
This guidance is intended to be used by those who:
– design, manufacture, assemble, install or operate laser products that are Class 4, Class
3B, or non-visible beam Class 3R for display and entertainment purposes;
– operate arenas, theatres, planetaria, discotheques or other places where such laser
products may be installed and operated; or
– are responsible for reviewing the safety of such equipment, installations or displays.
This guidance is not normative, but rather a code of practice for the design, installation,
operation and evaluation of the safety of laser light shows and displays, and the equipment
employed in their production. This guidance is also intended for persons who modify laser
display installations or equipment.
This guidance contains safety criteria for the protection of the public or persons in the vicinity
of laser displays in the course of their employment.
In some countries, there may be specific requirements, such as government permissions or
notifications of shows, or prohibitions, such as against laser scanning of spectators without
appropriate safeguards. This guidance is not to be understood as in conflict with such
requirements but merely to be supplementary.

– 6 – TR 60825-3 © IEC:2008(E)
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.
lEC 60825-1:2007, Safety of laser products – Part 1: Equipment classification and
requirements.
IEC/TR 60825-14:2004, Safety of laser products – Part 14: A user’s guide
3 Terms and definitions
For the purposes of this document, the following terms and definitions apply.
3.1
ancillary personnel
ancillary personnel include backstage workers, ushers, security g
...