WG 8 - TC 76/WG 8

IEC TR 60825-3:2022 gives guidance on the planning and design, set-up and conduct of laser displays and shows that make use of high power lasers emitting output between 380 nm and 780 nm.
This document is 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 document is also intended for persons who modify laser display installations or equipment.
The laser power needed to produce visually 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, IEC TR 60825-14 states 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. Only under carefully controlled conditions and under the control of a trained experienced operator can laser products of higher classes be used for visual entertainment.
This document expands upon the principles considered in IEC TR 60825-14, providing specific technical guidance appropriate for the safe use of laser products used for the purposes of visual entertainment.

IEC TR 60825-14:2022 This second edition cancels and replaces the first edition published in 2004. This edition constitutes a technical revision.
This edition includes the following significant technical changes with respect to the previous edition:
incorporates changes made in IEC 60825-1:2014;
adds information to users of laser equipment on administrative controls to ensure safety in the workplace, including the training and appointment of people to specific laser safety management roles;
updates an approach to risk assessment;
includes updated guidance on the management of incidents and accidents;
includes updated guidance on medical surveillance for laser workers;
includes revised examples of calculations.
This document is intended to help laser users and their employers to understand the general principles of safety management, to identify the hazards that can be present, to assess the risks of harm that can arise, and to set up and maintain appropriate control measures. Although the guidance given in this document is aimed principally at organizations (whether private, corporate or public), where systems of safety management would be expected to be in place, it can be applied by anyone using lasers.
Laser control measures vary widely. They depend on the type of laser equipment in use, the task or process being performed, the environment in which the equipment is used and the personnel who are at risk of harm. Specific requirements for certain laser applications are given in other documents in the IEC 60825 series.

IEC TR 60825-5:2019 is applicable to laser products as described in IEC 60825-1:2014.
The checklist is intended for use by manufacturers of laser products and their agents to establish that each new or modified design complies with the requirements of IEC 60825-1:2014. The checklist is used in conjunction with IEC 60825-1, as relevant clauses and subclauses in IEC 60825-1 are referred to in the text.
The layout of the checklist is intended only as a guide. Manufacturers and examiners are encouraged to produce their own document, omitting questions and clauses that are not relevant to the types of product under examination, but noting in the appropriate positions the numbers of such clauses stating, for example: "Subclause 9.11.1: Question omitted – not applicable".
The manufacturer is responsible for ensuring that the examiner is a person competent in the inspection and classification of laser products.
This third edition cancels and replaces the second edition of IEC TR 60825-5 published in 2003. This edition constitutes a technical revision.
This edition includes the following significant technical changes with respect to the previous edition:
a new class, Class 1C, was introduced; the measurement condition 2 ("eye loupe" condition) was removed; for compliance with non-beam hazards (8.14.1) according to relevant product safety standards, a reference was made to corresponding product reports.
This document is to be used in conjunction with IEC 60825-1:2014.

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. 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. 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.

IEC 60825-1 is applicable to safety of laser products emitting laser radiation in the wavelength range 180 nm to 1 mm. A laser product may consist of a single laser with or without a separate power supply or may incorporate one or more lasers in a complex optical, electrical, or mechanical system. Typically, laser products are used for demonstration of physical and optical phenomena, materials processing, data reading and storage, transmission and display of information, etc. Such systems have found use in industry, business, entertainment, research, education, medicine and consumer products. Laser products that are sold to other manufacturers for use as components of any system for subsequent sale are not subject to IEC 60825-1, since the final product will itself be subject to this standard. However, if the laser system within the laser product is operable when removed from the equipment, the requirements of this Part 1 apply to the removable unit. Any laser product is exempt from all further requirements of this Part 1 if classification by the manufacturer of that product according to Clauses 3, 8 and 9 shows that the emission level does not exceed the AEL (accessible emission limit) of Class 1 under all conditions of operation, maintenance, service and failure. In addition to the hazards resulting from laser radiation, laser equipment may also give rise to other hazards such as fire and electric shock. This Part 1 describes the minimum requirements. Compliance with this Part 1 may not be sufficient to achieve the required level of product safety. Laser products must conform to the applicable performance and testing requirements of the applicable product safety standards. Where a laser system forms a part of equipment which is subject to another IEC product safety standard (e.g. for medical equipment (IEC 60601-2-22), IT equipment (IEC 60950), audio and video equipment (IEC 60065), equipment for use in hazardous atmospheres (IEC 60079), or electric toys (IEC 62115)), this Part 1 will apply in accordance with the provisions of IEC Guide 104 ) for hazards resulting from laser radiation. If no product safety standard is applicable, then IEC 61010-1 applies. In previous editions, LEDs were included in the scope of IEC 60825-1, and they may be still included in other parts of the IEC 60825 series. However, with the development of lamp safety standards, optical radiation safety of LEDs in general can be more appropriately addressed by lamp safety standards. The removal of LEDs from the scope of this Part 1 does not preclude other standards from including LEDs whenever they refer to lasers. CIE S009 may be applied to determine the risk group class of an LED or product incorporating one or more LEDs. The MPE (maximum permissible exposure) values of this Part 1 were developed for laser radiation and do not apply to collateral radiation. However, if a concern exists that accessible collateral radiation might be hazardous, the laser MPE values may be applied to conservatively evaluate this potential hazard. The MPE values are not applicable to intentional human exposure to laser radiation for the purpose of medical or cosmetic/aesthetic treatment. The objectives of this part of IEC 60825 are the following: - to introduce a system of classification of lasers and laser products according to their degree of optical radiation hazard in order to aid hazard evaluation and to aid the determination of user control measures; - to establish requirements for the manufacturer to supply information so that proper precautions can be adopted; - to ensure, through labels and instructions, adequate warning to individuals of hazards associated with accessible radiation from laser products; - to reduce the possibility of injury by minimizing unnecessary accessible radiation and to give improved control of the laser radiation hazards through protective features. This second edition of IEC 60825-1 cancels and replaces the first edition published in 1993,

This technical report provides guidance on best practice in the safe use of laser products that conform to IEC 60825-1. The terms "laser product" and "laser equipment" as used in this document also refer to any device, assembly or system, which is capable of emitting optical radiation produced by a process of stimulated emission. However, unlike IEC 60825-1, this document does not cover light-emitting diodes (LEDs). Class 1 laser products normally pose no hazard and Class 2 laser products present only a minimal hazard. With these products, it is normally sufficient to follow the warnings on the product labels and the manufacturer's instructions for safe use. Further protective measures as described in this document should not be necessary. This document emphasizes evaluation of the risk from higher power lasers, but the users of the lower power lasers may benefit from the information contained. This technical report can be applied to the use of any product that incorporates a laser, whether or not it is sold or offered for sale. Therefore, it applies to specially constructed lasers (including experimental and prototype systems). This technical report is intended to help laser users and their employers to understand the general principles of safety management (Clause 3), to identify the hazards that may be present (Clauses 4 to 6), to assess the risks of harm that may arise (Clause 7), and to set up and maintain appropriate control measures (Clauses 8 to 11). Reference is made in this document to laser "users". This should be taken to include persons having responsibility for safety in addition to those who actually work with or operate laser equipment.

This technical report is applicable to laser products as described in IEC 60825-1. The checklist is intended for use by manufacturers of laser products and their agents to establish that each new or modified design complies with the requirements of IEC 60825-1: 1993 and its amendments 1 and 2. The checklist is not a substitute for IEC 60825-1. It is necessary to use IEC 60825-1 in conjunction with the checklist, as relevant clauses and subclauses are referred to in the text.

Applies to laser products as described in IEC 60825-1. This checklist is intended for use by manufacturers of laser products and their agents to establish that each new or modified design complies with the requirements of IEC 60825-1. This document is not to be considered as an International Standard.

This technical report gives information on the physics relating to the dangers posed by laser products. It complements, but does not replace, the information in IEC 60825-1 by explaining the underlying principles, so that the user may correctly interpret its requirements. The application of this technical report is limited to laser products with finite accessible emissions of laser radiation.