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Date Announced: 14 Apr 2011
Laser Zentrum Hannover is offering assistance for implementing new safety regulations.
Hannover, April 14th, 2011: The Laser Zentrum Hannover e.V. (LZH) offers comprehensive consulting concerning laser safety and possible hazardous emissions. Competencies of the group "Safety Technology" reach from interpreting current regulations on pollution control and workplace and laser safety to on-site hazard analyses to suggestions for suitable safety measures.
Staff working with lasers should be better protected against severe health hazards, such as injuries to the skin and the eyes. Based on the European workplace safety guidelines, the ordinance on hazardous substances (GefStoffV) as well as the regulations concerning workplace protection against artificial optical radiation (OStrV) have become national regulations in Germany. That means that in future, more emphasis will be placed on judging dangers, and connected with this, the employer will be expected to take on more responsibility.
The Laser Zentrum Hannover offers assistance in implementing these new regulations in a company. "Naturally, the ideal situation is when enterprises and institutes can consider safety suggestions for a complete laser system during the planning phase," says Dr. Michael Hustedt, Head of the Safety Technology Group (Department of Materials and Processes), who have consolidated the activities of the LZH concerning hazardous emissions and laser safety.
The group offers hazard analyses for existing laser material processing equipment, including measurements of the maximum permissible exposure (MPE, or threshold limit for laser irradiation according to appendix II of the guideline 2006/25/EG), as well as the threshold limit for accessible irradiation (GZS).
Also, samples from the work place air, or of particle or gaseous hazardous materials can be analysed. The particulate air pollution, or the exact composition of anorganic and organic components in the smoke and gasses can be determined. The measurements consider all relevant regulations in Germany (TA-Luft, TRGS, VDI and DIN regulation), and can be measured on-site using mobile testing equipment (see photo).
Documentation of the investigation results can be used for determining pollution or health measures, such as efficient smoke and gas exhaust systems and air cleaning.
Furthermore, the LZH offers a data bank "laser safety", with more than 300 data cards with more information on health and pollution hazards resulting from laser processing emissions. The data bank is free of charge and can be found at: http://www.lzh.de/en/publications/laser_safety.
Source: Laser Zentrum Hannover
E-mail: m.botts@lzh.de
Web Site: www.lzh.de
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