Development and Proposal of an Institutional Safety Program in the Operation of Laser Systems

Abstract

Laser radiation can cause undesirable biological effects on living beings; although it is not ionizing, this type of radiation can cause burns to the skin and cornea, even cataracts, depending on the wavelength and intensity of the laser radiation. Due to the wide growth of laser applications in several areas, such as research and development, services, and industry, the occupational risks concerning this non-ionizing radiation have increased considerably worldwide. Several countries have normative documents and regulatory bodies or agencies that approach occupational safety and quality regarding laser application, equipment, and machines. In Brazil, there is a lacking of laser safety documents published by a national regulatory council. Therefore, large technological centers and educational institutions, such as SENAI Institute for Innovation in Laser Manufacturing and Processing Systems (ISI-Joinville) and the Federal Technological University of Paraná (UTFPR), do not have an institutional safety program for laser operations, and to adapt to the most modern international recommendations they look for international documents and models from other institutions. The main objective of this work was to develop and propose an institutional program following Brazilian regulatory documents from the Ministry of Labor and Social Security and the most modern international standard about laser safety from the American National Standards Institute (ANSI-Z 136-1: 2014). The developed safety program was applied to ISI-Joinville, but a model was adapted to be implemented at any research center and university.