At the time of its invention in the late 1950s, few would have imagined the vast spectrum of applications for lasers. Today, lasers are being pointed at galaxies far away to improve the focus of telescopes on earth peering at stars, and recently identified as a power source for untethered insect-sized flying robots. In the biomedical field, lasers are used to remove tumors and used on the optical table to pinpoint single molecules and image individual cells – right here at NIH.
As lasers continue to serve biomedical needs, an increasing number of personnel will work with or around lasers. In fact, most institutes at NIH use lasers is some way. Full realization of the benefits of lasers necessitates their safe use by everyone. To protect the NIH research community in its use of lasers, a Laser Safety Program was developed about 15 years ago. Over time, the inventory of lasers climbed, the program and its support grew, and the written policy was fine-tuned to comply with consensus laser safety standards while considering the needs of researchers.
In December 2018, a member of the Accredited Standards Committee (ASC) Z136, the committee responsible for the creation and maintenance of the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) series of laser safety standards, contacted the NIH. The member first thanked the NIH for making its Laser Safety Program available for public viewing, but then issued the greatest compliment of all – a request to use NIH’s Laser Safety Program in the development of a template that will be included in the upcoming revision of an industry standard. ANSI “…oversees the creation, promulgation and use of thousands of norms and guidelines that directly impact business in nearly every sector” (read on about ANSI). For NIH to be recognized in this manner and offered an opportunity to contribute to this important body work is a most welcome gesture.
No safety program is perfect and therefore should always maintain a habit of continuous improvement. Nevertheless, this outreach by ASC Z136 was a confirmation of progress in the right direction. It is an achievement made possible through the dedication and collaboration of NIH’s Division of Occupational Health and Safety (DOHS) professionals as well as seasoned intramural scientists who conduct experiments using lasers. To craft, implement, and refine the Laser Safety Program, NIH now has a Laser Safety Officer (LSO), Deputy Laser Safety Officer (DLSO), and a Laser Safety Advisory Committee (LSAC) with a current roster of 15 members representing 10 different ICs.
If you’re interested in learning more about laser safety at NIH, visit the NIH DOHS website on laser safety. If you’d like to get involved, consider joining the LASER-IN-USE listserv, or representing your IC on the LSAC. For questions or comments, send an email to lasersafety@nih.gov.
