Laser Safety

The Laser Safety Program is under review as of June 2020. This message will be removed when updated materials have been posted.

The term "Laser" is an acronym for: Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation.

The laser is a device that emits a collimated (pencil-like) beam of either visible or invisible electromagnetic radiation (light)

Laser light has three unique characteristics that make it different than ordinary light. Lasers are:

  1. Monochromatic: the pure light is a single color or wavelength mainly and has a narrow spectral range.
  2. Directional: can travel long distances in parallel or a column form with very little dispersion.
  3. Coherent: the light wave moves through time and space in one phase.

Lasers are separated into hazard classification based on the ability of the primary laser beam or reflected primary laser beam to cause biological damage to eye or skin during use.

For more information, please see the Laser Safety Manual. 

Additional resources for laser safety include: