LPA Services
All laser users (including Employers and Employees) have a responsibility for maintaining a safe place of work, and for ensuring that their work activities do not present unacceptable levels of risk to themselves or to others. The laser safety standard also requires that, where lasers in Class 3B or Class 4 are in use, a Laser Safety Officer (often called a Laser Protection Supervisor in healthcare environments) should be appointed to take day-to-day responsibility, on behalf of the employer, for maintaining safe laser use. Quite often, however, especially when undertaking the initial risk assessment, in determining the safety controls and procedures that are necessary, and in providing safety training to staff, additional and specialised expertise will be needed. It is the role of the Laser Protection Adviser to provide this expertise. The safe use of lasers is governed by general health & safety legislation, requiring that user organisations seek the advice of an appropriate "competent person" whenever necessary to enable the organisation to meet its legal obligations for establishing a safe workplace. In laser safety, the certificated Laser Protection Adviser is able to fulfill the role of a "competent person".
Local rules and risk assessment:
If you are a non-healthcare professional, for example a beauty clinic, using a laser or IPL system to treat clients then, as a workplace you are governed by the Health & Safety at Work Act 1974 (HSAW Act) and the subsidiary regulations (e.g., the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 and the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998). Your principle duty under Section 2 of the Act, as an employer, is to, as far as is reasonably practicable, protect the health, safety and welfare of all employees. In addition, under Section 3, employers must also ensure "so far as is reasonably practicable, that persons not in his employment who may be affected thereby are not thereby exposed to risks to their health or safety".
If you are a healthcare professional carrying out treatments of disease, disorder or injury using laser and IPL systems and would therefore be required to registered with the Care Quality Commission, you still fall under the general duties prescribed by the HSAW Act, however, in addition, under the new Essential Standards for Quality and Safety, you are required to declare that you comply with Standard 11 in that you have a risk assessment for equipment and clear procedures for use (11c), clear procedures issued by experts relating to use of medical devices (11d) and take into account MHRA guidance, which includes DB 2008(03) "Guidance on the safe use of lasers, IPL systems and LEDs".
We offer advice on Laser Machine Selection, Safety training, Product and Procedural Training. In addition, we advise on Local Rules and do risk assessments.