What tools does the laser safety officer need? Available to Purchase

As in any business, an institution’s or organization’s safety department has to decide how it will spend its limited funding. This paper reviews a number of tools available to assist the laser safety officer (LSO) in fulfilling his or her laser safety program-related responsibilities. Such tools include: laser hazard evaluation software, warning signs and labels, beam alignment/viewing aids, beam termination/laser radiation containment, power meters, laser eyewear samples, beam termination/laser radiation containment material samples, digital cameras, and information sources. Some of these tools are essential items: others are merely desirable, and still others fall somewhere between “must have” and “nice to have.” After describing these tools, their laser safety-related roles, and their cost-effective acquisition, the paper concludes by listing these tools as essential to the LSO; important, but not essential; or desirable.