Regulation Z136 [1] and Standard 60825 [2] have developed to address the radiation hazard to the eye and skin. Incident databases show the number of incidents has remained at a similar years. This indicates the lessons learned from the incidents are not being applied or are not understood. A problem can not address if you do not recognize the hazard and have access to solutions.
Hazards that seriously injury people have recently been included in the laser regulations/standards, such as electricity, fumes and toxins. The standards are written for subject specific experts who many not have the broader grasp of all the associated hazards in comparison with a general safety person. You have to know where to look to find useful information and solutions. The health and safety approach is to set a boundary, carry out a risk assess and then control all hazards, including optical radiation. The safety hierarchy requires engineering controls before procedural controls, with PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) as the last resort.
ANSI standards [3], requires a risk assessment of the hazards and application of engineering and other control measures to minimize the risk. Many equipment standards support hazard identification and controls including optical radiation. The idea is to take the good information, of thresholds within laser standards follow the approach from general safety, to obtain the best of both methods. The message is to take the mystery and science out of the laser system and allow controls to be applied. Make information available or more accessible on the Internet.