OP-TEC national center for optics and photonics education and ANSI Z136.5 American National Standard for the safe use of lasers in educational institutions – How they will work together to improve laser safety in educational institutions

A consortium of two-year colleges, high schools, universities, national laboratories, industry partners, and professional societies created OP-TEC. This ATE-NSF program is committed to join forces in creating a secondary-to-postsecondary “pipeline” of highly qualified and strongly motivated students and empowering community colleges to meet the urgent need for technicians in optics and photonics. Part of OP-TEC is to act in an advisory role for high schools, colleges and universities to develop safe laser laboratories as they infuse photonics into their programs. Dr. Fred Seeber who is a Co-Investigator for OP-TEC also chairs the ANSI Z136.5 subcommittee for the Safe Use of Lasers in Educational Institutions. This presentation will discuss how the ANSI Z136.5 standard will guide OP-TEC when it advises educational institutions on how to safely instruct and create laser laboratories. The ANSI Z136.5 published in 2000 and nearing the end of a revision which will come out with the next addition in the beginning of 2009.