Patrick Murphy, executive director of ILDA, stopped by the LDI2022, New Technology Breakfast to discuss the latest initiative to certify small-scale laser shows without permitting or variances.
Category A Laser Show Standard
Murphy explained that the standard is currently in draft form and intended for smaller scale shows with detailed safety guidance for people who may not be aware of laser safety. He expects that it will take five to seven years for the standard to be accepted by the government, but ILDA feels that if someone follows all the requirements in the show it doesn't care about permits.
The proposed standard describes requirements for a laser show that ILDA considers to be generally recognized as safe under the conditions of its intended use.
Criteria for ILDA standard:
- Beams limited to 6 watts
- No unterminated beams
- No outdoor unterminated beams
- No human exposure to lasers
- Continuous monitoring by laser operator
- Required training for laser operator and laser safety operator
Murphy explained that ILDA would like the standards incorporated into ANSI standards to enable the FDA to consider relaxing variance requirements. Eventually, the goal is to institute variance-free laser shows of limited size. For larger shows, operators will be expected to qualify after special training, much like a commercial drivers license versus a regular one.