The one-day course combines theory with practical examples of many topics specific to laser display safety. In addition to the subjects covered during the course, each attendee receives a copy of the Laser Visuals Research handbook on laser display safety, and receives a certificate of attendance.
The course has been designed to provide essential and valuable information for anybody involved with working with laser lighting products, whether they be show operators, installation companies, manufacturers, or resellers of laser projectors. Attendees of the course will also be automatically enrolled onto the new Laser Safety Awareness Scheme due to launched later this spring.
Course director James Stewart says that, currently, with the dramatic advances in solid state laser technology, the large, expensive, water-cooled and power hungry devices that were traditionally used in the industry have been replaced by easy to use, compact devices, available at a fraction of the cost. It's now a case that anybody with a budget of just a few hundred pounds can buy a laser lighting effect that has the real potential to cause damage to people's eyesight, but are often unaware of the risks, or the legal requirements for using such products.
Any person or venue operating a laser display that has an output power of more than 5mW needs to appoint a Laser Safety Officer (LSO) who is responsible for overseeing the safe installation and operation of the laser display. The course and materials are designed to provide attendees with the essential information needed to carry out these tasks, and perform safe and enjoyable displays.
In recent years Laser Visuals Research has received a DTI SMART award for research into Scanned Emissions from Laser Displays, and their Scanguard Laser Show Analysis Software has won multiple awards.
(Lee Baldock)
