Laser Safety

Lasers have become a prominent tool in many research areas at NIU. If improperly used or controlled, class 3b and 4 lasers (see Section 4.0: Laser Classification) can produce injuries (such as burns, blindness, or electrocution) to operators and other personnel, including uninitiated visitors, to laboratories and cause significant damage to property.

Individual users of these high-powered lasers must be adequately trained to ensure full understanding of the safety practices outlined in NIU's laser safety program and the State regulations.

Laser Safety Committee Approval and Applicable Regulations

NIU established a Laser Safety Committee responsible for formulating policy related to the safe use of lasers. The Committee is also charged with monitoring the University’s compliance with regard to federal and state regulations for the safe use of laser radiation. The Laser Safety Officer (LSO) is responsible for ensuring that the policies and guidelines established by the Committee are implemented. The LSO is also responsible for informing the Committee of any compliance issues at the university.

All class 3b and class 4 lasers must be registered with ORCI. This may be accomplished by completing a Laser Registration Form.

Lasers are to be registered before being placed in service so the LSO can verify that the system is operating within University and State requirements for safe use. On behalf of the university, ORCIS must register each system with the Illinois Emergency Management Agency (IEMA) each calendar year. Therefore, when a laser system is taken out of service, ORCIS must be notified promptly.

Laser Safety Committee Membership

The Laser Safety Committee shall consist of members representing each department possessing laser equipment of Class 3 or higher. The chair and department representatives are appointed or removed by and the committee is directly responsible to, the vice president for Research and Innovation Partnerships. The director of Environmental Health and Safety shall be an ex officio member and the laser safety officer shall be an ex officio nonvoting member of the committee. The length of terms of committee members is indefinite. 

Laser Safety Training

Lasers have become an important tool in today’s technology. They have opened many avenues to research and manufacturing. But since they, like all tools, are capable of causing injury, they must be used with knowledge and respect. This Laser Safety Program is designed to give the operator a basic understanding of how lasers operate and how to reduce the risk of personal injury. The material in this program may be printed out and kept for later referral.

Training Instructions

1. Review the materials:
   • The NIU Laser Safety Program (PDF)
   • The NIU Laser Safety Manual (PDF)
   • The Laser Safety Training module (PDF)
   • The Laser Safety Training video
2. Open the NIU Laser Safety Quiz (PDF) and read the instructions. This is an open-book quiz. Print out the quiz, fill out all the requested information and take the quiz. Please sign the quiz as indicated. Your signature indicates that you have read and understand the material offered to you. Without the signature, the quiz will not be recorded and you will not be registered as a laser operator and will not be permitted to utilize the equipment. As instructed, when finished, make a copy of the quiz and send the copy through campus mail or fax it to the Laser Safety Officer. Keep the original for your records.
3. Once you have been approved as an authorized Laser User/Operator, you may be periodically contacted via e-mail by the Laser Safety Officer or representatives of the Laser Safety Committee informing you of available training classes.