*****
To join, leave or search the confocal microscopy listserv, go to:
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*****
See also the Photonics Spectra article at
http://photonics.com/Article.aspx?AID=55023
Laser safety: A university perspective
Nearly every genre of scientific research has a niche where the
laser is used. And, much as radioactive materials have transitioned
from physics to biology, laser research techniques are invading
arenas of science not traditionally seen as "laser territory." In
addition to broader research applications, the increases in quality,
variety, flexibility, efficiency, tuning and power have all
improved, while costs have come down. These changes have drastically
reshaped the use of lasers at research universities.
...
The PI must be aware of how work is done in the lab and cannot
assume that his or her initial instructions are being carried out
safely. The PI should periodically verify that the lab hazards are
adequately controlled. Young research students attending graduate
school require more guidance and greater oversight to ensure safe
work conditions. The liability to the school and PI for a student
injury is much greater than for a similar incident with a seasoned
research scientist.
...
In a case of injury or fatality, as with the accidental death of
Sheri Sangji in a university chemistry lab, the university and the
PI could be held criminally liable for lack of oversight in the
operations of their labs.
...
The lesson here is that all lab personnel, beginning with the PI,
must supply the up-front effort to implement safety in research
processes.
...
As the PI incorporates laser safety into the research lab, the LSO
must respond with professional guidance and prompt assistance. If
the LSO is not able to perform these functions properly, the PI will
avoid working with the LSO and implement his own controls, which may
be insufficient. Management can assist the safety process by
providing the LSO with resources to respond to the PI's needs
effectively.
/R. DeWayne Holcomb, CHP, CLSO/
/University of Texas at Austin/
//
/
**
I disagree with the author's statement:
/
/"/The liability to the school and PI for a student injury is much
greater than for a similar incident with a seasoned research
scientist./"/
//
/and not just because I am a seasoned (possibly overcooked) research
scientist.
/
I do encourage everyone on the listserv to read the entire article (go
to the web page). Also keep in mind that even if your lab or core is
perfect, there is no reason to think any of your colleagues are safe -
whether lasers, chemicals, or biologicals.
best wishes,
George
On 10/28/2013 11:02 AM, Elberger, Andrea June wrote:
> *****
> To join, leave or search the confocal microscopy listserv, go to:
> http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?A0=confocalmicroscopy
> *****
>
> NEERAJ - Thanks very much. This will help us to focus in on where our problem areas might be.
>
> Best wishes,
>
> ANDREA
>
>
> Andrea J. Elberger, Ph. D.
> Professor, Anatomy and Neurobiology
> Director, Confocal Laser Scanning Microscope Facility
> The University of Tennessee Health Science Center
> 855 Monroe Avenue
> Memphis, TN 38163 U.S.A.
> tel: 901-448-4101
> FAX: 901-448-7193
> <mailto: [log in to unmask]>
>
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Confocal Microscopy List [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Neeraj Gohad
> Sent: Monday, October 28, 2013 10:48 AM
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Re: Laser Safety Issues
>
> *****
> To join, leave or search the confocal microscopy listserv, go to:
> http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?A0=confocalmicroscopy
> *****
>
> Here is a link to DoE compiled laser safety report on documented injuries due to lasers.
>
> http://www.jlab.org/accel/inj_group/safety/DOE-LSOP/DOElaseraccidentsreport.pdf
>
> Best,
>
> Neeraj.
>
> Neeraj V. Gohad, Ph.D.
> Assistant Research Professor
> Vice President: Sigma Xi, Clemson Univ. Chapter Department of Biological Sciences
> 132 Long Hall
> Clemson University
> Clemson,SC-29634
> Phone: 864-656-3597
> Fax: 864-656-0435
>
> http://www.clemson.edu/cafls/departments/biosci/faculty_staff/gohad_n.html
>
> http://www.clemson.edu/sigmaxi/index.html
>
>
>
>
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Confocal Microscopy List [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Smith, Benjamin E.
> Sent: Friday, October 25, 2013 4:10 PM
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Re: Laser Safety Issues
>
> *****
> To join, leave or search the confocal microscopy listserv, go to:
> http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?A0=confocalmicroscopy
> *****
>
> I haven't read anything specific to confocal lasers, but a quick search revealed several papers documenting retinal damage due to class 3b lasers, such as http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs10384-011-0031-5
>
> Judging from the literature, 3a lasers seem to cause recoverable blindness even with relatively long exposure times (several seconds), while 3b lasers can cause long-term retinal damage even with short exposure times (under one second).
>
> I'm guessing there wouldn't be very many confocal microscopy specific eye injuries, because users who have access to such equipment also tend to be well aware of the potential hazards of laser light.
>
> Benjamin E. Smith, Ph.D.
> Samuel Roberts Noble Microscopy Laboratory Research Scientist II University of Oklahoma Norman, OK 73019
> E-mail: [log in to unmask]
> Voice 405-325-4391
> FAX 405-325-7619
> http://www.microscopy.ou.edu/
> ________________________________________
> From: Confocal Microscopy List [[log in to unmask]] on behalf of Indig, Fred (NIH/NIA/IRP) [E] [[log in to unmask]]
> Sent: Friday, October 25, 2013 2:37 PM
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Re: Laser Safety Issues
>
> *****
> To join, leave or search the confocal microscopy listserv, go to:
> http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?A0=confocalmicroscopy
> *****
>
> Just out of curiosity, is anyone aware of an accident or injury involving the laser of a confocal LSM?
>
>
> Fred E. Indig, Ph.D.
> Head, Confocal Imaging Facility
>
> Biomedical Research Center (BRC) Rm 8B135 National Institute on Aging/NIH
> 251 Bayview Bld.
> Baltimore, MD 21224-6825
>
> Tel. 410-558-8173
> Fax 410-558-8236
> [log in to unmask]
> ________________________________________
> From: Neeraj Gohad [[log in to unmask]]
> Sent: Friday, October 25, 2013 3:23 PM
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Re: Laser Safety Issues
>
> *****
> To join, leave or search the confocal microscopy listserv, go to:
> http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?A0=confocalmicroscopy
> *****
>
> You are welcome Andrea, it's a good resource and our laser safety officer was quite happy that I followed the recommendations in it. If there are extensive custom setups, our Univ. also has access to Laser Safety in Educational Institutions Training -online course from LIA.
>
> Best Regards,
>
> Neeraj.
>
>
> Neeraj V. Gohad, Ph.D.
> Assistant Research Professor
> Vice President: Sigma Xi, Clemson Univ. Chapter Department of Biological Sciences
> 132 Long Hall
> Clemson University
> Clemson,SC-29634
> Phone: 864-656-3597
> Fax: 864-656-0435
>
> http://www.clemson.edu/cafls/departments/biosci/faculty_staff/gohad_n.html
>
> http://www.clemson.edu/sigmaxi/index.html
>
>
>
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Confocal Microscopy List [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Elberger, Andrea June
> Sent: Friday, October 25, 2013 3:13 PM
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Re: Laser Safety Issues
>
> *****
> To join, leave or search the confocal microscopy listserv, go to:
> http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?A0=confocalmicroscopy
> *****
>
> NEERAJ - Thanks for the link to the ANSI site, it will be a useful reference point for us.
>
> ANDREA
>
>
> Andrea J. Elberger, Ph. D.
> Professor, Anatomy and Neurobiology
> Director, Confocal Laser Scanning Microscope Facility The University of Tennessee Health Science Center
> 855 Monroe Avenue
> Memphis, TN 38163 U.S.A.
> tel: 901-448-4101
> FAX: 901-448-7193
> <mailto: [log in to unmask]>
>
>
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Confocal Microscopy List [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Neeraj Gohad
> Sent: Thursday, October 24, 2013 6:57 PM
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Re: Laser Safety Issues
>
> *****
> To join, leave or search the confocal microscopy listserv, go to:
> http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?A0=confocalmicroscopy
> *****
>
> Hi Andrea,
>
> Might also want to check out the link below. The ANSI standard has some good pointers as well.
>
> https://www.lia.org/store/ANSI/114
>
> ANSI Z136.5 - Safe Use Of Lasers In Educational Institutions (2009)
>
> Best,
>
> Neeraj.
>
> Neeraj V. Gohad, Ph.D.
> Assistant Research Professor
> Vice President: Sigma Xi, Clemson Univ. Chapter Department of Biological Sciences
> 132 Long Hall
> Clemson University
> Clemson,SC-29634
> Phone: 864-656-3597
> Fax: 864-656-0435
>
> http://www.clemson.edu/cafls/departments/biosci/faculty_staff/gohad_n.html
>
>
> Sent from my iPhone
>
> On Oct 24, 2013, at 3:34 PM, "Elberger, Andrea June"<[log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]>> wrote:
>
> *****
> To join, leave or search the confocal microscopy listserv, go to:
> http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?A0=confocalmicroscopy
> *****
>
> TO THE CONFOCAL LIST MEMBERS:
>
> I am a member of a campus-wide Laser Safety Subcommittee, and we are trying to establish policies and standards for numerous systems (more than microscopes) that use lasers for research. In the case of Confocal Laser Scanning Microscope systems, all those on our campus are commercially available systems.
> I am seeking information on what CLSM facilities have done, or tried to do, related to laser safety policies and issues.
> For example:
>
> 1) What training requirements/procedures do you have for trainers and end-users?
>
> 2) Do you have any modifications to your existing commercial systems, e.g. a screen around the microscope or stage where the laser beam is visible?
>
> 3) Do you require users to wear protective eyewear at any time during operation of the CLSM?
>
> 4) Do you have the manufacturer's service people carry out any measurements that would be used in laser safety calculations?
> Any information on other procedures or issues related to use of the lasers in CLSMs would be greatly appreciated.
>
> Thanks for your time.
>
> ANDREA
>
>
>
> Andrea J. Elberger, Ph. D.
> Professor, Anatomy and Neurobiology
> Director, Confocal Laser Scanning Microscope Facility The University of Tennessee Health Science Center
> 855 Monroe Avenue
> Memphis, TN 38163 U.S.A.
> tel: 901-448-4101
> FAX: 901-448-7193
> <mailto: [log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]><mailto:[log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]>>>
>
>
--
George McNamara, Ph.D.
Single Cells Analyst
L.J.N. Cooper Lab
University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center
Houston, TX 77054
Tattletales http://works.bepress.com/gmcnamara/26/
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