Laser Safety Officers in Medical, Research, and Industrial Settings

While the Laser Safety Officer (LSO) role is grounded in a common framework under the primary consensus standard for laser safety for end-users around the world, Z136.1—Safe Use of Lasers, the way the role is implemented varies significantly across application areas. Medical, research, and industrial environments differ in operating conditions, exposure scenarios, and organizational structure, and the Laser Safety Officer’s responsibilities must be adapted accordingly.

This page explains how the LSO role typically functions in each of these settings and how the Z136.1 standard supports that flexibility.

A Common Framework With Application-Specific Implementation

The Z136.1 standard establishes the Laser Safety Officer as a central element of laser safety oversight when hazards warrant formal administrative control (Source: Z136.1–2022 Safe Use of Lasers, Section 3, Hazard Evaluation and Classification). The standard does not prescribe different LSOs for different industries. Instead, it provides a consistent framework that can be applied to diverse environments.

What changes across settings is not the purpose of the LSO role, but the nature of the hazards, who may be exposed, and how controls are implemented.

Laser Safety Officers in Medical and Healthcare Settings

Medical and healthcare environments present unique laser safety challenges. Laser use may involve patients, clinical staff, and support personnel, often in settings where access to the laser beam is intentional and unavoidable.

In these environments, the Laser Safety Officer typically works closely with clinical leadership to ensure that laser hazards are evaluated and controlled in a manner consistent with patient care. Oversight often includes coordination of procedures, training of clinical users, and review of safety measures integrated into clinical workflows (Source: Z136.1–2022 Safe Use of Lasers, Section 4, Control Measures).

The Z136.1 standard anticipates formal laser safety oversight in medical settings and is complemented by Z136.3–2024 Safe Use of Lasers in Health Care, which provides application-specific guidance. Together, these standards support a structured approach to laser safety while recognizing the realities of clinical practice.

Laser Safety Officers in Research and Laboratory Settings

Research and laboratory environments are often characterized by evolving configurations, experimental setups, and non-routine operations. Laser systems may be modified, reconfigured, or used in ways that differ from original design assumptions.

In these settings, the Laser Safety Officer’s role often emphasizes:

Review of experimental setups and procedures
Evaluation of changing beam paths and exposure conditions
Coordination with principal investigators and laboratory staff

The Z136.1 standard recognizes that research environments is complemented by the Z136.8–2021 Safe Use of Lasers in Research, Development, or Testing, which provides application-specific guidance. This environment relies heavily on administrative controls and informed oversight due to the limitations of fixed engineering controls in experimental work (Source: Z136.1–2022 Safe Use of Lasers, Section 4, Control Measures; Z136.1–2022 Safe Use of Lasers, Appendix A, Laser Safety Officer (LSO)).

The LSO serves as a technical resource, helping researchers understand hazards and implement controls without unduly constraining scientific work.

Laser Safety Officers in Industrial and Manufacturing Settings

Industrial laser systems are frequently integrated into production equipment and are often enclosed to achieve Class 1 operation during normal use. In these cases, routine operations may present minimal exposure risk.

However, industrial environments commonly involve activities such as alignment, maintenance, troubleshooting, and servicing that require access to hazardous beams. The Z136.1 standard, complemented by the Z136.9–2021 Safe Use of Lasers in Manufacturing Environments, anticipates Laser Safety Officer involvement in overseeing these non-routine conditions (Source: Z136.1–2022 Safe Use of Lasers, Section 4, Control Measures).

In industrial settings, the LSO often works with engineering, maintenance, and safety personnel to ensure that:

Enclosures and interlocks function as intended
Procedures address temporary exposure conditions
Workers performing service tasks understand applicable controls

For large or distributed operations, organizations may designate multiple LSOs or support the role with site-specific coordinators.

Differences in Emphasis, Not in Purpose

Across medical, research, and industrial settings, the Laser Safety Officer’s core purpose remains the same: to ensure that laser hazards are evaluated and controlled appropriately.

What differs is the emphasis:

Medical settings focus on patient care and clinical workflows
Research settings focus on flexibility and experimental control
Industrial settings focus on production safety and maintenance activities

The Z136.1 standard supports this variability by defining the LSO role in terms of responsibility and authority rather than rigid task lists (Source: Z136.1–2022 Safe Use of Lasers, Appendix A1, Laser Safety Officer (LSO)).

Coordination With Other Safety Roles

In many organizations, the Laser Safety Officer works alongside other safety and compliance roles, such as environmental health and safety staff, radiation safety officers, or clinical safety committees.

The Z136.1 standard does not prohibit shared or coordinated oversight, provided laser safety responsibilities are clearly assigned and supported by management (Source: Z136.1–2022 Safe Use of Lasers, Section 1.3, Laser Safety Programs).

Clear communication and defined authority are essential to avoid gaps or conflicts in safety oversight.

Selecting an LSO Appropriate to the Setting

When designating a Laser Safety Officer, organizations should consider:

The types and classes of lasers in use
Who may be exposed and under what conditions
How frequently operating conditions change
The organizational structure and decision-making processes

An LSO who is effective in one environment may require additional support or expertise in another. The Z136.1 standard allows organizations to tailor the role accordingly.