Safety of Laser Products - Part 1: Equipment Classification, Requirements and User's Guide

IEC 60825-1 is applicable to safety of laser products. For convenience it is divided into three separate sections: Section One (General) and the annexes; Section Two (Manufacturing requirements); and Section Three (User's guide ).

A laser product may consist of a single laser with or without a separate power supply or may incorporate one or more lasers in a complex optical, electrical, or mechanical system. Typically, laser products are used for demonstration of physical and optical phenomena; materials processing; data reading and storage; transmission and display of information; etc.

Such systems have found use in industry, business, entertainment, research, education and medicine. However, laser products which are sold to other manufacturers for use as components of any system for subsequent sale are not subject to IEC 60825-1, since the final product will itself be subject to this standard.

Throughout this part 1 light emitting diodes (LED) are included whenever the word "laser" is used.

See also annex G which describes information which should be provided by manufacturers of LEDs.

Any laser product or LED product is exempt from all further requirements of this part 1 if - classification by the manufacturer according to clauses 3, 8 and 9 shows that the emission level does not exceed the AEL of Class 1 under all conditions of operation, maintenance, service and failure, and - it does not contain an embedded laser or embedded LED.

In addition to the hazards resulting from laser radiation, laser equipment may also give rise to other hazards such as fire and electric shock.

This part 1 describes the minimum requirements. Where a laser system forms a part of equipment which is subject to another IEC product safety standard (e.g. for medical equipment (IEC 60601-2-22) IT equipment (IEC 60950), audio and video equipment (IEC 60065), equipment for use in hazardous atmospheres), this part 1 will apply in accordance with the provisions of IEC Guide 104, for hazards resulting from laser radiation.

However, if the laser system is operable when removed from the equipment, all the requirements of this part 1 will apply to the removed unit. If no product safety standard is applicable, then IEC 61010-1 shall apply.