About Leadership Directory News. BUT- consider this: Physical limitations may cause some people the inability to blink quickly, to avert their eyes, or to turn their head away from the laser beam, causing pain and discomfort, or even temporary impairment of vision.
Consider people whose line of vision is counter-top level or other reasons their eyes are more sensitive to a Class 2 or Class 2M laser beam- Wheelchair-bound people, children, and people who are short in physical stature. People with special health issues that make their eyes especially sensitive. People who may become dizzy or suffer from a seizure disorder while peering at a flashing light. Certain prescription lenses that magnify or amplify the effects of a laser beam.
Facilities Management and Campus Operations Phone:. Ophthalmologists often dismiss minor laser injuries as floaters due to the very difficult task of detecting minor retinal injuries. Minor corneal burns cause a gritty feeling, like sand in the eye. Pupil size ranges from a 2 mm diameter in bright sun to an 8 mm diameter in darkness night vision.
The rate of equilibrium formation is determined by the size of the image. Lasers in the visible and near infrared range of the spectrum have the greatest potential for retinal injury, as the cornea and the lens are transparent to those wavelengths and the lens can focus the laser energy onto the retina. The maximum absorption of laser energy onto the retina occurs in the range from - nm. Argon and YAG lasers operate in this range, making them the most hazardous lasers with respect to eye injuries.
Wavelengths of less than nm can cause a photochemical injury similar to sunburn. Photochemical effects are cumulative and result from long exposures over 10 seconds to diffuse or scattered light.
Table 3 summarizes the most likely effects of overexposure to various commonly used lasers. Lasers can harm the skin via photochemical or thermal burns.
Depending on the wavelength, the beam may penetrate both the epidermis and the dermis. The epidermis is the outermost living layer of skin. Far and Mid-ultraviolet the actinic UV are absorbed by the epidermis. A sunburn reddening and blistering may result from short-term exposure to the beam. UV exposure is also associated with an increased risk of developing skin cancer and premature aging wrinkles, etc of the skin. Thermal burns to the skin are rare. They usually require exposure to high energy beams for an extended period of time.
Carbon dioxide and other infrared lasers are most commonly associated with thermal burns, since this wavelength range may penetrate deeply into skin tissue. The resulting burn may be first degree reddening , second degree blistering or third degree charring. Some individuals are photosensitive or may be taking prescription drugs that induce photo-sensitivity. Particular attention must be given to the effect of these prescribed drugs, including some antibiotics and fungicides, on the individual taking the medication and working with or around lasers.
In addition to the hazards directly associated with exposure to the beam, ancillary hazards can be produced by compressed gas cylinders, cryogenic and toxic materials, ionizing radiation and electrical shock. The use of lasers or laser systems can present an electric shock hazard.
This may occur from contact with exposed utility power utilization, device control, and power supply conductors operating at potentials of 50 volts or more. These exposures can occur during laser set-up or installation, maintenance and service, where equipment protective covers are often removed to allow access to active components as required for those activities.
The effect can range from a minor tingle to serious personal injury or death. Protection against accidental contact with energized conductors by means of a barrier system is the primary methodology to prevent electrical shock. Additional electrical safety requirements are imposed upon laser devices, systems and those who work with them by the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration OSHA, the National Electric Code and related state and local regulations.
Individuals who repair or maintain lasers may require specialized electric safety-related work practices training. Another particular hazard is that high voltage electrical supplies and capacitors for lasers are often located close to cooling water pumps, lines, filters, etc.
In the event of a spill or hose rupture, an extremely dangerous situation may result. During times of high humidity, over-cooling can lead to condensation which can have similar effects. Protect yourself by being aware of these dangers and avoiding them.
Find out what they are in this article below. The most well-known issue that can occur when you are scanning paper documents using a copier or scanner is temporary photo flash blindness. Any individual that has at any point used a document scanner at work and looked directly at the scanner light streak directly in the eyes will understand what this is like to be blinded by the light. Staring straight into the scanner light will cause a photo flash effect that may last for more than a few seconds, and create some resulting discomfort from that.
Some common issues resulting from that are blindness, cerebral pain, and eye discomfort that you may feel at the back of your eye socket. The photo flash effect may also cause you to see flashes of light that might take up a a few minutes to go away. Thankfully, these effects are mostly short term and will not cause real damage to your cornea and retina.
While you are encountering photo flash blindness or visual discomfort, you are likely become disconcerted, and could start moving around an excessive amount or fumbling around in a dangerous way. Any sudden or unexpected movement could lead to either bumping your head on a sharp edge especially if you fall, or knocking over a shelf of items around. We would say that this could potentially be life threatening if you are in a location such as a warehouse with large objects around. Our advice is to remain calm and attempt to remain still.
Try your best if possible to not move around and wait until the temporary visual impairment has gone away. We mentioned earlier that damage to your retina is unlikely for short term exposure, but excessive exposure could surely cause some dangerous and permanent issues that you definitely want to avoid. Retina burn, also known as Photic retinopathy , is known as damage to the eye's retina, from prolonged exposure to solar light or other bright lights. A common reason for retina burn is such as staring at the Sun, while watching a solar eclipse without sunglasses.
In such accidents, the solar radiation usually burns a wound on the patient's retina. Unfortunately, it is not easy to avoid these dangers of using document scanner at work.
There may be times that you need to scan many pages of documents and need to do it fast, and accidentally expose your eyes to the bright light emitted by the scanner.
Therefore, our suggestion is to avoid using a scanner or copier machine but opt for a mobile app solution for scanning instead. There are document scanner apps for iPhone and Android available that could help you to scan documents from the comfort of your desk, and directly from your palm and your smartphone.
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