UV Laser Radiation: Skin Hazards and Skin Protection Controls

This paper examines the potential for hazardous skin exposures to ultraviolet (UV) laser radiation and provides guidance for safety controls to protect the skin. Skin hazard descriptions and control requirements related to UV radiation found in the ANSI laser safety standard, the OSHA Technical Manual on Laser Safety, and the ACGIH Handbook of Threshold Limit Values (TLVs) are presented. Example calculations for MPE (Maximum Permissible Exposure) and NHZ (Nominal Hazard Zone) values are shown, and some hazardous exposure incidents are described.