Being on the receiving end of a government laser safety inspectors formal laboratories inspection

Abstract

This paper attempts to address the issues raised when the Specialist Radiation Inspectorate for the Health and Safety Executive - the UK Government Executive Inspectorate for Health and Safety comes to call.The specific questions this paper attempts to address: Where did we come from as an organisation in terms of laser safety compliance? How our organisation structured and was this appropriate? What local issues did we have? What lessons did we take away from the experience? This paper examines the practical issues posed when one of the UKs largest technical Universities with possibly the most diverse range of laser research laboratories has moved towards full UK laser safety regulatory compliance.This paper attempts to address the issues raised when the Specialist Radiation Inspectorate for the Health and Safety Executive - the UK Government Executive Inspectorate for Health and Safety comes to call.The specific questions this paper attempts to address: Where did we come from as an organisation in terms of laser safety compliance? How our organisation structured and was this appropriate? What local issues did we have? What lessons did we take away from the experience? This paper examines the practical issues posed when one of the UKs largest technical Universities with possibly the most diverse range of laser research laboratories has moved towards full UK laser safety regulatory compliance.