HEALTHCARE LASER SAFETY TRAINING 

AND CERTIFICATION PROGRAM

Laser Safety in the healthcare practice setting is often misunderstood, underutilized, and poorly implemented.  More than simply posting a sign on the treatment room door and wearing safety goggles, a Healthcare Laser Safety Program encompasses a system of education, training, and compliance with the result of improved employee and patient safety while reducing the overall risk from non-compliance and failed regulatory audits. 

Laser Safety Is an Important Requirement for Your Healthcare Practice

Owning and operating a Class 3B and Class 4 laser in your healthcare practice requires knowledge and compliance of national and state laser safety rules and regulations.  An on-site LSO is a requirement where Class 3b & Class 4 lasers are in use.

• ANSI. In the US, laser safety standards are set by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI).
• OSHA. OSHA requires a general duty of care for laser usage. This means the workplace must be free from known risks and hazards. Currently, compliance with ANSI standards is voluntary, but OSHA does have the authority to step in when worker safety is in question. Employers could be fined if they ignore proper safety steps. Laser safety procedures must be documented and include audit reports, policies, equipment maintenance records and operator logs. 
• FDA. All commercial and healthcare laser products sold in the USA are also subject to FDA Laser Safety Requirements and Compliance, including the Center for Devices for Radiological Health (CDRH).
• States. Many states have additional laser registration and laser safety standards and regulations which should be consulted when creating a laser safety program.

A Custom Program Sponsored By Aspen Laser

In order to help healthcare practices, meet all Laser Safety requirements for Class 3 and Class 4 lasers, including lasers used for Photobiomodulation, Aspen Laser worked with the Laser Safety Certification, LLC, company to develop a turnkey comprehensive training and certification program that would be easy to implement and affordable for any size of healthcare practice. The result of this is a new “3 in 1” Laser Safety Training and Certification Program consisting of 3 components.

#1 Printed Spiral Bound Booklets for LSO’s and Technicians:

This booklet is your go-to field-guide for laser safety.

It has all the info you need to train your LSO & Technicians.

Keep it near your laser equipment for review in the future. 

#2 Online Laser Safety Officer (LSO) Certification. 

Sponsored by Aspen Laser, you have access to a complete LSO certification program.

It’s completely online and takes just over an hour to complete.

PLUS a wall-mountable certificate mailed to you.

#3 Online Laser Safety Technician Certification

For all of your in house employees to get trained for safe use of healthcare lasers.

The online program takes less than an hour to complete.

INSTANTLY printable certificate available upon completion.

Laser Safety Officer Self Certification. This Kit is for any healthcare professional that needs to be certified as the Laser Safety Officer (LSO) to run the laser safety program within their organization. ANSI Z136.1 states there shall be a designated LSO for all circumstances of operation, maintenance, and service of a Class 3B or Class 4 laser or laser system. It is applicable for Private Practices, Hospitals, Veterinary and Dental and meets all LSO requirements. The LSO may be designated from among personnel including the practice owner or manager. The LSO is responsible for laser training and evaluation and requirements of OSHA Section III: Chapter 6 – Laser Hazards as well as the ANSI Standards.  The LSO KIT includes eight sections covering all required topics. 

After each section is a short test and upon completion of all sections, a certificate can be printed. 

A copy of the training and certification should be kept in the employee’s personnel records.

Important regulatory clarifications:

A number of online LSO and laser safety course do not include training to set up, manage and monitor the laser safety program for a healthcare practice. Once an LSO is appointed, a laser safety program will need to be established and all employees working around Class 3b, and Class 4 lasers should have a general knowledge of lasers and the potential hazards they pose. OSHA does not certify, accredit, or approve any laser safety trainers or training programs. Laser Safety Certification and the LSO course do not constitute a license to operate any type of laser, nor does it guarantee your workplace will be free or laser hazards. The responsibility for OSHA compliant laser operator training and usage rests with the employer. The Laser Safety Program KIT includes all policies, procedures and required forms, is 100% OSHA Compliant and complies with ANSI Z136.1 & Z136.3 Standards.

Laser Safety Technician Certification (non – officer operators). This certification is for all healthcare employees, including new employees that are non-officer operators that need to be certified in Laser Safety. Anyone that is near or uses medical lasers need to be trained and certified. This is applicable for Private Practices, Hospitals, Veterinary and Dental and meets all Laser Safety requirements. 

The online course can be taken by any employees and includes a number of sections covering all required topics. After each section is a short test and upon completion of all sections, a certificate can be printed.

A copy of the training and certification should be kept in the employee’s personnel records. 

The LSO must monitor training and document certification as part of their in-house laser safety program.

More than One Location? For healthcare practices with multiple locations, it is recommended to appoint an LSO for each location and to purchase one program for each location. 

Steps To Compliance. 

After the Laser Safety Program is purchased, the following four steps will get your practice safety focused and managed. 

Step One: LSO Appointment.

The owner or manager of the healthcare practice will appoint a person to be the Laser Safety Officer (LSO), which can include the owner or manager. Depending on the practice structure and size, additional “Deputy LSO” can be appointed to back up the LSO. 

Step Two: LSO Program Completion. 

The appointed LSO completes the online certification training and exam.  They will be knowledgeable of everything they need to properly administer the laser safety program. 

Step Three: Practice Laser Safety Program Implemented. 

The LSO reviews the Laser Safety Program provided and implements the program into the practice by completing all requested items (i.e., Laser Warning Sign, etc.). Upon completion, the LSO will perform an audit that is documented and kept on file for future review and re-audit. This document should also be in file for availability if requested by a regulatory agency. 

The Laser Safety Booklets should be kept in an easily accessible location at the practice. 

Step Four: Employee Training Program Activated. 

The LSO activates the Employee Training Program by identifying specific employees that need to go through the Laser Safety Program. Each employee completes the online Laser Safety training and prints out a Certificate 

The LSO signs the Certificate. A copy of the training and certification should be kept in the employee’s personnel records.

New Employees. 

Any new employee can go through the online training upon completion of onboarding. 

Re-Training. 

Any employee that has taken the Laser Safety Employee Program can be re-trained at any time by reviewing the course in the Booklet, at no additional cost.