Laser Safety Officer Training Monday, Aug 22 after SELEM. Interested?

[drm916]

notes would be helpfull. Then we atleast have an idea of what to be prepared for.

I really wanted to sit in on the class and try to pickup some information. Unfortunately my work schedule didnt allow it

[buffo]

The class wasn't that bad. There were a few questions on general knowledge topics that were not covered in the class, and some of us (including me) missed a few of those. Basically, you need to have a good understanding of the structure of the eye and how it works to allow us to see. Then you need to have a firm grasp on the electro-magnetic spectrum, including how different portions of the spectrum interact with human tissue. And of course, you need to have a good general understanding of how lasers work, including the differences between the various types of laser.

Apart from that, everything you needed to know was covered in the class. True, at times it was like drinking from a fire hose, but Greg was always willing to stop to let people catch up with their notes and ask questions. Most of the math was actually quite easy. You didn't have to use the MPE formulas at all, except for the last 3 questions. And for those, you could use an on-line calculator if you wanted. The important part is not the math per se, but in how you apply it. (That is, even if you can't solve the equation by hand, if you use the on-line calculator and it gives you a number, you need to know how to use that number to answer the question: "is this safe?") Also, the really difficult questions at the end that required multiple calculations were all extra credit. You could miss all of them and still ace the test.

You definitely need to pay attention though. I blew an easy question early in the test simply because I thought I knew the answer before I finished reading the question. OOPS. Also, one of the extra credt questions had a very simple answer, if you remembered to write down one of the key principles contained in NFPA 115... (You could use your notes on the test.) If you didn't remember anything from the NFPA standard, you had a lot of calculations to go through to prove your answer. (Ugh.) It was still possible to solve the problem, but one simple statement would have been a lot easier.

In the end, I think everyone was a little humbled, and that's probably a good thing. I did a lot of reading before I got to the class, so I thought I was very well prepared. And I was, to a degree. But there were a few areas (like the NFPA standard) where I had no experience at all, and that hurt me. I'm sure I passed the test, but I know I missed a few questions that I shouldn't have. Still, it's given me a newfound understanding and appreciation for the hazards, which was my main reason for signing up in the first place. And yeah, in the future I will probably purchase a copy of both the NFPA 115 and the ANSI Z136.1 standards. (Though I'll probably get the NFPA first, as it's 1/6 the cost of the ANSI standard!)

Adam

[hakzaw1]

^^^ that was three days ago-- did everybody pass??

thanks for the notes buffo- good advice for nextimers.

len

[Bradfo69]

The class was interesting and of course, worthwhile. I felt as though about 75-80 percent was actually kind of easy. Much of it I had just read in articles on the ILDA website. The remaining 25% though...forget it. Totally beyond anything I've read or studied so far and might just as well have been taught in Swaheli or something. The math? As Adam stated, there really wasn't as much as I expected and the calculator I bought at WalMart in Conover never came out of the package. That doesn't mean the math was easy...just that I didn't have the FAINTEST idea what the symbols were or how I would have even used the calculator if I knew what the symbols were. The other thing that was unexpected was how many questions had to do with things that weren't covered. The various parts of the actual eyeball for example. And not simple things like retina, cones and rods or lens. The good thing was you could use the internet and google an eyeball. Speed of light in centemeters? Puh-leze. Bad enough it's metric. We were taught MPH when I was in school!

Hoping for a pleasant surprise in an e-mail someday but, it won't entirely surprise me if I didn't pass.

[flecom]

Hoping for a pleasant surprise in an e-mail someday but, it won't entirely surprise me if I didn't pass.

same

and the symbols in the equations were just the variables... you just plug in the numbers where they go... no fancy calculator needed

[Bradfo69]

Congrats to the seven of eleven that passed! Was close.... but, no cigar. At least we can try again within the next two years for free. No great surprise I didn't make it though.

Um...what IS the speed of light in centemeters per second? And why is it important to know?

[ildadirect]

Hi, thanks to everyone, especially Adam, for the feedback on the class. This is the second one that ILDA has given, although Greg has taught many LSO classes before through major laser safety companies.

I went over the test with Greg afterwards. I wanted to be sure that the test was relevant and fair. There was one question that was confusing so he threw that out, which is good. There were a couple questions I would have had trouble on, but then again the test was open book and open computer.

Brad, you specifically asked why it is important to know the speed of light in cm. I can't speak for Greg, but I believe it is a "can you find or figure out the answer" question. For example, you could know it is (approximately) 186,000 miles per second -- I assume everyone knows this offhand -- and then do calculations to find out how many centimeters is in 186,000 miles. Or you could go online and google "speed of light in cm per sec" and Google's returns the answer as the first result: "the speed of light = 29 979 245 800 centimeters per second."

So this is testing some creativity or research ability.

In going over the scores with Greg, one thing I wanted to be sure of was that there was a clear delineation in the scores between passing and not passing. There was -- clearly there were two groups. So this was another indicator to me that the questions were helping to distinguish those who "got it" from those who had some trouble.

As I said, I appreciate the feedback. It helps us improve and refine the LSO course. Personally, I think it is pretty helpful to laser safety in general that this course exists. It is focused ONLY on lasershows, it is designed to be done in a single day, and it is affordable. If you don't pass, you can take it in the next two years for free, since our goal is not course fee income but educated laserists.

-- Patrick

[flecom]

yay I passed, just barely lol

I am pissed about some of the questions I got wrong because I knew the answers and just kind of blanked during the test, even right after walking out and sitting down in the lobby I realized, doh, but oh well... I guess a 16 hour drive, 4 days of all-day hardcore-lasering and sleep deprivation and whatever alcohol people would hand me will do that to you

I really think ILDA should do some kind of ELSO (entertainment laser safety officer) DLSO (demonstration LSO) or maybe LSSO (laser show safety officer) certification that actually has some kind of recognition even if its just from ILDA

[ildadirect]

ILDA recognizes ILDA's LSO course. For example, if you want to sign up for the ILDA Professional accreditation program, one of the requirements is to have LSO training (or equivalent). Naturally, ILDA recognizes ILDA's course as one way to fulfill this LSO equivalent.

Also, the state of Arizona by law has to recognize ILDA's course. This is because the ILDA LSO course is specifically designed to cover all elements required by the state of Arizona. So if you pass the ILDA course and get a Certificate of Completion, this must be recognized by Arizona under their regulations.

Third, ILDA's Certificate of Completion is the same type of credential that you would get if you took a full-blown LSO course from Rockwell Laser Industries or the Laser Institute of America (only limited to lightshow lasers, not industrial or medical or research etc.) Rockwell, LIA and similar companies also provide a certificate of completion.

Real certification is done by a stricter process, with a stiffer test. It is run by the Board of Laser Safety. Not only do you have to have a certificate of completion from a Rockwell/LIA type course, you also have to have on-the job experience and a couple of other requirements. Then you can take the BLS test and, if you pass, you can be a Certified Laser Safety Officer.

For ILDA to do true certification is a major process, involving a huge effort and great expense with outside institutions checking up on us. ILDA could do it if we had the money and time and interest from industry in hiring Certified Entertainment Laser Safety Officers. But we don't. It was a big enough effort last year for me, Greg and Karl to work on the ILDA LSO course.

So I hope this helps explain that the LSO course does have some recognition from ILDA and Arizona, that the certificate at the end is what you would get from Rockwell or LIA (in our little domain of lightshow, of course), and that real BLS-type certification is beyond ILDA's capabilities right now.

[flecom]

Interesting, guess I figured a "Certificate of Completion" was kind of saying "you were here"... I misunderstood then

I always thought there should be SOME kind of laser license, similar to the way amateur radio or general radio operators licenses work, the FCC oversees the testing agencies etc.. and that system seems to work pretty ok... so why cant the CDRH do something similar with ILDA?

its a pipe-dream I know, but I still think it would be a MUCH better alternative to variances