Section 315.40  Definitions

 

As used in this Part, the following definitions apply:

 

            "Act" means the Laser System Act of 1997 [420 ILCS 56].

 

"Agency" means the Illinois Emergency Management Agency.

 

            "ANSI" means the American National Standards Institute, 11 West 42^nd Street, New York, New York 10036.

 

            "Aperture" means any opening in a protective housing through which laser radiation can pass.

 

            "Attenuation" means the decrease in the radiant power of any optical beam as it passes through an absorbing and/or scattering medium.

 

            "Certified laser system" means that the system is certified by a manufacturer pursuant to the requirements of 21 CFR 1010.2.

 

            "Class 1 laser" means any laser that meets the criteria of a Class 1 laser, as defined in 21 CFR 1040.

 

            "Class 2 laser" means any laser that meets the criteria of a Class 2 laser, as defined in 21 CFR 1040.

 

            "Class 2a laser" means any laser that meets the criteria of a Class 2a laser, as defined in 21 CFR 1040.

 

            "Class 3 laser" means any laser that meets the criteria of a Class 3 laser, as defined in 21 CFR 1040.  Class 3 lasers are separately designated as Class 3a or Class 3b.

 

            "Class 4 laser" means any laser that meets the criteria of a Class 4 laser, as defined in 21 CFR 1040.

 

            "Controlled area" means any area where the occupancy and access of those within is subject to control and supervision by the registrant for the purpose of protection from laser radiation hazards.

 

            "Director" means the Director of the Illinois Emergency Management Agency.

 

            "Embedded laser" means an enclosed laser with an assigned class number higher than the inherent capability of the laser system in which it is incorporated, where the system's lower classification (Class 1, 2, 3a or 3b) is appropriate due to the engineering features limiting accessible emission.

 

            "Enclosed laser" means a laser that is contained within a protective housing of itself or of the laser or laser system in which it is incorporated.

 

            "Energy" means the capacity for doing work.  Energy content is commonly used to characterize the output from pulsed lasers and is generally expressed in joules (J).

 

            "Facility" means a laser installation.

 

            "FDA" means the Food and Drug Administration of the United States Department of Health and Human Services.

 

            "Fire-resistant material" means a material that is not combustible when used for its intended purpose in conjunction with a laser system.

 

            "Incident" means an event or occurrence that results in a real or suspected intentional or accidental exposure to laser radiation that caused or has the potential to cause biological damage.

 

            "Irradiance" means the radiant power incident on an element of a surface divided by the area of that element, expressed in watts per square centimeter (W cm^-2).

 

            "Joule" or "J" means a unit of energy: 1 joule = 1 watt second.

 

            "Laser" means any device that can produce or amplify electromagnetic radiation at wavelengths greater than 180 nanometers but less than 1 millimeter, primarily by the process of controlled stimulated emission.

 

            "Laser installation" means a location or facility where laser systems are produced, stored, disposed of or used for any purpose [420 ILCS 56/15].

 

            "Laser radiation" means an electromagnetic radiation emitted from a laser system and includes all reflected radiation, any secondary radiation or other forms of energy resulting from the primary laser beam [420 ILCS 56/15].

 

            "Laser safety officer" means any individual, qualified by training and experience in the evaluation and control of laser hazards, who is designated by the registrant to have the authority and responsibility to establish and administer the laser radiation protection program for a particular laser installation.

 

            "Laser system" means a device, machine, equipment or other apparatus that applies a source of energy to a gas, liquid, crystal, or other solid substances or combination thereof in a manner that electromagnetic radiations of a relatively uniform wave length are amplified and emitted in a cohesive beam capable of transmitting the energy developed in a manner that may be harmful to living tissues, including but not limited to electromagnetic waves in the range of visible, infrared or ultraviolet light.  Such systems in schools, colleges, occupational schools, and State colleges and other State institutions are also included in the definition of "laser systems". [420 ILCS 56/15]

 

            "Maintenance" means the performance of those adjustments or procedures by the user to keep equipment in its intended operating condition.  Maintenance does not include operation or service as defined in this Section.

 

            "Maximum permissible exposure" or "MPE" means that level of laser radiation to which persons may be exposed without adverse biological change in the eye or skin.

 

            "Medical laser" means a laser system that is a medical device, as defined in 21 USC 321(h), and is manufactured, designed or intended for laser irradiation of any part of the human body for the purpose of diagnosis, surgery or therapy (see 21 CFR 1040.10(b)).

 

"Operation" means the performance of tasks required for the equipment to perform its intended functions.  It does not include maintenance or service tasks as defined in this Section.

 

            "Operator" is an individual, group of individuals, partnership, firm, corporation, or association conducting the business or activities carried on within a laser installation [420 ILCS 56/15].

 

            "Optical density" or "OD" means a logarithmic expression of the optical attenuation afforded by a material.

 

OD	=	log10	incident power
			transmitted power

 

            "Optical fiber communications system" or "OFCS" means a system consisting of one or more laser transmitters, each of which is coupled to an individual optical fiber and is used for the transmission of information, e.g., voice or data.

 

            "Person" means any individual, corporation, limited liability company, partnership, firm, association, trust, estate, public or private institution, group, agency, political subdivision of this State, any other state or political subdivision or agency thereof and any legal successor, representative, agent or agency of the foregoing.

 

            "Protective housing" means those portions of a laser system that are designed to prevent human access to laser radiation above the applicable MPE level.

 

            "Pulse duration" means the time increment measured between the half-peak power points at the leading and trailing edges of a pulse.

 

            "Radiant energy" means energy emitted, transferred or received in the form of laser radiation, expressed in joules (J).

 

            "Radiant exposure" means the radiant energy incident on an element of a surface divided by the area of that element, expressed in joules per square centimeter (J cm^-2).

 

            "Radiant power" means power emitted, transferred or received in the form of laser radiation expressed in watts (W).  Radiant power also means output power.

 

            "Registrant" means any person who registers a laser installation with the Agency pursuant to this Part.

 

            "Scanning laser" means a laser having a time-varying direction, origin or pattern of propagation with respect to a stationary frame of reference.

 

            "Service" means the performance of adjustments, repairs or procedures required to return equipment to its intended state.  These adjustments and procedures usually require specialized training and/or tools.  Service does not include operation or maintenance as defined in this Section.

 

            "Watt" or "W" means the unit of radiant power, 1 watt = 1 joule per second (J sec¹)

 

(Source:  Amended at 37 Ill. Reg. 20200, effective December 9, 2013)