Laser product assessment for Lancashire County Council Trading Standards Service

The Health Protection Agency was requested by Lancashire County Council Trading Standards Service to assess a range of hand-held laser pointers which had been seized from the premises of an internet trader in Preston, England. The samples included one test purchase laser and 40 evidence bags containing batches of 245 lasers of different types, instruction leaflets, stickers and batteries. Apart from the test purchase, it was not possible to determine how the laser pointers would have been shipped to customers. Some were complete units, but others were kits of parts. Many of the laser pointers were not labelled. Laser warning labels were obtained on sheets with laser starburst symbols of different colours. This suggested that the colour of the starburst would have matched to the colour of the laser beam. Some of the instruction leaflets matched the description of the lasers; it was assumed that these would accompany the lasers. The laser products, including instruction leaflets and labels, were assessed against BS EN 60825-1: 2007, incorporating corrigendum August 2008, "Safety of laser products - Part 1: Equipment classification and requirements". Findings of the evaluation of the handheld laser pointers are presented, including a summary of the measurements and classification; most of the laser pointers were classified as Class 3B or Class 4. A discussion of the labels and information leaflets is also included.