Executive Director's Message

Looking forward to a new decade…

For someone who is still writing 2009 (occasionally!), it is hard to believe we are entering a new decade. However, with the new year it is easy to be optimistic – to believe we are starting fresh with 2010.

Reports from SPIE Photonics West show that technical and exhibit attendance was up. Attendees said the event “provided indicators of strength in the biomedical optics and photonics sectors of the economy.”

I hope that as the year – and the decade – progresses, these indicators prove to be correct. Too many of our CLSOs and CMLSOs have been touched by the economic turndown; too many have been furloughed or laid off. Realizing the difficulties we all faced in the past year, it’s now time to recognize the opportunities within your reach.

In the weeks and months to come…

CLSOs and CMLSOs whose terms expired December 31, 2009 – it is not too late to reinstate your certification. To restore your status, please submit your CM worksheets accompanied with the appropriate recertification and late fees. These will be accepted up to and including May 31, 2010. After that time, it will be necessary to retake the exam to become active again.

Earn CM points by participating on ANSI ASC Z136 or one of its subcommittees. The ASC Z136 annual meeting will be held on March 12, 2010 in San Jose, Calif. Whether your interests lie in bioeffects, control measures, the safe use of lasers outdoors or the main committee administrative process, observing these meetings will offer insight into the workings of the group.

Attend this year’s LSO Workshop, July 27-29, 2010, hosted by Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. This workshop, open to all, is primarily geared toward individuals with laser safety responsibility and interest in a research, academic, or medical setting, who want to update and expand their knowledge. Anyone interested in laser safety issues will not want to miss this one-of-a-kind workshop.

Be an active participant at the 2011 International Laser Safety Conference (ILSC). The Call for Papers is now available on the ILSC website; the abstract submittal deadline is August 15, 2010. In addition to earning CM points for attending the conference, consider presenting a paper in a laser safety scientific session or contributing to one of the practical applications seminars.

Enjoy this issue of the BLS News & Review and feel free to contact me anytime at bsams@lasersafety.org or by phone, 407-380-5833.

Barbara Sams
Executive Director

Welcome New CLSOs and CMLSOs

Go to the BLS website to view complete listings of CLSOs and CMLSOs.

Profile of CLSO/CMLSO

• Jamie King, CLSO
  
• Michael Crews, CMLSO
  

ASC Z136 Update

The 2010 annual meeting of ASC Z136 will be held on Friday, March 12, 2010 at the Hilton DoubleTree Hotel in San Jose, Calif. This meeting is open to the public and an excellent opportunity to observe the committee in action! Subcommittee chairs will give brief presentations, either updating the status of each standard’s development (SSCs) or relating to technical concerns that touch every standard (TSCs).

In conjunction with the annual meeting, a number of subcommittees will be holding ancillary meetings during the week:

If you are interested in observing any of these subcommittee meetings, please contact the chair (above) to advise that you will be attending.

If you are interested in observing the annual meeting, please email Barbara Sams to let us know you are coming.

6th Annual Laser Safety Officers Workshop

Submitted by Ken Barat

This year’s LSO Workshop, July 27-29, 2010 will be hosted by Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, Calif. For the last five years, a core group of LSOs from the Department of Energy (DoE) National Laboratories have coordinated this annual laser safety workshop. The workshop is considered by many to be the premier Laser Safety Workshop in the US. It features presentations on topics not found in standard laser safety training, and solutions to real-world laser safety issues by experts in the field. Hear about laser and laser safety topics from leading experts and receive the most current data on what is happening in laser technology and how to integrate it into a safety culture.

This year sessions include: a laser accident session, discussion of Terahertz radiation and lasers, Vet medicine and lasers, training suggestions, lasers in biotechnology, an audit review panel and mini-workshops on the three primary laser safety calculation software programs available on the market. As a special treat, Charles Townes is scheduled to speak. We hope upon reading the agenda you will agree this workshop is of considerable value and worth some of your staff’s time and allow them to come. Just the networking and CEU’s will have positive value.

Please go the website for a view of the draft agenda, registration and housing information. Registration is $75 US, payable through an LBNL secure website and will be limit to 130 attendees.

Any questions please contact Ken Bart, kbarat@lbl.gov or Martha Condon MHCondon@lbl.gov.

Earning CM Points

In the last issue of the BLS News & Review, we discussed revisions made to the certification maintenance (CM) points categories by the BLS Review Board. An additional category was created called “Other Activities,” which includes earning CM points by reviewing journal articles. Article titles and access information will be delivered via this newsletter; the Journal Article Verification Worksheet may be downloaded from the BLS website.

A starting point for our CMLSOs:

1. Grocela JA, Dretler SP. Intracorporeal lithotripsy: Instrumentation and development. Urol Clin North Am 1997, 24:1:13-23
2. Chapter 4. Laparoscopic Laser Injury by Alexis H. Kim, MD, G. David Adamson, MD, FRCS, FACOG, FACS
3. Laser Discectomy Author: Jasvinder Chawla, MBBS, MD, MBA, Associate Professor of Neurology, Director of Neurology Residency Training Program, Director of Clinical Neurophysiology Laboratory, Assistant Director of Neurology Clerkship Program, Department of Neurology, Loyola University Medical Center. Updated: May 17, 2009
4. Laser Debulking in Malignant Upper Airway Obstruction Paleri V, Stafford FW, Sammut MS. Head Neck, Vol. 27, 296 - 301, 2005

If you are aware of any articles that you feel would be appropriate for review, please let the BLS know by contacting Barbara Sams or Hydee Cash, or call 407-380-5833.

Remember too that published magazine or newsletter submissions (print or online) will be accepted at a ½ CM point per article. Contributions to the BLS News & Review are welcome!

Special LIA Membership Rate for CLSOs and CMLSOs

The Laser Institute of America would like to take this opportunity to congratulate you on obtaining your certification and invite you to become a member of the LIA. Membership in a laser safety related professional or technical organization or society earns valuable certification maintenance (CM) points, with a maximum of 3 CM points total for the term (1 CM point given per year of membership).

Start earning your certification maintenance (CM) points today at the special LIA membership rate for CLSOs and CMLSOs – 3 years for $235!

Maintaining certification is an important and vital part of becoming a CLSO or CMLSO. As the industry and technology changes, so must the knowledge of a CLSO and CMLSO.  One way to keep abreast of the current technology is by utilizing these LIA membership benefits, among others:

• Complimentary subscription to the peer reviewed Journal of Laser Applications® including free access to all articles online (an excellent publication forum for your technical work as well)
• Complimentary subscription to LIA TODAY
• Discounts on registration for LIA conferences, such as the International Laser Safety Conference

Sign up now to take advantage of this special membership offer, only available to CLSOs and CMLSOs.  Complete and return the provided LIA membership application today.

For a complete listing of CM Points categories, go to www.lasersafety.org and choose certification maintenance or refer to your Certification Maintenance Manual.

My Traveling ANSI

What better place to spot “My Traveling ANSI” than the LIA booth at Photonics West? LIA Staff Dave Evans (l) and Jim Naugle (r) join Bob Sarason on the exhibit floor. The winner of the November “My Traveling ANSI Contest” was Eddie Ciprazo. Bob and "My Traveling ANSI" were at the 2009 Street Vibrations Motorcycle Festival in Reno, NV.