TALSO had another great meeting Thursday, November 14 at GlaxoSmithKline in RTP.  Thanks again to Alvin Blount and GSK for hosting this event.  Here's a meeting summary:

I. Reviewed notes from Sep. 19 Meeting
- no changes/corrections

II. Review status of Action Items from Last Meeting:
- Several actions related to beam alignment project; see item IV below
- Beasley provide URL for CORD site: DONE
- Edwards ask NCHPS to post TALSO page on nchps site: DONE; DRAFT site posted (see TALSO link bottom left on www.nchps.org)
ACTION: Hitchcock e-mail Edwards with URL of Army site, for posting
ACTION: Edwards post AIHA URL
ACTION: All e-mail Buschow [rbuschow@wpo.nccu.edu] with suggestions for TALSO bibliography for web site (e.g. Sliney & Wolbarsht. Safety with lasers and other optical sources. New York: Plenum Press, 1980); he'll compile list for posting
- Edwards to bring copies of August '02 Operational Radiation Safety article on LS: DONE & distributed at meeting

IV. Safe Beam Alignment Project
A. Action Items from previous meeting:
- Kretchman purchase Rockwell "safe laser alignment" book: DONE.  Ken reviewed the alignment safety guidance contained therein and shared several other pertinent documents.
- Beasley review his library at CCCC for any video tapes or other training material on alignment.  DONE; Kretchman reviewed IMC training video
- All seek out any manufacturer's alignment procedures that may be lying around your facility
- Edwards contact BALSO representatives for alignment advice & information, etc. DONE & forwarded to Kretchman
B. Next steps
Proposal: put alignment safety guidance into a decision tree (e.g. like NIOSH respiratory selection guidance: http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/87-116.html)
RESOLVED: focus current effort on table top alignment techniques
Idea: get our laser using allies to critique rough outline
ACTION: Kretchman distribute draft questionnaire for group review
ACTION: Kretchman, Edwards & Hitchcock meet off line to discuss more focused effort
ACTION: Nguyen obtain copies of Simon's alignment SOPs.

V. Discussion Topic: Common excuses for not complying with LS policy/practice (and how to overcome them)
- Edwards shared old Rockwell "It's a Safe Thing to Say" article entitled "Doorway interlocks revisited" with 4 excuses & rebuttals
- "Expert" users; Kretchman shared anecdote on one expert's epiphany (after an accident) on the need for control measures
- "Because we've always done it this way": noted OSHA literature indicating that the unsafe behavior involved in most incidents had persisted for some time before the actual incident occurred
-  "Because cutting power will damage the laser tube": Is the laser on a UPS?  If not, it's clearly susceptible to power outages anyway.  Also, what does the laser manufacturer say?
- "I need to see the beam": review safe viewing methods
- "The sales rep said I didn't need protective eyewear": ask the sales rep to put it in writing
- "Don't need specification eyewear for CO2 beams": any polycarbonate will do: While technically correct, the fact remains that in case of an incident, your institution will be viewed as negligent if spec eyewear was not provided, regardless of other considerations.

VI. Any other business
- Brief review of highlights from LIA laser safety course from recent grad Giao Nguyen: postponed until next meeting
- Request from LIA: Conduct a CLSO exam in our area?
Noted ~3 folks [Blount, Nguyen, Thai] within TALSO interested in taking CLSO locally (Hitchcock to sit for exam at ILSC meeting); also Beasley's CCCC students.
ACTION: Beasley contact Rich Greene to investigate holding CLSO exam at CCCC in March

VII. Schedule next meeting: 2:30 PM on Thursday, 30-Jan-03 at GSK

List of specific discussion topics for upcoming meetings:
- Medical Surveillance (why, whom & how much?)
- Entry way controls for class 4 systems
- Tracking high power diode lasers
- Appropriate fire-proof materials
- Handling multiple wavelength lasers (e.g. Ti:Sapphire)
- Release of class 3b & 4 lasers into surplus & unrestricted use
- Generate list of low-cost solutions to laser safety challenges & "low hanging fruit" that get the most impact for the least resource expended in laser safety programs

Thank you again for your interest.

Ben Edwards, MS, CLSO
Health Physicist
Duke University/Medical Center
668-3157