IEC TS 60825-20:2025
(Main)Safety of laser products - Part 20: Safety requirements for products intentionally exposing face or eyes to laser radiation
Safety of laser products - Part 20: Safety requirements for products intentionally exposing face or eyes to laser radiation
IEC TS 60825-20:2025 provides radiation safety requirements (normative) and guidelines (informative) for the consideration of faults for Class 1 laser devices with laser radiation directed towards the eyes or face. Requirements for the safety of the nominal emission are not in the scope of this document.
Examples:
− devices with laser light facial or ocular recognition;
− virtual reality headsets or glasses;
− devices with gesture tracking via eye or facial movements;
− driver surveillance cameras;
− full body scanners (including eyes, face, and body).
Products exempted from this document include:
− medical and ophthalmic devices;
− automotive (lidars), lamps;
− laser applications where the laser is used in a professional (non-consumer) setting and is intended for direct or long-time exposure of the eyes or face.
This document provides normative requirements and informative guidelines for:
− radiation safety analysis;
− production-line testing;
− hazard analysis for laser radiation emissions (using a modified safety-focused FMEA approach)
NOTE all subsequent references to FMEA in this document refers to this safety-focused FMEA approach.
− examples of typical failure modes and mitigation techniques
General Information
Standards Content (Sample)
IEC TS 60825-20 ®
Edition 1.0 2025-09
TECHNICAL
SPECIFICATION
Safety of laser products -
Part 20: Safety requirements for products intentionally exposing face or eyes to
laser radiation
ICS 13.110; 31.260 ISBN 978-2-8327-0718-0
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CONTENTS
FOREWORD . 4
INTRODUCTION . 6
1 Scope . 7
2 Normative references . 7
3 Terms, definitions and abbreviated terms . 7
3.1 Terms and definitions. 8
3.1.1 FMEA-related terms and definitions . 8
3.1.2 Miscellaneous terms and definitions . 10
3.2 Abbreviated terms . 11
4 Comparison against IEC 60825-1:2014 . 11
4.1 Determination of the accessible emission level and product classification . 11
4.2 Description of the classes and potentially associated hazards . 12
5 Labelling. 12
6 Risk analysis and risk management process (design) . 12
6.1 General . 12
6.2 Perform risk analysis . 12
6.2.1 General . 12
6.2.2 Step 1: Intended use . 12
6.2.3 Step 2: Identification and analysis of known or foreseeable hazards . 13
6.2.4 Step 3: Risk estimation . 13
6.2.5 Step 4: Determination of the necessity for risk reduction . 15
6.2.6 Step 5: Options for risk reduction methods . 16
6.2.7 Step 6: Determination of risk reducibility . 16
6.2.8 Step 7: Implementation, verification, and documentation of controls . 16
6.2.9 Step 8: Evaluation of new failure modes leading to potentially excessive
emissions due to risk control measure . 17
6.2.10 Step 9: Final risk category . 17
6.2.11 Step 10: Documentation of risk analysis . 17
Annex A (normative) Risk process overview chart . 19
Annex B (informative) Examples of energy sources leading to internal failure modes . 20
Annex C (informative) Sample risk analysis FMEA . 22
C.1 General . 22
C.2 Example 1.1 from Annex F (Transients) . 22
C.2.1 Overview . 22
C.2.2 Initiating event or cause of failure (Step 2) . 22
C.2.3 Component or description or function (Step 2) . 23
C.2.4 Potential failure mode or failure mechanism (Step 2) . 23
C.2.5 Potential failure effect (Step 2) . 23
C.2.6 Potential harm (Step 2) . 23
C.2.7 Potential failure cause (Step 2) . 23
C.2.8 Current controls or current prevention controls (Step 2) . 23
C.2.9 Severity (Step 3) . 23
C.2.10 Occurrence (Step 3) . 23
C.2.11 Initial risk category (Step 4) . 23
C.2.12 Actions recommended (Step 5 and Step 6) . 24
C.2.13 Actions taken (Step 7 and Step 8) . 24
C.2.14 Final risk category (Step 9) . 24
C.3 Example 2.2 from Annex F (Laser diffusing optic failure) . 24
C.3.1 Overview . 24
C.3.2 Initiating event or cause of failure (Step 2) . 24
C.3.3 Component or description or function (Step 2) . 24
C.3.4 Potential failure mode or failure mechanism (Step 2) . 24
C.3.5 Potential failure effect (Step 2) . 24
C.3.6 Potential harm (Step 2) . 24
C.3.7 Potential failure cause (Step 2) . 25
C.3.8 Current controls or current prevention controls (Step 2) . 25
C.3.9 Severity (Step 3) . 25
C.3.10 Occurrence (Step 3) . 25
C.3.11 Initial risk category (Step 4) . 25
C.3.12 Actions recommended (Steps 5 and Step 6) . 25
C.3.13 Actions taken (Step 7 and Step 8) . 26
C.3.14 Final risk category (Step 9) . 26
C.4 Example 4.1 from Annex F (Software failure) . 26
C.4.1 Overview . 26
C.4.2 Initiating event or cause of failure (Step 2) . 26
C.4.3 Component or description or function (Step 2) . 26
C.4.4 Potential failure mode or failure mechanism (Step 2) . 26
C.4.5 Potential failure effect (Step 2) . 26
C.4.6 Potential harm (Step 2): . 26
C.4.7 Potential failure cause (Step 2): . 27
C.4.8 Current controls or current prevention controls (Step 2) . 27
C.4.9 Severity (Step 3) . 27
C.4.10 Occurrence (Step 3) . 27
C.4.11 Initial risk category (Step 4) . 27
C.4.12 Actions recommended (Step 5 and Step 6) . 27
C.4.13 Actions taken (Step 7 and Step 8) . 27
C.4.14 Final risk category (Step 9) . 28
C.5 Example 5.1 from Annex F (Mirror and safety software failures) . 28
C.5.1 Overview . 28
C.5.2 Initiating event or cause of failure (Step 2) . 28
C.5.3 Component or description or function (Step 2) . 28
C.5.4 Potential failure mode or failure mechanism (Step 2) . 28
C.5.5 Potential failure effects (Step 2). 28
C.5.6 Potential harm (Step 2) . 29
C.5.7 Potential failure cause (Step 2) . 29
C.5.8 Current controls or current prevention controls (Step 2) . 29
C.5.9 Severity (Step 3) . 29
C.5.10 Occurrence (Step 3) . 29
C.5.11 Initial risk category (Step 4) . 30
C.5.12 Actions recommended (Step 5 and Step 6) . 30
C.5.13 Actions taken (Step 7 and 8) . 30
C.5.14 Final risk category (Step 9) . 30
Annex D (informative) Manufacturing process FMEA . 31
Annex E (informative) Emission limits for extended direct exposure of human eyes . 33
E.1 IEC 60825-1 emission limits for t > 1 000 s – General information and
background . 33
E.1.1 General . 33
E.1.2 Visible wavelength AELs . 33
E.1.3 Ultraviolet and infrared AELs . 33
E.2 Laser beams directed intentionally at the human face . 34
E.2.1 Current applications. 34
E.2.2 Historical record . 34
E.2.3 Comparison with lamp AELs . 35
E.3 Limits to protect the retina – the biological bases . 35
E.4 Anterior segment – lens and cornea . 36
E.5 Exposure acceptability during fault cond
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