oSIST prEN IEC 60825-18:2026

• Status: Not Published
• Public Enquiry End Date: 30-Nov-2026
• ICS: 13.110 - Safety of machinery
• ICS: 31.260 - Optoelectronics. Laser equipment
• Technical Committee: ISS EIT.EVL - Optical radiation safety and laser equipment
• Current Stage: 4020 - Public enquire (PE) (Adopted Project)
• Start Date: 23-Sep-2026
• Due Date: 10-Feb-2027
• Directive: 2006/42/EC - Directive 2006/42/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 17 May 2006 on machinery, and amending Directive 95/16/EC (recast)
• Directive:

  ---

  2023/1230 - Regulation (EU) 2023/1230 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 14 June 2023 on machinery and repealing Directive 2006/42/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council and Council Directive 73/361/EEC (Text with EEA relevance)
• Mandate: M/396 - Mandate to CEN and Cenelec for standardisation in the field of machinery
• Mandate: M/605 - COMMISSION IMPLEMENTING DECISION of 20.1.2025 on a standardisation request to the European Committee for Standardization and to the European Committee for Electrotechnical Standardization as regards machinery and related products in support of Regulation (EU) 2023/1230 of the European Parliament and of the Council
• Ref Project: prEN IEC 60825-18:2026 - Safety of laser products - Part 18: Guided beam delivery systems

SIST publishes oSIST prEN IEC 60825-18:2026, identical to prEN IEC 60825-18:2026. It specifies safety requirements for guided beam delivery systems used with laser products, covering how the beam path is arranged, installed and used to control laser radiation hazards. The document is intended mainly for manufacturers of beam delivery systems, and it is also relevant to users who assemble their own systems to reduce workplace risk.

What does oSIST prEN IEC 60825-18:2026 specify?

oSIST prEN IEC 60825-18:2026 specifies the protective measures for guided beam delivery systems after the output coupler and/or protective housing of the laser product. It covers free-space beam delivery, fibre optic cables and other beam waveguides, and it applies whether the beam passes through open space or through enclosed components.

The standard also sets out how to assess risks from reasonably foreseeable use, abuse and misuse, and it includes examples of control measures. It excludes incorporated beam delivery components and systems inside the protective housing of a single laser product, communications applications and medical applications.

Annex	What it covers
Annex A	Examples of risk assessment, with example failure mechanisms, hazards and risk reduction measures for free-space and fibre optic cable systems

The document is organized into Scope, Normative references, Terms and definitions, General requirements, Information for users, and Annex A.

What are the key requirements of oSIST prEN IEC 60825-18:2026?

oSIST prEN IEC 60825-18:2026 requires the whole guided beam delivery system to be treated as part of the laser safety assessment. In practice, this means the designer must look beyond the laser product itself and examine the beam path, connectors, enclosures, guards, controls and service conditions together.

Risk assessment and design

Clause 4.1 requires risk assessment using ISO 12100 principles. The standard emphasizes that design is the first line of risk reduction, and that extra safeguarding and safe working procedures are needed when design measures alone are not enough. This matters because hazards can come from damaged housings, failed beam path components, control faults or foreseeable misuse.

Operation and service

Clause 4.2.1 requires the guided beam delivery system to prevent access to radiation above the Class 1 AEL [Accessible Emission Limit]. If the system is meant to block Class 3B or Class 4 access, it must withstand reasonably foreseeable single fault conditions without human intervention. Removal or displacement is allowed only with a key or tool, by stopping emission before access, or through other clearly described protective measures.

Clause 4.2.2 tightens service conditions. Parts that could expose hazardous radiation and are not interlocked must require a tool for removal, service areas must be controlled so hazards do not spread outside the service zone, and the number of access panels should be kept as low as feasible. In practice, this limits how easily live beam paths can be opened during maintenance.

Access panels, interlocks and proactive features

Clause 4.3 requires access panel warning labels and safety interlocks in line with IEC 60825-1. It also requires the interlock design to prevent hazardous exposure in the connected laser product, and it points safety-related control circuits to suitable standards such as IEC 61508 or ISO 13849-1.

Clause 4.4 allows proactive safety features only when the manufacturer defines the conditions for their use and demonstrates that they work under those conditions. If those conditions are not met or cannot be verified, the feature cannot be the basis for risk reduction. Clause 4.4.1 adds verification of safety decision and protective actuation, including response time and safe state behavior.

Warnings, environment and user information

Clause 4.6 requires additional laser radiation emission warning devices when an accessible part of the guided beam delivery system is 2 m or more from the laser product warning device and the original signal may not be perceptible. Clause 4.7 requires safety performance under expected operating conditions and foreseeable abuse or misuse, including climate, vibration, shock, electromagnetic interferences, and corrosive or explosive atmospheres.

Clause 5.1 requires technical documentation for installation, use, servicing and spare parts, plus interconnection diagrams and descriptions of safeguards and interlocking functions. This is the information users need to install the system correctly and to service it without creating a new hazard.

What terms does oSIST prEN IEC 60825-18:2026 define?

oSIST prEN IEC 60825-18:2026 defines the key safety building blocks used throughout the document.

• Guided beam delivery system - a system of beam path components, supports, guards and enclosures that transfers or manipulates laser radiation from one laser product to another target or enclosure.
• Defined beam path - the intended path of the laser beam within the laser product, protective enclosure or guided beam delivery system.
• Protective housing - the part of a laser product designed to prevent human access to laser radiation above the prescribed AEL.
• Protective enclosure - a physical means of preventing human exposure to laser radiation unless access is needed for the intended function.
• Laser guard - a physical barrier that limits a danger zone by keeping laser radiation accessible at its rear surface within Class 1 AEL.
• Beam shaping components - optical components used to change beam profile or cross-section.
• Beam switching components - optical components or assemblies that direct or divert the beam along predetermined directions under external control.
• Fibre optic cable - a fibre optical beam guiding component that transmits laser radiation along a transparent medium, including waveguides.

Who uses oSIST prEN IEC 60825-18:2026?

oSIST prEN IEC 60825-18:2026 is used by manufacturers of laser beam delivery systems, laser machine builders, system integrators and users who assemble guided beam paths themselves. It is also relevant to safety engineers, quality managers, maintenance teams and service personnel working in measurement, scientific research and material processing.

Which standards are used with oSIST prEN IEC 60825-18:2026?

oSIST prEN IEC 60825-18:2026 relies on IEC 60825-1 for laser product classification and basic protective housing requirements. It uses IEC 60825-4 for laser guards, ISO 12100 for risk assessment and risk reduction, IEC 61508 for functional safety, and ISO 13849-1 for safety-related control system design.

What does the oSIST prEN IEC 60825-18:2026 document contain?

oSIST prEN IEC 60825-18:2026 contains one main annex with worked examples for risk assessment and risk reduction. Annex A uses Tables 1 and 2 to show typical failure mechanisms, hazards and practical countermeasures for free-space systems and fibre optic cable systems.

The document also includes Figure 1 and Figure 2, which illustrate example system layouts and additional warning devices. These figures help readers understand where the guided beam delivery system boundary sits and how warnings and barriers are arranged in practice.

Annex A is especially useful for design reviews and hazard analysis because it turns the clause text into concrete scenarios. It shows how issues such as mirror damage, beam switching faults, fibre breakage, incorrect mounting and misalignment can lead to exposure, and what design or procedural controls are used to reduce that risk.

SLOVENSKI STANDARD
01-november-2026
Varnost laserskih izdelkov - 18. del: Sistemi za vodenje žarka
Safety of laser products - Part 18: Guided beam delivery systems
Ta slovenski standard je istoveten z: prEN IEC 60825-18:2026
ICS:
13.110 Varnost strojev Safety of machinery
31.260 Optoelektronika, laserska Optoelectronics. Laser
oprema equipment
2003-01.Slovenski inštitut za standardizacijo. Razmnoževanje celote ali delov tega standarda ni dovoljeno.

76/803/CDV
COMMITTEE DRAFT FOR VOTE (CDV)
PROJECT NUMBER:
IEC 60825-18 ED1
DATE OF CIRCULATION: CLOSING DATE FOR VOTING:
2026-09-18 2026-12-11
SUPERSEDES DOCUMENTS:
76/779/CD, 76/795/CC
IEC TC 76 : OPTICAL RADIATION SAFETY AND LASER EQUIPMENT
SECRETARIAT: SECRETARY:
United States of America Mr Winn Henderson
OF INTEREST TO THE FOLLOWING COMMITTEES: HORIZONTAL FUNCTION(S):

ASPECTS CONCERNED:
Safety
SUBMITTED FOR CENELEC PARALLEL VOTING NOT SUBMITTED FOR CENELEC PARALLEL VOTING
Attention IEC-CENELEC parallel voting
The attention of IEC National Committees, members of
CENELEC, is drawn to the fact that this Committee Draft
for Vote (CDV) is submitted for parallel voting.
The CENELEC members are invited to vote through the
CENELEC online voting system.
This document is still under study and subject to change. It should not be used for reference purposes.
Recipients of this document are invited to submit, with their comments, notification of any relevant patent rights of which they
are aware and to provide supporting documentation.
Recipients of this document are invited to submit, with their comments, notification of any relevant “In Some Countries” clauses
to be included should this proposal proceed. Recipients are reminded that the CDV stage is the final stage for submitting ISC
clauses. (SEE AC/22/2007 OR NEW GUIDANCE DOC).

TITLE:
Safety of laser products - Part 18: Guided beam delivery systems

PROPOSED STABILITY DATE: 2031
NOTE FROM TC/SC OFFICERS:
The TC76 Officers would like to request that comments be received by October 16, 2026 if possible, in an attempt
to collate comments in sufficient time to discuss at the TC76 meetings in Didcot starting October 26, 2026.

electronic file, to make a copy and to print out the content for the sole purpose of preparing National Committee positions. You
may not copy or "mirror" the file or printed version of the document, or any part of it, for any other purpose without permission
in writing from IEC.
IEC CDV 60825-18 © IEC 2026
CONTENTS
FOREWORD . 3
INTRODUCTION . 5
1 Scope . 5
2 Normative references . 6
3 Terms and definitions . 6
4 General requirements . 7
4.1 General considerations . 7
4.2 Requirements for guided beam delivery system . 8
4.2.1 Operation . 8
4.2.2 Service . 9
4.3 Access panels and safety interlocks for guided beam delivery systems . 9
4.3.1 Access panel requirements . 9
4.3.2 Interlock requirements . 9
4.4 Proactive features . 9
4.4.1 Verification of safety decision and protective actuation . 10
4.5 Labelling . 10
4.6 Laser radiation emission warning . 10
4.7 Environmental conditions . 11
5 Information for users . 12
5.1 Technical documentation . 12
Annex A Examples of Risk Assessment . 13

Figure 1 – Example of guided beam delivery system connecting a single laser product
to a laser guard . 8
Figure 2 – Example of guided beam delivery system with additional laser radiation
emission warning devices . 11

Table 1 – Guided beam delivery systems using free space beam delivery systems . 13
Table 1 (continued) . 14
Table 2 – Guided beam delivery systems using fibre optic cables . 15
Table 2 (continued) . 16
Table 2 (continued) . 17
IEC CDV 60825-18 © IEC 2026
INTERNATIONAL ELECTROTECHNICAL COMMISSION
____________
SAFETY OF LASER PRODUCTS
Part 18: Guided beam delivery systems

FOREWORD
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8) Attention is drawn to the Normative references cited in this publication. Use of the referenced publications is
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9) IEC draws attention to the possibility that the implementation of this document may involve the use of (a)
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https://patents.iec.ch. IEC shall not be held responsible for identifying any or all such patent rights.
IEC 60825-18 has been prepared by subcommittee WG 7: High power lasers and laser systems,
of IEC technical committee 76: Optical radiation safety and laser equipment. It is an
International Standard.
The text of this International Standard is based on the following documents:
Draft Report on voting
XX/XX/FDIS XX/XX/RVD
Full information on the voting for its approval can be found in the report on voting indicated in
the above table.
The language used for the development of this International Standard is English.
IEC CDV 60825-18 © IEC 2026
This document was drafted in accordance with ISO/IEC Directives, Part 2, and developed in
accordance with ISO/IEC Directives, Part 1 and ISO/IEC Directives, IEC Supplement, available
at www.iec.ch/members_experts/refdocs. The main document types developed by IEC are
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The committee has decided that the contents of this document will remain unchanged until the
stability date indicated on the IEC website under webstore.iec.ch in the data related to the
specific document. At this date, the document will be
• reconfirmed,
• withdrawn, or
• revised.
IEC CDV 60825-18 © IEC 2026
INTRODUCTION
The IEC 60825 series addresses the safety of laser products. IEC 60825-1 establishes the
classification of laser products and specifies the requirements for the laser product up to and
including its protective housing. As laser powers and the range of applications have increased,
the laser beam is frequently conveyed from the source to the point of application by a guided
beam delivery system, propagating through free space, fibre optic cables or other beam
waveguides. The beam path and its terminations, downstream of the output coupler and/or the
protective housing, can give rise to laser radiation hazards to personnel that are not fully
addressed by the requirements for the laser product itself. Systems may comprise several
protective housings or protective enclosures and guards separated by significant physical
distances. Consequently, work carried out at protective enclosure can present laser radiation
hazards that are controlled or initiated at another, and these interactions can differ between
lifecycle phases such as installation, normal operation, maintenance and service. Protective
measures therefore need to address the guided beam delivery system as a whole, including the
interaction between its physically separated parts across all phases of its life.
Within the IEC 60825 series, IEC 60825-4 specifies the requirements for laser guards that
enclose the process zone of a laser processing machine, but does not comprehensively address
the arrangement, installation and use of the guided beam delivery system that connects the
source to the point of application. Such requirements were previously contained in an annex to
IEC 60825-4; as that document is concerned with guards enclosing the process zone, and as
guided beam delivery systems raise distinct considerations including access panels and safety
interlocks, the integrity of fibre optic cables and other beam waveguides, proactive protective
features, laser radiation emission warnings and environmental conditions they have been
developed in this separate standard. Establishing them as a dedicated part provides normative
requirements that apply to the guided beam delivery system irrespective of whether a guard
enclosing a process zone is present.
1 Scope
This document specifies the arrangement, installation and use of guided beam delivery
systems. Laser beams can be propagated through air, gas, liquid, or vacuum, whether enclosed
or not (free space), or through fibre optic cables or other beam waveguides. Such systems are
used in a range of applications, including measurement, scientific research, and material
processing.
This standard is applicable to the protective measures implemented to protect personnel
against laser radiation hazards for guided beam delivery systems after the output coupler and/or
the protective housing of the laser product (the requirements of which are specified in IEC
60825-1).This standard specifies requirements for combining multiple laser products together
or combing laser products with other safety enclosures where lasers may feed into other
machines or products.
Note: While this is intended primarily for manufacturers of beam delivery systems it would also be appropriate for
users who are assembling their own system to mitigate workplace risk.
This standard specifies methods for assessing the risks (including reasonably foreseeable use,
abuse and misuse) and provides examples of control measures to meet the normative
requirements this document.
This standard is not applicable to:
– incorporated beam delivery components and systems inside the protective housing of a
single laser product, as they are subject to 60825-1;
– communications applications;
– medical applications.
IEC CDV 60825-18 © IEC 2026
2 Normative references
The following documents are referred to in the text in such a way that some or all of their content
constitutes requirements of this document. For dated references, only the edition cited applies.
For undated references, the latest edition of the referenced document (including any
amendments) applies.
IEC 60825-1, Safety of laser products – Part 1: Equipment classification and requirements
IEC 60825-4, Safety of laser products — Part 4: Laser guards
IEC 61508 (all parts), Functional safety of electrical/electronic/programmable electronic safety-
related systems
ISO 12100, Safety of machinery -- General principles for design -- Risk assessment and risk
reduction
ISO 13849-1, Safety of machinery -- Safety-related parts of control systems -- Part 1: General
principles for design
3 Terms and definitions
For the purposes of this document, the terms and definitions given in IEC 60825-1:2014 or other
parts of IEC 60825 and the following apply.
ISO and IEC maintain terminology databases for use in standardization at the following
addresses:
• IEC Electropedia: available at https://www.electropedia.org/
• ISO Online browsing platform: available at https://www.iso.org/obp
3.1
guided beam delivery system
a system containing one or more beam path components to create the defined beam path,
including protective enclosures, guards and the support of these components, which when
combined, transfer or manipulate laser radiation emitted from one laser radiation generator
(laser product) to other laser products, enclosures, and the intended target
Note 1 to entry: The components of the guided delivery system may also include all elements for shaping and
switching the laser beam as well as the enclosure of and support for the beam path components, devices to prevent
errant laser radiation and beam stops.
Note 2 to entry: See figure 1 for a diagram of a guided beam delivery system.
3.2
defined beam path
intended path of a laser beam within the laser product, protective enclosure, or guided beam
delivery system
3.3
beam path components
optical component which lies on a defined beam path
3.4
protective housing
those portions of a laser product (including a product incorporating and embedded laser) which
are designed to prevent human access to laser radiation in excess of the prescribed AEL
(generally installed or assembled by a manufacturer)
IEC CDV 60825-18 © IEC 2026
3.5
protective enclosure
physical means for preventing human exposure to laser radiation unless such access is
necessary for the intended functions of the installation
3.6
laser guard
physical barrier which limits the extent of a danger zone by preventing laser radiation accessible
at its rear surface from exceeding Class 1 AEL
3.7
beam shaping components
optical components introduced in the beam path to transform the profile or cross-section of the
laser beam by means of apertures, reflective, refractive, diffractive optical components, multi-
mode or multi-clad fibres, or beam combining
3.8
beam switching components
optical components or an assembly of components introduced in the beam path to direct or
divert, under external control, the beam path along predetermined direction(s)
Note 1 to entry: The external control allows the beam path to be switched from one predetermined direction to
another.
3.9
fibre optic cable
fibre optical beam guiding component that enables the transmission of laser radiation along a
transparent medium
Note 1 to entry: A fibre optic cable may have a glass or other core material that carries the laser radiation and be
surrounded by one or more cladding(s) to further confine the radiation to the core. The outside of the fibre core is
surrounded by one or more claddings and is protected by a buffer layer and may be further protected by additional
layers of other material such as a polymer or a metal to protect the fibre from mechanical deformation, the ingress
of water, etc.
Note 2 to entry: For this document, this term also includes other forms of transmission devices such as
waveguides.
4 General requirements
4.1 General considerations
The risks associated with the hazards relevant to the guided beam delivery systems shall be
assessed as part of the overall requirements for risk assessment of the machine. The principles
for risk assessment given in standard ISO 12100 shall be used in carrying out this assessment.
This assessment shall determine the acceptable level of risk and the necessary protective
measures for persons who can be exposed to those hazards, while maintaining an acceptable
level of performance of the machine.
Hazards can result from, but are not limited to, the following causes:
a) failures, faults or damage in the protective housing or other mechanical protective measures
incorporated in the guided beam delivery system resulting in the inadvertent emission of
laser radiation from the protective housing;
b) failures or faults in the beam path components resulting in damage to the protective housing
or other protective devices;
c) failures or faults in the associated equipment or controls resulting in injury or
malfunction or failure of the safety functions of the laser product or laser system;
d) failures or faults from reasonably foreseeable misuse or abuse resulting in the
inadvertent emission of laser radiation from the protective housings.
IEC CDV 60825-18 © IEC 2026
The engineering and administrative controls adopted are a combination of the measures
incorporated at the design stage and include those instructions to be followed by the user.
Design shall be the first consideration in the reduction of risks. Where this is not sufficient to
eliminate risks to a negligible level, additional safeguarding and safe working procedures shall
be considered.
NOTE  Examples of risk assessments and potential solutions for risk reduction measures are shown in Annex A.
4.2 Requirements for guided beam delivery system
The guided beam delivery system shall be used to control the hazard of laser radiation along
the defined beam path between laser products or laser guards. An example of this is given in
Figure 1. The specific requirements for operation, maintenance, and servicing are given below.
3 5
Key
1 protective housing of a laser product
2 boundary of guided beam delivery system
3 beam path component
4 laser guard (protective enclosure)
5 workpiece or intended target
Figure 1 – Example of guided beam delivery system connecting a single laser product
to a laser guard
4.2.1 Operation
In addition to the requirements for protective housing specified in IEC 60825-1 guided beam
delivery system shall comply with the following conditions.
a) The guided beam delivery system shall be designed to prevent access to laser radiation in
excess of the AEL for Class 1.
b) Maintenance of a guided beam delivery system shall not permit human access to levels of
laser radiation of Class 3B or Class 4.
c) When the guided beam delivery system is intended to prevent human access to radiation
that is of Class 3B or Class 4 the guided beam delivery system shall withstand exposures
under reasonably foreseeable single fault conditions, without human intervention.
NOTE The use of a guided beam delivery
...