JWG 10 - TC 76/JWG 10

ISO 11553-2:2026 This document deals with all significant hazards, hazardous situations or hazardous events relevant to hand-held or hand-operated laser processing machines (HLMs), when they are used as intended and under conditions of misuse which are reasonably foreseeable by the manufacturer. HLM is the machine, as defined in ISO 11553-1:2020, 3.7, in which laser radiation is generated, where the laser provides sufficient energy/power to cause a phase transition in a part of the workpiece and where the laser output or workpiece to be processed is guided manually or hand-held during the laser material processing.
This document defines general design requirements of HLM. HLM includes the laser device, beam-guiding device (e.g. mirror, fibre, lenses), beam-shaping device (e.g. telescope, focusing), and controls. The laser assembly as an integral part of the HLM or only the laser processing head is hand-held or hand-operated during the laser material processing.
This document does not apply
- to laser processing machines which are remotely controlled by a manual controller (hand-operated controller), such as joy sticks, keyboard, etc., without touching a workpiece or a part mechanically connected with the laser material processing head by using the hand(s) of the operator (user)
- to laser processing machines without a drive system which may not belong to machinery. And the laser processing apparatus without moving parts, which may not be considered as machinery in “Type C standard”.
- to medical or cosmetic applications for the treatment of living human or animal tissue;
- to weapon applications, (e.g. such as with regard to military applications, direct close combat.)
NOTE “hand-operated laser processing machine” is synonymous with “hand-guided laser processing machine” in this document. Hand-operated laser processing machines often use manual force reduction means such as wheels, supports, etc., for manual positioning of the laser processing heads or the workpieces.
It is applicable to HLMs using laser radiation to process materials.
The purpose of this document is to draw attention to the hazards related to HLMs and to prevent personal injury. Depending on the application and the location/operating conditions of HLMs, a number of different significant hazards can arise. This document describes both the areas of hazards analysis and risk assessment as well as protective measures.
Requirements dealing with noise as a hazard are covered by ISO 11553-3:2013.
This document does not apply to laser products or equipment manufactured solely or expressly for applications which are excluded from the Scope of ISO 11553-1:2020. This document is not applicable for HLMs which have been manufactured before the date of publication of this standard.
HLMs include the following types:
HLMs which are designed as all-in-one laser assembly including the beam delivery/forming(shaping) system and optional features such as gas nozzles, material (e.g. powder, wire) feed system;
HLMs where the relevant devices are connected by a beam guidance system (e.g. optical fibre) and power/control cables to an external laser assembly device and which includes only the beam delivery/forming(shaping) system and optional features such as gas nozzles, material (e.g. powder, wire) feed system;
laser processing machines where the workpiece is manually moved under/relative to the laser beam (see informative Annex A).
The intended use of HLMs covers both:
movement of elements or workpieces by hand to be processed under/relatively to stationary laser beams as shielded , and
movement of the laser processing head (beam shaping device) by hand to move laser beam(s) over or relative to elements or workpieces to be processed.
Laser processing machines, where laser processing is performed with hand-held or hand-operated workpieces outside the fixed (neither hand-held nor hand-operated by the operator or user) laser processing machines are out of the scope

This document describes laser radiation hazards arising in laser processing machines, as defined in 3.7. It also specifies the safety requirements relating to laser radiation hazards, as well as the information to be supplied by the manufacturers of such equipment (in addition to that prescribed by IEC 60825).
Requirements dealing with noise as a hazard from laser processing machines are included in ISO 11553‑3:2013.
This document is applicable to machines using laser radiation to process materials.
It is not applicable to laser products, or equipment containing such products, which are manufactured solely and expressly for the following applications:
- photolithography;
- stereolithography;
- holography;
- medical applications (per IEC 60601-2-22);
- data storage.

ISO/IEC 11553-3:2013 describes the requirements to deal with noise hazards and specifies all the information necessary to carry out efficiently and under standardized conditions the determination, declaration and verification of airborne noise emission from laser processing machines and hand-held laser processing devices within the scope of ISO/IEC 11553-1 and ISO/IEC 11553-2. It specifies the safety requirements relating to noise hazards. It specifies noise measurement methods, installation and operating conditions to be used for the test, together with the information to be supplied by manufacturers of such equipment. ISO/IEC 11553-3:2013 applies to those laser processing machines and hand-held laser processing devices included in the scope of ISO/IEC 11553-1 and ISO/IEC 11553-2. Noise emission characteristics include emission sound pressure levels at work stations and the sound power level. Declared noise emission values permit comparison of laser processing machines and hand-held laser processing devices on the market. The use of this noise test code (see Annex A) ensures the reproducibility of the determination of the characteristic noise emission values within specific limits. These limits are determined by the accuracy grade of the noise emission measuring method used. Noise emission measurements specified by ISO/IEC 11553-3:2013 meet the requirements of an engineering method (accuracy grade 2).