WORLDWIDE AUDIENCE SCANNING LAWS
The following information is NOT official. ILDA is not liable for the accuracy of this information, most of which was compiled in mid-2014. Anyone doing audience scanning is responsible for following all local laws and regulations.
In addition, ILDA Members are required to affirm the safety of their laser shows, regardless of any laws or regulations. Specifically, ILDA Members affirm that
1) Pulsed lasers should never be used for audience scanning, and
2) If they do not understand audience-scanning standards or do not have the equipment and procedures to ensure audience safety, then they will not do audience scanning.
B. Audience scanning requires a permit, but permission is almost never given. (This was the situation in the U.S. up until a few years ago.) None at this time
C. Audience scanning requires a permit but this law is often not followed or enforced. Japan, Luxembourg
D. Audience scanning is allowed without a permit (no specific laws or regulations). Belgium, Canada, Czech Republic, France (outdoors), Greece, Indonesia, Republic of Ireland, Italy, Mexico, Netherlands, Portugal, South Korea, Spain, Thailand, Turkey
E. Audience scanning is not allowed under almost all circumstances. France (indoors),
F. The situation is unclear. Usually no permission is required for audience scanning, but authorities might unexpectedly deny permission to stage a show on a case-by-case basis. China, Egypt, India, Iran, Nigeria, Poland, Qatar, Russia, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates
G. Each state/canton/province may have its own laws. (This may be in lieu of federal laws, or in addition to federal laws.) None at this time
X. Unknown status. Algeria, Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Chile, Denmark, Hong Kong, Israel, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Norway, Pakistan, Peru, Philippines, Singapore, South Africa, Venezuela
Daniel Amaya, Peter Broerse, Włodzimierz Duval, Derek Garbos, Ryan Hagan, Jasper Hampton, Alex Hennig, Rowan Lee, Johan Lindell, Alain Neuens, Nick Ryckx, Andy Stentiford, and James Stewart
Anyone with additional information should contact ILDA, to add to this list. Again, please note that the information below is NOT official or guaranteed to be correct.
Click on a country to find out about audience scanning in that country:
In addition, ILDA Members are required to affirm the safety of their laser shows, regardless of any laws or regulations. Specifically, ILDA Members affirm that
1) Pulsed lasers should never be used for audience scanning, and
2) If they do not understand audience-scanning standards or do not have the equipment and procedures to ensure audience safety, then they will not do audience scanning.
Audience scanning status in 50 top countries, as of mid-2014
A: Audience scanning requires a permit or other explicit permission in advance. This permission may be required by the government and/or by the venue operator. Austria, Finland, Germany, Scotland, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom, United StatesB. Audience scanning requires a permit, but permission is almost never given. (This was the situation in the U.S. up until a few years ago.) None at this time
C. Audience scanning requires a permit but this law is often not followed or enforced. Japan, Luxembourg
D. Audience scanning is allowed without a permit (no specific laws or regulations). Belgium, Canada, Czech Republic, France (outdoors), Greece, Indonesia, Republic of Ireland, Italy, Mexico, Netherlands, Portugal, South Korea, Spain, Thailand, Turkey
E. Audience scanning is not allowed under almost all circumstances. France (indoors),
F. The situation is unclear. Usually no permission is required for audience scanning, but authorities might unexpectedly deny permission to stage a show on a case-by-case basis. China, Egypt, India, Iran, Nigeria, Poland, Qatar, Russia, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates
G. Each state/canton/province may have its own laws. (This may be in lieu of federal laws, or in addition to federal laws.) None at this time
X. Unknown status. Algeria, Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Chile, Denmark, Hong Kong, Israel, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Norway, Pakistan, Peru, Philippines, Singapore, South Africa, Venezuela
Selected country details
Our thanks to the following persons for helping to provide information:Daniel Amaya, Peter Broerse, Włodzimierz Duval, Derek Garbos, Ryan Hagan, Jasper Hampton, Alex Hennig, Rowan Lee, Johan Lindell, Alain Neuens, Nick Ryckx, Andy Stentiford, and James Stewart
Anyone with additional information should contact ILDA, to add to this list. Again, please note that the information below is NOT official or guaranteed to be correct.
Click on a country to find out about audience scanning in that country:
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Australia
- We believe Australia has Status D (no permit required) for audience scanning shows, as well as for general laser shows.
The following links were kindly provided in March 2021 by Rowan Lee:
Flight management reference (outdoor shows and aviation in Australia)
Australian standard (only enforced for the state of W.A. I believe, but will be a good reference)
Informal checklist from an Australian production company
State of Western Australia info -
Austria
- “Austria has the Status A (permit required), like Germany. The following harmonized standard are used: OENORM S1105:2014.”
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Canada
- Indoor shows do not require authorization; however, there can be no human eye exposure beyond the Maximum Permissible Exposure level of 2.5 mW/cm², according to Canadian law.
For outdoor shows, Transport Canada requires you to fill out their "Notice of Proposal to Conduct Outdoor Laser Operation(s)" and to receive authorization. The Notice of Proposal form is similar to the U.S. FAA's Advisory Circular 70-1 so if you need more information on filling out the form, see the AC 70-1 instructions and the corrections and advice to the instructions.
Submit the Notice of Proposal form to the appropriate Civil Aviation Regional Office.
Note: All outdoor shows require authorization, even if terminated. Otherwise, they are not legal, especially in Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver after the June 2018 laser pointer laws. -
Finland
- “You need to have a permit from the Finnish Radiation Authorities and in the Finnish regulations it is clearly stated that no audience scanning is allowed in Finland. In the permit all lasers used and techs working in the show should be listed.”
“However, lately there have been shows where the authority has given special permits to shows with audience scanning effects within their MPE levels (which is as low as 1mW/cm2).”
“All audience scanned shows must be measured on site and inspected by STUK. As far as I know only grating effects are allowed to be used (no scanned effects).” -
France
- “As far as France is concerned, there are certain regions that do not permit the use of any Class 4 laser devices for shows, audience scanning or not. Suppliers have found ways around this. (Usually involving reclassifying the projectors to Class 2.)”
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Germany
- Update August 2020 from Norbert Stangl, Laserworld
Germany requires a special certificate as a “Laserschutzbeauftragter” (Laser Safety Officer) if lasers are operated. One person needs to be assigned as LSO in writing if any laser Class 3R, 3B or 4 comes to action.
The Laserworld Academy also offers these trainings. As per requirement, these are less detailed than the Swiss ones described elsewhere on this page, but give a good overview and are specifically designed to comply with the German legal framework OStrV and TROS. The contents of these trainings, however, are also specified by authorities, so it often is not possible to use a foreign LSO certificate for this.
Laserworld has a large number of German LSO courses scheduled in 2020. Cost is 299€ ($355 USD) which includes 16% MwSt tax. Teaching language is, of course, German. More information is here. An English-language course for the German legal framework OStrV and TROS is 449€ ($530 USD).
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Republic of Ireland
- “In 2010, Irish ‘Safety, Health and Welfare at Work’ regulations came into force. This page at the Health and Safety Authority has links to the regulations.”
“A quick reading indicates that the regulations appear to apply to employees only. However, anyone working with lasers in Ireland should check to see if HSA or other agencies have laws relating to audiences and the general public.” -
Luxembourg
- “Luxembourg is Status A (permit required) but also C (permits often not followed or enforced) is pretty much the case. The law says no radiation above the MPE should get the chance to touch living things, including humans.”
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Netherlands
- “No applicable law other then a law about laser pointers, however…the ARBO (Dutch regulations about safe working environments) does adhere to the NEN 6025x standard and the new generic advisory given out by the EU that personnel working in such environments must be able to carry out their work in a safe and non-harmful way. There is some advice given which we are still trying to unearth into something more tangible.”
“So in general in the Netherlands, audience scanning is allowed but it is a general rule of thumb with our professional colleagues here to adhere to the German TUV standards to stay at least at 3 meters above ground level with the lowest beams. Unfortunately there is no real control over this and we’ve seen companies hit audiences with beams and powers far over safe levels.” -
Poland
- “In Poland we have regulation IEC 60825-3:1995, but I have never encountered with permission for audience scanning. So in Poland is Status F: The situation is unclear.”
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Scotland
- Person A wrote:
“My experience of providing laser shows in Scotland is that audience scanning is vetoed at local authority level every time. I provide risk assessments and method statements with comprehensive MPE calculations to promoters and venue owners for each show, and I've invited Council H&S officers to venues for a full inspection, even providing them with a laser power meter to verify all audience scanning is operating well within MPE levels.”
“However, usually once our documents have been lodged with local authorities' H&S teams, we are invariably asked for two things: 1) an image/graphic representation of the proposed scan area within the venue and 2) a statement showing that we will not audience scan. Following this, we rarely ever receive a site visit.”
“We've found Glasgow Council to be particularly tricky to work with, as they also insist that the audience will not be exposed to any diffuse (not specular) reflection from surfaces targeted by scanned beams. With this council controlling many of Scotland's larger venues such at the Hydro, it can prove very tricky to offer a client a show with impact whilst ticking the boxes for the archaic legislation that restrains us.”
“Though we've considered going down the PASS [Professional Audience Safety System] route, we feel that many of the Scottish governing bodies are not au-fait with current UK legislation, so it's usually a lot easier to just say ‘no audience scanning.’ The venues here operate within their control, so if they say no, then the venues daren't override the decision, even if the legislation is clear.”
Person B responded:
“Up until recently [mid-2014] the two areas where audience scanning wasn't allowed was Manchester and Livenation venues, like the O2 in Dublin, where you were asked to sign a form [stating that no audience scanning of any type would be done].”
“These were where we would find the no audience exposure policy being forced.”
“This situation (since the Justin Timberlake tour) has now changed. But there are very strict requirements in place.”
“We have never had an issue exposing the audience in Scotland . In fact Glasgow City Councils EHO has good knowledge of lasers and from our experience was happy to work with us to achieve the required effect.” -
Sweden
- “You need to have a permit from the Swedish Radiation Authorities whenever doing a laser display. Before getting a permit from the authorities certain forms have to be filled out and there you have to inform that you are doing audience scanning effects. If they should issue a permit for a show with these effects the show producer should supply a RA and Method Statement and do measurements on site to make sure MPE levels are not exceeded.”
“Generally all shows are inspected by the authorities and it is generally easier to get a permit using grating effects. If there are scanned effects the lasers should be equipped with necessary scan-fail devices (e.g. PASS). There have been shows where the intention has been to do audience scanning but after the inspection no audience scanning has been allowed.” -
Switzerland
- Update August 2020 from Norbert Stangl, Laserworld
Beginning in December 2020, only persons with a Swiss “LSO” certificate are allowed to operate lasers for show purposes in Switzerland. This is according to the new law NISSG in combination with V-NISSG.
There are two different qualifications:- Sachkundebestätigung: This allows to do laser shows without audience scanning. It is a one-day training plus exam.
- Sachkundenachweis: This allows to do laser shows with audience scanning. It is a four-day training plus one day exam.
Only training institutions with official governmental accreditation are allowed to give these trainings and do the certification. Laserworld (Switzerland) AG is an authorized institution, offering these trainings through the Laserworld Academy.
Every use of laser systems needs to be reported through a central website to the hovernmental body for health BAG 14 days before the event, no matter if it is just a Class 1 laser or a Class 4. If a laser Class 1M, 2M, 3R, 3B or 4 is used for an event, it is mandatory that the operator has proper qualification (see above). Cover-up operating is not allowed any more. The actual operator needs to have at least the Sachkundebestätigung qualification.
Laser pointers higher than Class 1 are banned completely, without exception. Even the possession is forbidden and it’s treated as an unlawful weapon. So be careful, this affects any type of "laserman" shows!
More information is on the website www.sachkunde-lasershow.ch. As of August 2020 it is only in German, but you can use online translation to get an idea of the site.
Laserworld offers a number of training sessions in German beginning August 2020, plus an English-language session scheduled for January 2021. Cost of the Sachkundebestätigung classes is 700 CHF ($770 USD); cost of the Sachkundenachweis classes is 2500 CHF ($2750 USD). The English session is 3990 CHF ($4,390 USD).News from May 2019:
The Swiss Federal Office of Public Health has issued new regulations for any events involving laser radiation in the country, whether indoors or outdoors. The regulations begin 1 June 2019 and will be enforced starting 1 December 2020. Until then, events must comply with the Sound Levels and Laser Ordinance of 28 February 2007.
Under the new regulations, events must notify the FOPH at least 14 days in advance, via an online "notification portal" which is currently being set up. It is expected to be in operation by 1 December 2020.
New "competence certificates" are being introduced. Competence level 1 is for events with no laser light in the audience area (e.g., lasers are kept 3 meters above the floor or 2.5 meters laterally from the audience area). Competence level 2 is for laser light in the audience area.
From a FOPH document:
"The training needed to gain a competence level 1 includes laser technology and safety, health implications, requirements for events with laser beams, registration and legal requirements. The training needed to gain a competence level 2 additionally includes the fundamental principles for calculating the maximum permissible exposure (MPE) and for programming laser shows."
"For events involving laser radiation in the audience zone, a person with a certificate of competence level 2 must register the event and carry out tests on the laser equipment before the event. This person may instruct someone with a certificate of competence level 1 and have him or her monitor the event."
"FOPH is currently drawing up the training plan and examination rules for acquiring the certificate of competence level 1 and 2. FOPH will issue an ordinance listing all the certificates from examination bodies that meet the requirements of the training plan and the examination rules, and that are in accordance with the latest scientific and technological developments."
"Once the first examination bodies are declared, interested persons will be able to take a course. The first courses will probably be available by the first quarter of 2020 at the latest. Once participants have passed the exam, the examination body will issue a certificate of competence level 1 or 2, depending on the course taken."
Note that ILDA's laser safety courses do not comply with the Swiss competence level material. Other laser companies or groups may be offering such courses in Europe.
FOPH is taking over enforcement functions from the cantons. They will monitor compliance and may order immediate measures directly on site.
For more information on the Swiss laser show requirements, see the FOPH webpage on "Events involving laser radiation" in English, German, French and Italian. On the page are links to a document with additional details, "O-NIRSA: Events Involving Laser Radiation". -
United Kingdom
- Person A writes:
“We have rules here in the UK that are to be followed. We do not need prior written permission from anyone to produce a show with exposure.”
“If your paperwork is of suitable standard and you have the correct safety requirements in place even the venues that insist on a 3rd party will not give written consent. You will get an inspection like anywhere else in the world (albeit a few hours longer) and it will be signed off, but this takes place on the day.”
“We supply paperwork to a venue , this includes risk assessments and method statements. Plus the most up-to-date visual of the intention and copy of the company insurance.”
“Not all venues/festivals/film studios will get a 3rd party in to inspect/verify what you are doing so I guess it falls into the category of 'No special permit or written authorization is required as long as you follow the law.' You could even include the word everywhere: 'No special permit or written authorization is required EVERYWHERE as long as you follow the law’.”
Person B writes:
“I do not know any governing body in the UK now that have a blanket ‘No’ policy but I doubt your paperwork will be signed off if your not using technology like PASS and engineering mechanisms like diverging lens. Using just one of the above could result in it not being accepted but again this is not across the board.”
“It's a very interesting subject , as its still very inconsistent across the UK. This is hopefully going to change very soon with the HSG being updated. It will then with the help of PLASA be distributed to venues and local authority so we should see a better understanding across the board for all.”
Person A responded to Person B:
“Though I agree with you that there is no blanket policy, I do feel that this is maybe an area of our industry that has been hit by public sector staffing shortages. We all know what a strain these guys are under. If you can say "no audience scanning" and not bother with a site visit, rather than spend your weekend at a venue after working all week, it has to be tempting. Let's hope the new documentation makes a difference. This coupled with a wider knowledge of systems such as PASS and SafetyScan could lead to an interesting future for UK shows.”
Person C writes:
“There is a good summary about the status and legal obligations of audience scanning in the U.K. at http://www.lvroptical.com/blog-audience-scanning.htm.”
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