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Ken Barat
Laser Safety Solutions

Ken Barat operates Laser Safety Solutions, an independent laser safety consulting firm. He was formerly the Laser Safety Officer (LSO) for the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and, before that, the National Ignition Facility Directorate. Barat is a Fellow of the Laser Institute of America, a senior member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, a member of the UK Laser Safety Forum, and the founder of the US. Department of Energy's Laser Safety Working Group.

Articles
By Ken Barat

November 2025
Avoiding Laboratory Design Surprises Takes Time
Performing the work to modify or upgrade a laser lab — or, even better, securing the funding to design an entirely new facility — is a wonderful feeling. At no point in the lifecycle of...
August 2025
Class 1 Laser Systems: Is a Laser Safety Officer Needed?
At times, the nature of laser hazard classifications can seem perplexing. But, in terms of individual laser classes, Class 1 lasers have proved to cause the most confusion — by far. In...
May 2025
Assessing the State of Laser Safety
The future for laser-driven applications is bright and poised to continue to spread globally. A significant component of this future will undoubtedly involve the use of Class 4 laser products, which...
March 2025
Laser Protective Eyewear: Know the Facts
An overwhelming number of those who regularly use lasers readily associate laser eyewear with the term “laser safety.” Of course, laser safety envelops much more than protective gear....
February 2025
Advancing Laser Safety with Updates to Standard Operating Procedures
It is unlikely that anyone who has read the Z136.1: Safe Use of Lasers Standard, or any of the application standards stemming from it, is unfamiliar with standard operating procedure (SOP). By...
January 2023
Visual Light Transmittance Is Not So Transparent
Every user of laser protective eyewear is told to select his or her gear based on a limited number of factors. These might include the wavelengths the eyewear covers, its optical density/beam...
June 2022
What Counts as a Laser Accident, and Who Is Counting?
As a laser safety officer and adviser, I am often asked, “How many laser accidents happen per year?” Unfortunately, there is no clear answer. Why? Because many organizations do not...
April 2015
Laser Safety: Important Considerations
When purchasing an industrial laser system, the astute buyer will look for a Class 1 laser product — a system where the laser beam hazard is completely enclosed and there is no potential laser...

Webinars
Presented by Ken Barat

January 2021
A Survey of Today's Laser Safety Training Options and Requirements
U.S. and international standards call for laser safety training for users of Class 3B and Class 4 lasers. How the information is delivered is left to each facility. The means of training have greatly...

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