About LaserPointerSafety.com
Contact information
(The email address above is not a clickable link -- type this into your email program.)
Purpose
This website provides facts and educated analysis to promote the general public’s safe and responsible use of lasers and laser pointers.
We strive to be a comprehensive resource for laser safety information relevant to the general public -- especially in the area of aircraft safety.
Goals
Our goals include:
- Educating the public to never aim lasers at aircraft.
- Providing background material for the press, regulators and legislators.
- Helping manufacturers make safer lasers, and better inform their customers.
- Making suggestions for all parties -- users, manufacturers, pilots, regulators -- on how to reduce incidents and improve safety.
- Finding reasonable, practical solutions for laser misuse issues.
Articles and quotes
A list of articles quoting LaserPointerSafety.com, or discussing the website, is at the bottom of the Links page.
About the website author
The website’s author has over three decades of experience with laser technology and laser safety, especially in the area of laser/aircraft issues:
- Patrick Murphy holds a B.A. degree in Laser Art and Technology from Oberlin College (1981) and an MBA degree from the Keller Graduate School of Management (2006). In 1986 he founded Pangolin Laser Systems, which became a leader in the field of software for laser light shows and displays. He served as President of the International Laser Display Association (ILDA) during 1996, was Airspace Issues Coordinator for ILDA from 1996 to 1999, and has served as executive director of ILDA since 2006. He is a representative from ILDA to the SAE G10T Laser Safety Hazards Committee, the primary group working on laser/aircraft safety issues. In this capacity, he has helped to write regulations and forms used by the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration for evaluating outdoor laser shows. In 2000 he received an Award of Recognition from SAE G10T for this work, and an ILDA Certificate of Commendation. In 2004 he received ILDA’s highest honor, the Career Achievement Award. He has presented papers at the International Laser Safety Conference, in 1997, 2009 and 2011, on the topics of laser/aircraft safety and audience-scanned laser shows. In 2009 he was the invited guest speaker at the 14th Annual Laser Safety Forum at Loughborough University in the U.K. In 2011, he received a Certificate of Appreciation from SAE G10T for work on Aerospace Standard 6029, “Performance Criteria for Laser Control Measures Used for Aviation Safety.” In October 2011, he was invited by the Air Line Pilots Association to speak at a major Washington D.C. conference held to publicize laser illumination hazards.
Statement of editorial independence
Analyses and views expressed on this website are those of the author. Specifically, LaserPointerSafety.com does not necessarily reflect the views of ILDA or any other sponsor or supporter -- past, present, or future.
LaserPointerSafety.com does accept limited sponsorship support from organizations and companies who share the goals listed above. We stress to all potential sponsors that LaserPointerSafety.com remains editorially independent, and that their sponsorship will not affect the content or views posted on this website.
Also, neither the website’s author nor ILDA are financially involved with laser pointer and consumer lasers. If laser pointers were banned, this would not affect Murphy or ILDA’s day-to-day work in the area of professional laser displays.