New Laser / IPL Regulations

I have had an influx of phone calls and emails recent asking about “the new regulations” for laser and IPL use.  What new regulations?  There are no new regulations…..yet!

Currently only Western Australia, Queensland and Tasmania have regulations about owning and using lasers, and Tasmania also regulates IPL use.  However, there are things brewing.  ARPANSA [Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency] set up the Radiation Health Committee [RHC] Working Group which ran a survey in 2012 to look into laser and IPL use and how best to possibly regulate the use of such devices, especially in the cosmetic area.  After collating the information they have now released a Regulatory Impact Statement, Intense Pulsed Light sources [IPLs] and Lasers for Cosmetic or Beauty Therapy – Consultation Draft May 2015. 

Stakeholders are invited to provide feedback as to whether the nature and magnitude of the problems presented in the document are accurate and, if not, then to provide additional detail to add or correct.  Stakeholders are also invited to provide their views on the significance of the problem in jurisdictions that do not regulate lasers and IPLs for cosmetic or beauty therapy, [Victoria, NSW, and South Australia].

The draft document offers 3 options [besides making no changes to the current state]:

Option 1 – Educational Awareness

Option 2 – self-regulation by industry / industry-accreditation scheme

Option 3 – licensing or registration of service providers based on prior qualification and training

Stakeholders are invited to comment on the above options and to suggest other feasible options to achieve the objective of reducing serious injury from the use of laser or IPL.

Rather than just whinge and grumble about what changes might take place, I strongly recommend everybody read this document and respond to it.  We all have a chance to have input into what happens in our industry.  Below are the details to access the draft document.  Responses have to be sent in before the end of July so please read it and do something while there is a chance to have your say.
 

http://www.arpansa.gov.au/Publications/Drafts/dr_ndrpIPL.cfm