Dear all,
I have just sent this to the relevant officers of the RAS and GeolSoc
and thought I should send it to the list because geophysicists do
use "laser pointers" (which seems in the government's paper to
include any portable laser device that shines a beam on to the outside
world).
Regards,
Sheila Peacock,
list co-owner
-------- Original Message --------
Subject: Fwd: Call for evidence on laser pointers
Date: Mon, 21 Aug 2017 08:48:11 +0100
From: Sheila Peacock <[log in to unmask]>
Organisation: AWE Blacknest
To: Robert Massey <[log in to unmask]>, Nic Bilham <[log in to unmask]>
Dear Robert and Nic,
This is out of the TUC "Risks" e-bulletin. The government is calling for
evidence around the availability and misuse of laser pointers, after
some near-misses involving laser pointers being shone into aircraft
cockpits and at train drivers and motorists. I once had one shone into
my eyes by a child in the back of a car (while cycling in Birmingham).
There is a link to the consultation if you want to make a response.
My impression is that the government is quite ignorant and wants
information about who owns laser pointers and what they use them for.
I thought that the RAS and the GeolSoc might want to put in responses
since laser pointers (belonging to the RAS/GeolSoc or to individual
speakers) are regularly used in the lecture theatres.
Specific to the RAS, the consultation mentions the lasers used as sight
guides for astronomical telescopes, so I think the RAS should be
seen to be responding on behalf of astronomers who use these.
Specific to the GeolSoc, new legislation is likely to cover
LIDAR and similar devices gaining popularity in outcrop mapping.
The consultation closes on 6th October 2017.
Sheila.
*Pilots welcome crackdown plan on laser pointers*
Buying powerful laser pens could require a licence in future, the government has said, amid concerns over the number of attacks on aircraft. Ministers say the move, which has been welcomed by pilots’ union BALPA, could also see new measures to license retailers and restrict advertising after warnings about the risks to pilots and planes. Last year, 1,258 incidents of lasers being shone at aircraft were recorded by the UK's Civil Aviation Authority (CAA). The Department for Business, Energy and IndustrialStrategy has launched an eight-week consultation on the issue. Business minister Margot James said: “Used irresponsibly or maliciously, these products can and do wreak havoc and harm others, with potentially catastrophic consequences. That's why we want to hear from business groups, retailers and consumers about the best way to protect the public from this kind of dangerous behaviour and improve safety.” Licensing schemes alreadyexist in countries including Australia, Canada
and the US. In the UK, shining lasers at aircraft can incur a fine of up to £2,500. Brian Strutton, general secretary of the pilots’ union BALPA, said: “Startling, dazzling and distracting a pilot at a critical stage of flight has the potential to cause a crash and loss of life. This is especially a problem for helicopters, which operate close to the groundand are sometimes single pilot operations.” He added: “There is alsoa growing concern that, as the power of available lasers increases, the possibility of permanent damage being caused to pilots’ and passengers’eyes increases. We would like to see the laser threat taken very seriously before there is a fatal accident and BALPA therefore supports the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy in their call for evidence.”
ŸDepartment for Business news release <https://www.tuc.org.uk/sites/all/modules/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=148123&qid=2382571>. BALPA news release <https://www.tuc.org.uk/sites/all/modules/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=148124&qid=2382571>. BBC News Online <https://www.tuc.org.uk/sites/all/modules/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=148125&qid=2382571>.
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