Setting Up and Aligning Safely

Setup is when people are most likely to be exposed. The beams are on, other crew are working at head height, and nothing is aimed or masked yet. Plan setup as carefully as the show.

Build with the output off. While the projector is being rigged and cabled, the laser stays off and the key is removed and kept by the person in charge. Fit the mount, the safety wire and the mask first, and check them before you power up. Only then do you start to align. [cl. 7.3.4]

Set up the laser controlled area before any alignment starts. This is a marked space where beams above the limit may reach, and where access is controlled. Mark it with tape or barriers, and put a sign at every way in. Include the stage, the truss and anywhere a stray beam or reflection could land. Put a person on each entrance, or close the door. A sign alone is not a control, so make sure everyone has been told what it means. [cl. 8.2.1, 8.2.4]

The biggest danger is other crew. Lighting, sound, video and venue staff keep working while you align. They are up ladders and on lifts, at exactly the height of your beams. They have no eyewear, and many do not know the laser is on. Tell every department when alignment starts and when it ends. Ask them to clear the area or stop work. Use a clear call, such as 'lasers going live', before the output comes on. Never align while anyone is on a lift or truss in the beam area. [cl. 5.4]

Take reflective things out of the controlled area. Chrome truss clamps, lighting fixtures, tools, ladders and watches can all bounce a beam in an unexpected direction. Use a matt card to find a beam, not a shiny tool or your hand. Nobody should look into the projector window or into a beam, and nobody should lean into the beam path to get a closer look.

Align at the lowest practical power, with two people. One stands at the projector. The other stands at the controls with a hand on the e-stop. They talk to each other the whole time. The person at the controls does not turn the output up until the person at the projector says clear.

Focus and size need care too. Adjusting the focus or the divergence changes how concentrated the beam is at a given distance, so do it at low power, with the mask fitted. Start with a test pattern. Set the scan limits and check that nothing goes below the mask line. Then check that every beam ends where your plan says it should, and measure the lowest beam above the audience floor. Write the number in your record. [cl. 7.4.2]

At the end of alignment, do a full-power check for stray beams while the controlled area is still in place and everyone is clear. Watch the walls, the ceiling and any reflective items. Before the doors open, do a final low-power check that nothing has moved. Record each step with a time and your initials. Checklists help, but they do not catch everything, so also ask what is different tonight. [cl. 7.3.4, 8.2.7]