In brief
In the NACE Rev.2.1 list renewed in 2025, laser cutting of metals (25.53.03) is in the very hazardous class. Compared with a machining workshop in the hazardous class, this means a class A specialist, twice the specialist time, a workplace nurse from 10 employees, annual periodic medical examinations and annual refresher training. The main hazards on site are the invisible laser beam, metal fumes, cabin and filter fires, high-pressure gases and crushing during sheet loading.
Laser cutting safety: what code 25.53.03 means
In many workshops in Bursa that produce sheet metal parts for the automotive supply industry and machine manufacturing, a fibre laser cutting machine is now as ordinary a piece of equipment as a press brake or welding machine. But this machine can also change the workshop's OHS obligations; laser cutting safety starts with the workshop's hazard class before the machine's cabin. In Annex 1 of the Communiqué on Workplace Hazard Classes for Occupational Health and Safety, completely renewed on 13 March 2025 in line with NACE Rev.2.1:
- 25.53.01 Machining and welding work: hazardous
- 25.53.03 Laser cutting of metals: very hazardous
Under the communiqué, the class of the main activity carried out at the workplace is decisive; if there is more than one main activity, the higher class applies. A workshop working with CNC lathes and welding stays in the hazardous class, but if subcontract laser cutting is also carried out as a main activity under the same roof, the workplace moves into the very hazardous class. A change of main activity is notified to the Ministry within one month; if the class changes, what is required is done within 90 days. We explained how to verify your code in our article on how to find out your hazard class.
Practical consequences of the very hazardous class
A change of class shortens almost every schedule in the same workshop. The table below compares the two situations in a sheet metal workshop with 25 employees:
| Obligation | Hazardous (25.53.01) | Very hazardous (25.53.03) |
|---|---|---|
| Specialist certificate | At least class B | Class A |
| Specialist time (per employee/month) | 20 min → 500 min/month | 40 min → 1,000 min/month |
| Physician time (per employee/month) | 10 min → 250 min/month | 15 min → 375 min/month |
| Other health personnel (DSP) | Not required | Required from 10 employees (with 25 employees 10 min × 25 = 250 min/month) |
| Periodic medical examination | At least every 3 years | Every year |
| Basic training / refresher | 12 hours / every 2 years | 16 hours / every year |
| Renewal of risk assessment and emergency plan | 4 years | 2 years |
| First aider | 1 per 15 employees | 1 per 10 employees |
| Support staff in firefighting, rescue and protection teams | 1 for up to every 40 employees | 1 for up to every 30 employees |
There is also a difference on the penalty side: under Art. 26/3 of Law No. 6331, at workplaces with 10–49 employees the base amounts are increased by 50% in the hazardous class and by 100% in the very hazardous class; no increase is applied to fines calculated per employee. You can work out your own figures with the OHS obligations calculator tool. All very hazardous class obligations are in our article on very hazardous workplace obligations; DSP assignment is on our workplace nursing page.
Laser classes and fibre laser safety
Under TS EN 60825-1, laser products are classified by the potential of the beam to harm people. In brief, the laser classes are:
| Class | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 1 | Safe in normal use; enclosed systems can fall into this class |
| 1M, 2, 2M | Low power; risk when viewed with optical instruments or for a long time |
| 3R | Risk on direct hit to the eye |
| 3B | Direct beam and specular reflection are hazardous to the eye |
| 4 | Highest class; direct and diffuse reflection are hazardous to the eye and skin, can start a fire |
The laser source in a cutting machine is class 4. A machine with a fully enclosed cabin can be regarded as class 1 as a whole while the doors are closed and the interlocks are working. Safety depends entirely on the cabin and the interlocks.
The critical point for fibre laser safety is this: the wavelength of fibre lasers is invisible to the eye. The beam or its reflection from a metal surface can reach the eye unnoticed, and the blink reflex gives no protection. Therefore:
- Cabin doors and service covers are interlocked; laser emission stops when a door is opened. The interlock is never bypassed under any circumstances.
- Viewing windows are made of filtered glass suited to the machine's laser wavelength. A cracked or scratched window is replaced; ordinary glass or polycarbonate is not fitted in its place.
- Optical alignment and maintenance work is done only according to the manufacturer's instructions and by competent service personnel; the area is closed off meanwhile.
- On older open-table machines without a cabin, the beam access area is separated by a barrier, suitable laser safety glasses are used and entry to the area is restricted to authorised persons.
Laser cutting fumes
Laser cutting fumes consist of fine particles and gases from the vaporised and condensed material being cut. The content varies with the type of sheet being cut:
- Stainless steel: May contain chromium and nickel compounds; some chromium compounds are carcinogenic.
- Galvanised sheet: Zinc oxide fumes can cause a flu-like condition called metal fume fever.
- Painted, oiled or film-coated sheet: Combustion products of organic compounds.
- Aluminium: Fine aluminium dust accumulating in the filter is flammable.
The basic measure is continuous extraction ventilation of the cabin and cutting table. The extraction fan and filter should be running before cutting starts, the filter should be changed according to the manufacturer's instructions, and the worker changing the filter should use suitable respiratory protection. If workplace exposure measurement is needed to assess chemical exposure, we plan the measurements with authorised laboratories and enter the results into the risk assessment. The workplace physician decides which tests to carry out according to the exposure. For the points in common with welding fumes, see our article on the welder's occupational safety risks.
Laser cutting machine cabin and filter fires
Fire at a laser cutting machine is not unexpected. Inside the laser cutting machine cabin the following conditions come together: a high-energy beam, sparks and molten metal, slag and small parts accumulating under the table, protective film and oil on the sheet, oxygen enrichment in oxygen cutting, and dust building up in the extraction duct.
To prevent fires:
- The slag and parts tray under the table is emptied regularly; the emptying frequency is set by a written rule according to cutting intensity.
- Extraction ducts and the filter unit are cleaned according to the manufacturer's instructions; when cutting materials that produce combustible dust such as aluminium and titanium, the suitability of the filter unit is assessed separately.
- If the machine is to run unattended, especially at night and at weekends, fire detection and in-cabin suppression options are addressed in the risk assessment.
- An extinguisher of a suitable type is kept near the machine; operators learn to use it in practice.
Pressurised gases and sheet loading
In laser cutting, oxygen, nitrogen or compressed air is used as the cutting gas. Cylinders and cylinder bundles are under high pressure:
- Cylinders are kept upright, secured and in a ventilated area; oxygen cylinders are kept away from oil and grease.
- Nitrogen is an asphyxiant gas; in a small, enclosed cylinder room a leak can cause oxygen deficiency unnoticed. The cylinder room is ventilated.
- Compressor tanks supplying the cutting gas are, as pressure vessels, subject to periodic inspection at least once a year under Annex III.
Sheet loading and part separation are also the scene of serious injuries. Large sheets are loaded by crane or vacuum lifter; vacuum lifters as lifting accessories and overhead cranes as lifting equipment are inspected at least once a year. The movement area of the automatic pallet changer is guarded. Cut parts and the skeleton sheet have sharp edges; cut-resistant gloves are used for part separation, and the skeleton sheet is not torn apart by bending it by hand.
The machine table in Annex III of the Work Equipment Regulation lists "some machine tools" and does not name the laser cutting machine as a separate item. Determine the periodic inspection scope of your machine together with the authorised person who will carry out the inspection; gas tanks, lifting equipment and the electrical installation are inspected at their own intervals in the table.
Checklist for the laser cutting section
- Were the cabin door interlocks tested at the start of each shift, and is there a bypass?
- Are the viewing windows intact and suited to the machine's wavelength?
- Is the extraction and filter unit running, and is the filter change record up to date?
- Has the slag tray under the table been emptied?
- Are the gas cylinders secured, and is the cylinder room ventilated?
- Is the periodic inspection report for the crane and vacuum lifter valid?
- Do operators know where the emergency stop is and what to do in a fire?
Preparing the risk assessment of the laser cutting section with separate lines for beam, fumes, fire, gas and loading is the subject of our risk assessment service, and monitoring implementation on site is the subject of Bursa Sistemer OSGB's OHS specialist services. For other risks in the metalworking sector, see our metal and machinery page.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is a workshop that does laser cutting in the very hazardous class?
In the list of hazard classes renewed in 2025, laser cutting of metals (25.53.03) is in the very hazardous class. If laser cutting is one of the workshop's main activities, the higher class applies even if the other activities are in the hazardous class.
Are glasses needed with a fibre laser machine with an enclosed cabin?
A machine with a fully enclosed cabin and working interlocks can be regarded as class 1 in normal use; laser glasses may not additionally be needed for the operator. For maintenance, alignment or work with the cabin open, suitable laser safety glasses are used according to the manufacturer's instructions.
Are laser cutting fumes harmful?
Yes. Depending on the material being cut, the fumes can contain fine particles harmful to health, such as chromium, nickel or zinc compounds. Continuous extraction and filter maintenance are the basic measures; workplace exposure measurement is carried out if needed to assess exposure.
Is periodic inspection of a laser cutting machine mandatory?
The machine table in Annex III does not list the laser cutting machine as a separate item; the table lists some machine tools as examples. Determine the inspection scope with the authorised person. Pressurised tanks, lifting equipment and the electrical installation connected to the machine are inspected at least once a year.
A certified specialist matched to your hazard class: site inspections, approved logbook, training plan, annual plan and report follow-up.
Bursa SİSTEMER OSGB Technical Team — written from the field experience of our OHS specialists and workplace physicians. Legal information is valid as of the publication/update date; contact us for an assessment specific to your business.