I am requesting information on licencing and enforcement of displays lasers for entertainment purposes.

The request was successful.

Dear Ashford Borough Council,

This is a request under the Freedom of Information Act for full disclosure of and publication of:

1. The number of temporary event licence applications you have received for each of the past 5 years where the use of display layers was involved?
2. Number of venues in your district which have requested as part of their licence conditions permission to use display lasers:
3 a) The number of complaints received regarding laser use at licensed and unlicensed events or premises for each of the last 5 years. Please provide separately the number of these which relate to intentional audience scanning.
3 b) For each complaint describe what action was taken as a result of the complaint:
4. The number of event and premises licenses which :
a) Ban or prohibit the use of lasers
b) Ban or prohibit the use of audience scanning with lasers
c) Stipulate conditions to promote the safe operation and installation of such equipment
5. Nature and type of enforcement action undertaken to deal with display lasers in each of the last 5 years. Please provide an outline of the regulations applied to any enforcement action undertaken.
6) The nature and extent of training given to enforcement staff in respect of display laser safety to include:
1. The number of staff trained in your authority
2. Please provide an outline of the type of training received, whether a cost was incurred for the training, the frequency (if any) that update training is required.
7) Should further assistance be necessary in dealing with lasers, where would you turn for external assistance?
A) The Health Protection Agency
B) Professional bodies such as CIEH, IOSH,
C) Independent Laser Company
D) Other

Yours faithfully,

Sarah Davidson

Sheila Davison, Ashford Borough Council

1 Attachment

Dear Ms Davidson

Further to your Freedome of Information request, I am able to advise as
follows.  Please note my responses to your questions appear in blue.

1. The number of temporary event licence applications you have received
for each of the past 5 years where the use of display layers was involved?
We wouldn't know. A temporary event licence application wouldn't indicate
whether or not a display of lasers was involved.

2. Number of venues in your district which have requested as part of their
licence conditions permission to use display lasers: We wouldn't
necessarily know. A premises licence application wouldn't necessarily
indicate whether or not a display of lasers was involved.

3 a) The number of complaints received regarding laser use at licensed and
unlicensed events or premises for each of the last 5 years. Please provide
separately the number of these which relate to intentional audience
scanning. We have only responded to one complaint relating to the use of
lasers over recent years. It concerned the retail sale and display of a
laser. Neither activity related to the Licensing Act 2003 provisions.

3 b) For each complaint describe what action was taken as a result of the
complaint: The display of the laser was considered a risk as it was a
class IIIB laser which scanned the public but was not attended and was of
poor quality so and we prohibited its display; we also reported it to
Trading Standards who subsequently seized the stock as unsafe for sale.

4. The number of event and premises licenses which :

a) Ban or prohibit the use of lasers. We do not specifically record use of
lasers within our licensing database but are not aware of situations where
a ban or prohibition on the use of lasers has been imposed. That said all
converted public entertainment licences contained a condition saying the
use of lasers not permitted without LA consent. Unfortunately I am unable
to easily provide you with details of the converted licences. We can only
remember one premises that requested this permission over recent years but
no longer have any records to provide more information. The premises has
since shut.

b) Ban or prohibit the use of audience scanning with lasers. See above
comment.

c) Stipulate conditions to promote the safe operation and installation of
such equipment. See above comment.

5. Nature and type of enforcement action undertaken to deal with display
lasers in each of the last 5 years. Please provide an outline of the
regulations applied to any enforcement action undertaken. Informal action
was taken in both cases.

6) The nature and extent of training given to enforcement staff in respect
of display laser safety to include:

1. The number of staff trained in your authority. Nine officers with
environmental health hold health and safety qualifications that would
permit them to undertake the inspection of premises that use lasers. Three
officers have received specific training on laser use and they would be
the first point of contact in the event of an issue relating to the use of
lasers.

2. Please provide an outline of the type of training received, whether a
cost was incurred for the training, the frequency (if any) that update
training is required. Beauty sector health and safety non qualification
training undertaken. One officer received 4 days training on lasers in
entertainment (ten years ago), another attended a one day course on the
use of lasers in beauty treatment and two officers received one day’s
training on the beauty sector and this included the provision of
information on lasers. I have no other details available for you. Training
is reviewed on an annual basis using the Regulator Development Needs
Assessment. There is no set period for update training on lasers.

7) Should further assistance be necessary in dealing with lasers, where
would you turn for external assistance?

A) The Health Protection Agency

B) Professional bodies such as CIEH, IOSH,

C) Independent Laser Company

D) Other

Depending on the situation it is possible that we would use each of the
options suggested. Would might also go to the International Laser Display
Association, HSE publication HS (G) 95 and the Health and Safety
Laboratory Service.

Hopefully this email provides the required information.  If you are
dissatisfied with the handling of your request, you have the right to ask
for an internal review. Internal review requests should be submitted
within two months of the date of receipt of the response to your original
letter and should be addressed to: The Freedom of Information Officer,
Ashford Borough Council, Civic Centre, Ashford, Kent TN23 1PL

 

Regards

 

 

Sheila Davison

Environmental Health Manager

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