You get only one set of eyes…
https://www.reddit.com/r/lasercutting/s/ytakjV7Q5B
A stark reminder. 
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The demonstration that gets attention when I’m teaching laser safety, is when I reflect the CO2 laser off a stainless steel table and burn a tongue depressor. I do not have a lot of push back after that about wearing safety glasses.
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This is frustrating…
Here is the advice from the above post…
- Complete Protection is Essential: Safety glasses need to fit well and cover all angles.
- Stay Alert: Always be aware of your surroundings and the operation of your equipment.
- Learn from Every Incident: Each unusual occurrence is an opportunity to reassess and improve your safety protocols.
- Share and Support: We grow as a community by sharing our experiences, good or bad.
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We need to stop talking about safety glasses like they make “lasering” SAFE. This example shows one reason why they aren’t.
Safety glasses do NOT make your laser safe…
… proper covers and interlocks [that are not defeated] DO!.
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That caught my eye too, ie this machine had to be operating without a cover and he was cutting a brass sheet which is metal and likely highly reflective!
One oversight can lead to under sight.
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Soapbox;
We wine about safety standards and the associated cost but this kind of unnecessary accident is why they exist.
US manufacturers could not sell this unsafe machine, but China and others can ship these things to the US.
I am happy they are cheap but bummed people get hurt.
End soapbox.
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Well, how many people buy a sports car or motorcycle without any proper training or using proper safety equipment and end up dead as soon as they leave the dealer due to not being able to handle the car or motorcycle.
The same is true with any tool and safety equipment. I recently had a HVAC tech loose the use of his hand when he sliced it open on a piece of duct work he was cutting. He was going to be lucky to get 10% to 20% use back after surgery.
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You are right of course but this IMO is different.
Cars meet safety standards. That’s why seat belts are a mandatory part of the design of a car. Certainly, the skill of a driver can cause injury even though the car is safe.
A K40 [and other lasers like this] is like allowing a vendor to sell a circular saw that is not properly grounded. No matter how good a carpenter I am I can get shocked because I know nothing about electricity and did not know it was dangerous.
Manufacturers have a responsibility to protect their users from known unsafe conditions. They must also warn its users of unsafe operations and conditions.
We have safety certification organizations and standards that govern and monitor adherence to this responsibility. Yes, they can seem bureaucratic at times and they also add cost to produce but that is the price we pay for being safe.
In this case, a K40 in its shipped configuration is unsafe with inadequate warnings. I have even seen some with laser certification markings that are counterfeit.
Example: A K40 is set up for interlocks yet NO switches are installed !!! There is no excuse for this machine to be sold this unsafe.
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There is no contesting this…
However, they are producing the lowest cost device, meaning they leave out this kind of stuff…
There is quite a lot of stuff we can buy from other countries that is pretty unsafe…
When you purchase low cost stuff… they cut corners…
Buyer beware still holds.
To bad they can’t add a common sense pill 
