1. Safety and maintenance Unit objectives: • Examine safety issues and hazards in the computer environment • Identify preventative maintenance tasks for personal computers • Identify ways to avoid injury and strain when working with computers • Examine proper methods for disposing of computer equipment

2. Topic A • Topic A: Safety and hazards • Topic B: Computer maintenance • Topic C: Safe work practices • Topic D: Disposing of computer equipment

3. Office hazards: floor surfaces • Floors should be level and dry • Carpets should be secured to the floor • Cables and power cords should not cross walkways • Use antistatic mats to protect equipment from static electricity

4. Office hazards: fire safety • Keep papers orderly • In metal file cabinet when possible • Keep combustibles away from coffee pots, hot plates, personal heaters • Keep working smoke detectors in all areas of building • Keep fire extinguishers readily available for each type of equipment you have

5. Fire extinguisher classes • Extinguishers list appropriate uses • Newer ones use a picture • Older ones use color-coded shapes • Four classes • A: Ordinary combustibles • B: Flammable liquids • C: Electrical equipment • D: Flammable metals

6. Fire extinguisher types • Dry chemicals • Halon • Water • CO2

7. Office hazards: electrical safety • Don’t overload electrical circuits • Label breakers in electrical box • Use surge protectors and UPS • Don’t string together power strips • Don’t run electrical cords or network cables across walkways • Encase cords in a cord protector • Provide good ventilation for equipment • Secure cords out of the way • Can use cable ties, but don’t cinch tightly

8. Office hazards: air quality • Use fans to keep air as clear as possible • Don’t smoke around computers • Clean computerfans periodically • Place working carbon monoxide detectors around building

9. Computer hazards • Physical • Electrical

10. Physical hazards • Use care when lifting and moving heavy or bulky equipment • When lifting, take a balanced stance • Lift with leg muscles, not arms and back • Keep back straight • Grip with entire hand • Bring equipment close to your body • Keep the CRT screen towards body • Make sure you can see where you’re going • Restrain neckties, loose clothing, jewelry, and long hair continued

11. Physical hazards, continued • Heat: • Laptop burns • Internal components

12. Electrical hazards • Use care when working with any electrical equipment • Turn it off and unplug it, unless you don’t have an ESD strap • Inspect equipment wiring for defects • Don’t use damaged or frayed electrical cords • Remove metal jewelry, watches, and rings before working on equipment • Do not allow any liquid near equipment • Identify electrical ratings of equipment • DON’T OPEN CRT unless specially trained

13. Laser printer and copier toner • Toner • Mixture of plastic resin, iron powder, and carbon black • Particles are 10 microns or smaller • Can irritate respiratory tract • Can cause allergic skin reaction • Use facemask and gloves • Clean up spills with special vacuum • Recycle cartridges • Replaceable ozone filters

14. Incident reporting • Company should have written policy • Handling accidents • Reporting incidents • Proper documentation required for OSHA, workmen’s comp claims, and insurance

15. Activity A-1 Identifying typical office and computer-related hazards

16. High-voltage interference: outside • Lightning • Atmospheric conditions that produce lightning • Wind • Radio stations • Citizens band (CB) radios • Police radios

17. High-voltage interference: inside • Differences in electrical potential • In various parts of the building • Between objects in the building • Currents flow for short periods of time • Disrupts low-voltage network data flow • Electromagnetic fields around equipment • Imperfectly wired electrical connections • Appliances and fluorescent lights • Object movements

18. Electrostatic discharge (ESD) • Buildup of electrical charge on surface of object • Typically rubber, plastic, glass, other items that aren’t good conductors • Buildup remains until bleed off to ground or static discharge • When objects touch, brief and sudden electrical current flows between them • To feel discharge: 3000 volts or more • To see spark: 8000 volts or more • ESD of a few hundred volts can damage electronics and destroy data • CRTs and TVs produce static charges

19. Electromagnetic interference (EMI) • Produced by fluorescent lights • Ballast creates electromagnetic field around transformer • Causes phosphorus in bulb to glow • Can produce similar current in nearby objects • Don’t run network cables near fluorescent lights

20. Minimizing high-voltage interference • Level of interference depends on • Climatic conditions in the area • Proximity to radio stations, power lines, industrial plants • Construction of building • Defenses against interference • Maintenance • Installing ground wires • Using antistatic devices

21. Shielding and filtering • Shielding • Applies primarily to a network’s cables • Is a refined form of grounding • Used in STP cable • Filters • Electronic devices that permit the normal function of a device while blocking or suppressing other signals • Can place on source or recipient of interference • AC power-line filters, RFI filters, network filters

22. Activity A-2 Finding sources of static electricity and interference

23. Topic B • Topic A: Safety and hazards • Topic B: Computer maintenance • Topic C: Safe work practices • Topic D: Disposing of computer equipment

24. Ventilation, dust, and moisture control • Keep fan openings and ventilation holes clear • Clean with compressed air, computer vacuum, or air compressor • Humidity level at 50% • Clean printers regularly • Rubbing alcohol cleans ink smudges

25. Printer/scanner maintenance • Vendor publishes recommended schedule and list of tasks • Usually based on printing volume • Ensure suitable operating environment

26. Activity B-1 Discussing preventative maintenance

27. Cleaning computer equipment • Wear latex or other synthetic gloves • Liquid cleaning compounds • Dampen, don’t soak cloth • Cleaning contacts and connections • Non-static vacuums • Cleaning monitors, keyboards, mice

28. Activity B-2 Cleaning computer equipment

29. MSDS • Physical data • Toxicity • Health effects • First aid • Reactivity • Storage • Disposal • Protective equipment • Spill and leakage procedures

30. MSDS hazard ratings

31. Personal protection by rating

32. Activity B-3 Reading a material safety data sheet

33. Topic C • Topic A: Safety and hazards • Topic B: Computer maintenance • Topic C: Safe work practices • Topic D: Disposing of computer equipment

34. Ergonomic workstations Check position of: • Chair • Monitor • Keyboard • Mouse • Document holders • Office equipment • Phones • Other equipment

35. Laptop safety • Weight • Ergonomic issues • Heat

36. Activity C-1 Avoiding injury and strain when working with PCs

37. Topic D • Topic A: Safety and hazards • Topic B: Computer maintenance • Topic C: Safe work practices • Topic D: Disposing of computer equipment

38. Computer equipment disposal • Disposing of electronics • Hazardous materials • Disposing of used toner and ink cartridges • Disposing of computer equipment • Reusing equipment • Methods of disposal

39. Activity D-1 Selecting the proper methods for computer equipment disposal

40. Unit summary • Examined safety issues and hazards in the computer environment • Identified preventative maintenance tasks for personal computers • Identified ways to avoid injury and strain when working with computers • Examined proper methods for disposing of computer equipment