Transcript Health and Safety Issues

Health and Safety Issues
For ICT students
Emergency Procedures
• Know the emergency procedures for your
workplace, memorise exit routes
• Know where fire extinguishers, first-aid
kits, alarms, assembly points are located
• Locate master cut-off switch for power
supply to computers
Fire Extinguishers
Fire extinguishers should be checked regularly and used only on the
Appropriate type of fire. They work on the principle of breaking the
Fire Triangle – smothering a fire to deprive it of oxygen and/or cooling it down.
The colour of an extinguisher should tell you something about its contents
Red
Water
Not for electrical fires
Cream
Foam
Not for electrical fires
Green
BCF
Be careful if used in
enclosed spaces
Blue
Powder
Can be used on
electrical fires
Black
Carbon Dioxide
Can be used on
electrical fires
Physical Comfort
• Ergonomics: designing office equipment in a way that
minimises human discomfort, therefore increasing productivity.
!
Back Pain
• Back pain – is often difficult to
diagnose, but as a chronic condition (suffered
by up to 40% of the workforce) results in 5%
of workers taking time off each month.
• Seating – computer chair should have
adjustable back rest and height and be easy
to move around.
• Posture – keyboard operators should
be able to work with their lower arms
horizontal and their eyes looking straight at
the screen without having to stoop or crane
their necks.
Eye Strain
• Lighting – companies need to consider
issues like: glare from windows, minimising
screen glare at monitors and where to place
lighting for maximum effect and minimum
disruption
• Eye tests – responsible employers pay
for regular eye tests and subsidise cost of
glasses etc for their VDU users
RSI
• Repetitive Strain Injury – where repeated use of the
same limb, performing the same actions over, and over again, causes
tenderness, swelling and chronic pain.
• Treatment – minimise use of keyboard, use alternative
technologies (eg voice recognition), physiotherapy/surgery may help but
there is no real cure.
• Prevention – much more important. Take regular breaks away
from the keyboard (15 minutes every ¾ hour) and do alternative work. Good
posture and keyboarding skills also lessen the risk.
Other Issues
• Pregnancy – many responsible employers will allow pregnant
staff to do alternative duties that do not involve long periods in front of a
VDU (it is believed by some that prolonged exposure to the strong magnetic
field generated by a monitor may be harmful).
• Toxic Waste – reclaiming heavy metals from old computer
hardware is dangerous and difficult. Safety equipment must be worn, and
measures taken to avoid contaminating the environment