Grade 7: Lesson3: Occupational Health and Safety Procedures

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Hazard Identification, Risk Assessment and Risk Control

Occupational safety and health (OSH) is a planned system of working to prevent illness and injury where you work by recognizing and identifying hazards and risks. Health and safety procedure is the responsibility of all persons in the computer and technology industries. You must identify the hazards where you are working and decide how dangerous they are. Eliminate the hazard or modify the risk that it presents. 

There are three steps to manage health and safety at work:

(1.) Spot the Hazard (Hazard Identification), 

(2.) Assess the Risk (Risk Assessment) and 

(3.) Make the Changes (Risk Control). 

You can use these three Think Safe steps to help prevent accidents at work

The Think Safe Steps

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1. Spot the Hazard

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A hazard is anything that could hurt you or someone else.

Examples of workplace hazards include:

· frayed electrical cords (could result in electrical shock)

· boxes stacked precariously (they could fall on someone)

· noisy machinery (could result in damage to your hearing)

During working hours, you must remain alert to anything that may be dangerous. If you see, hear or smell anything odd, take note. If you think it could be a hazard, tell someone.

2. Assess the Risk

Assessing the risk means working out how likely it is that a hazard will harm someone and how serious the harm could be.

Whenever you spot a hazard, assess the risk by asking yourself two questions:

· How likely is it that the hazard could harm me or someone else?

· How badly could I or someone else be harmed?

Always tell someone (your employer, your supervisor or your health and safety representative) about hazards you can't fix yourself, especially if the hazard could cause serious harm to anyone.

For example, (1) Ask your supervisor for instructions and training before using equipment, (2) Ask for help moving or lifting heavy objects, and (3) Tell your supervisor if you think a work practice could be dangerous.

If you are not sure of the safest way to do something during work experience, always ask your supervisor.

3. Make the Changes

It is your employer's responsibility to fix hazards. Sometimes you may be able to fix simple hazards yourself, as long as you don't put yourself or others at risk. For example, you can pick up things from the floor and put them away to eliminate a trip hazard.

Common hazards encountered by computer technicians and users

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A hazard is a situation in the workplace that has the potential to harm the health and safety of people or to damage plant and equipment. The situation could involve a task, chemical or equipment used. Hazard management is a continuous process that can be used to improve the health and safety of all workplaces. 

Physical Hazards

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One of the most common physical hazards involving computer technicians is cables running across the floor. If someone trips, falls, and hurts himself because of a cable you ran across the floor, someone (you, your employer, or your customer) has a serious legal negligence problem. If you need to temporarily run a cable across the floor, place a Danger sign similar to those "wet floor" signs used by cleaning services.

For cables that are temporary but will need to run across the floor for a longer period of time, use "gaffers tape". Gaffers tape is a heavy tape with strong adhesive to stick to the floor. For long term cable routing there is a wide variety of cable organizing devices like cable ties, cable wraps, and cable raceways which can be used to run cable safely along the wall or ceiling.

Other common physical hazards include leaving tools on top of ladders and placing electronic equipment in precarious positions or on support that is not sturdy enough or not designed for holding electronic equipment.

Mechanical Hazards

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When working on electronic equipment, ask yourself "Is there any way this equipment could hurt me?” You might stick your hand in a printer and suddenly the paper feed arm moves, feeding not only paper through the printer, but a piece of your finger too.

You might move your hand past a computer chassis and lose a chunk of flesh because it is razor sharp. When working on electronic equipment always be alert to any possibility of being hurt by moving parts, hot components, or sharp edges.

Chemical Hazards

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There is a wide array of chemicals used with electronic equipment. There are display cleaning chemicals, keyboard cleaning chemicals, compressed gas dirt and dust removers, and many cleaning solvents. Some of these chemicals can be harmful if accidentally swallowed, get on bare skin, or get in eyes. Before using any chemicals for electronic equipment always read the warnings and instructions on the label.

Also be very careful when dealing with inkjet printer cartridges, or laser printer toner cartridges. Ink and toner can stain skin, clothing and carpet.

Electric Shock Hazard

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Inside computers and electronic equipment, there is a range of voltages from 3.3 volts to 25 volts, most of which are harmless. But at the power supply, you will find line voltage, which is a lethal 220 volts.

The workplace should have safety guidelines to follow to:

Protect people from injury

Protect equipment from damage

Protect the environment from contamination

Safety Precautions when working: 

- Always ground or discharge yourself before touching any part of the computer. 

- Do not work alone so that there is someone who can take care of you in case of accident or emergency. 

- Be careful with the tools that may cause short circuit. 

Always full the cable connector on the handle and not hold on the cable itself. 

- Use only rubber shoes when standing on the ground or in a concrete floor. 

- Make sure that the pins are properly aligned when connecting a cable connector. 

- Always power off and unplug the computer before working on it. 

- Take away any liquid such as mineral water or soft drinks near your working area or near computers. 

- Contingency measures during workplace accidents, fire, and other emergencies are recognized. 

- Personal protective equipment is correctly used in accordance with organization procedures and practice. 

- Hazard/risks in the workplace and their corresponding indicators are identified to minimize or eliminate risk to co‐workers, workplace, and environment. 

- Take necessary precautions to protect the component of the computer from damaged caused by Electrostatic Discharge (ESD). 

- Hold the components by edges and do not touch the IC’s. 

Read and follow instructions on the manual carefully. 

- Do not use excessive force if things do not quite slip into place. 

Fire Safety Guidelines

1. Know the location of fire extinguishers, how to use them and which to use for electrical fires and for combustible fires.

2. Find an escape route in case a fire gets out of control.

3. Know how to contact emergency services quickly

4. Keep the workspace clean.

5. Keep most solvents in a separate area.