Workplace Safety

Safety is Everyone’s Job

The chance of being injured on the job is a safety hazard

The most serious health risk in our society is the risk of accidents

Safety Begins With …

Proper Attitude– Promotes good will– Helpful to others

Two Main Causes of Accidents:

CarelessnessDistractions

– not caring or thinking about what you are doing

Horseplay

Someone gets hurtSomeone gets angry

Happier WorkersEstablishment that is well

organized and well run

When Safety Becomes a Habit

you will have gained a valuable skill that will always be useful to you.

Safety Instructions

are for the purpose of making safety a habit with you.

Health Issues and Computer Use

Ergonomics

The study of the interaction between a worker and the environment.

It addresses the design of equipment for the workplace in an attempt to maximize worker productivity while minimizing worker discomfort, fatigue, and stress.

Repetitive Strain Injuries, Radiation,

and Eyestrain

Repetitive strain injuries (RSI), are the fastest-growing category of work compensation claims.

RSI can be the result of working too long at a keyboard.

The conventional keyboard is taken from a 100-year-old design.

It was never intended for hours and hours of use.

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

The most well known type of RSI

Occurs when the lining of the tendons passing through the carpal tunnel in the wrist swells, putting pressure on the median nerve and causing pain, tingling, and numbness in the hand.

According to the National Institute for Occupational Health, approximately 600,000 workers a year are afflicted with CTS.

Monitors

Electromagnetic radiation can leak out of the housing surrounding the monitor.

Type/kinds of electromagnetic radiation:– extremely low frequency (ELF)– very low frequency (VLF)

Surrounding light can easily produce a glare on the screen.

Screens that flicker or screens that display characters that are not sharply defined also can contribute to eyestrain.

Improved Hardware Designs

Ergonomically designed keyboard– Adjustable Keyboards– Keyboards divided in two halves and

set them at about a 20-degree angle to the desktop

– Sloping the keyboard

Ergonomically designed mice– Longer, curves, and slopes to fit the

hand better– Larger buttons, scrolling wheel

Additional Help

Wrists padsBack support pads that slip on the

back of the chairFoot restsErgonomically designed office

furniture

Reducing Eyestrain

Movable monitorPlace monitor underneath the desk

-- view through glare-free pane of glass

LCD flat-panel helps alleviate some of the causes of eyestrain

Dot Pitch--the distance between the groups of red, green, and blue dots on the inside of the monitor

The smaller the dot pitch, the sharper the image.

Keyboarding

– forces you to rotate the palm downward.

– forces the wrist to bend, which reduces the size of the carpal tunnel and tends to compress the median nerve.

– forces you to angle the hand away from the body, which tends to compress the median nerve.

What You Can DoBack -- angled backward a few

degreesArms -- relaxed and loose at the

sides; forearms and hands should be parallel to the floor

Wrists -- level with the keyboardThighs -- at a right angle to the torsoKnees -- at a right angle to the thighs

Adjust the monitor so the top of the screen is eye level when the head is tilted at a comfortable, slightly downward angle.

The monitor should be tilted slightly so that the center of the screen is about 7 to 10 inches, or about 15 degrees, below your horizontal line of sight.

Use a copy holderDim the lighting in the room to

reduce glareBlink frequently while looking at

the monitorUse correct posture while sitting at

the computerTake periodic breaks from

keyboarding

OSHA

Office of Safety and Health Association

An organization to determine safety and health standards for the world of work.

Other Safety Concerns

Electrical EquipmentMicrocomputersMonitorsDiskettes/Storage DevicesWork Areas and FurnishingsDrawers

Emergency Drills

Fire Alarms3 short bells

Stop classwork immediately

Walk out in single file

Stay with group for accountability

A bell will signal return to building

Tornado Drills1 long bell

Quietly move to inside offices

Stay together for accountability

A bell will signal return to class

Bomb Threat

Follow the same signals and procedures as for fire drill.

Follow the same signals to return to class

Inclement Weather

Local radio stations are asked to announce any changes in the normal operating procedures of the school.

LockDown

Announcement will come over the PA system

No one is to leave the room for any reason

An “All Clear” will be issued