Unit 1 – Computer Systems Servicing

Lesson 7 – Occupational Health and Safety Policies and Procedures

Objectives:
At the end of the lesson, students should be able to:

1. Understand the purpose of occupational safety and health in their respective workplace
2. Identify the risks and mitigating factors in the industry
3. Explain hazards and risks in the workplace
4. Identify hazards and risks indicators in the workplace
5. Apply contingency measures in accordance with the OHS procedures

Occupational Health and Safety for Computer Hardware Servicing

The following are the examples of OHS that is related to computer hardware servicing.
1. Contingency measures during workplace accidents, fire and other emergencies are recognized.
2. Personal protective equipment are correctly used in accordance with organization OHS
procedures and practices.
3. Hazard/risks in the workplace and their corresponding indicators are identified to minimize or
eliminate risk to co-workers, workplace and environment.
4. Always discharge yourself before touching any part of the computer.
5. Be careful with tools that may cause short circuit. Wear rubber sole shoes when standing on the
ground or in a concrete floor.
6. Always power off and unplug the computer before working on it. When making circuit changes,
switch off and unplug the power cord from the equipment then discharge the capacitors.
7. Replace only fuses with those proper rating.
8. Hold the components by the edges and do not touch the IC’s.
9. Read and follow instructions on the manual carefully.
10. Do not use excessive force if things don’t quite slip into place.

What is OSH?
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.
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Unit 1 – Computer Systems Servicing

Three steps used to manage health and safety at work:

1. Spot the Hazard (Hazard Identification)
2. Assess the Risk (Risk Assessment)
3. Make the Changes (Risk Control)

What is Hazard?
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 unsecurely (they could fall on someone)
➢ noisy machinery (could result in damage to your

What is Risk Assessment?

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?

Make Changes – Risk Control

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. What to do?
➢ Ask your supervisor for instructions and training before using equipment.
➢ Ask for help moving or lifting heavy objects.
➢ Tell your supervisor if you think a work practice could be

Common Hazards encountered by Computer Technicians and Users

➢ Physical Hazards
Is an agent, factor or circumstance that can cause harm with or without contact. They
can be classified as type of occupational hazard or environmental hazard.
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. It
comes in a wide range of colors, from unintrusive matte black to hazard warning red. Although it
has strong adhesive, it can be removed easily and cleanly.

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Unit 1 – Computer Systems Servicing

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
It is created as a result of either powered or manual (human) use of tools, equipment or
machinery and plant.
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's
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
A type of occupational hazard caused by exposure to chemicals in the workplace.
Exposure to chemicals in the workplace can cause acute or long-term detrimental health effects.
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.
Common electronics cleaning chemicals contain isopropyl alcohol. It comes in bottles or
cans at 99% concentration, evaporates very quickly and it does a good job of cleaning PCBs. A
more dangerous chemical used for PCB cleaning is acetone. Acetone is a skin and eye irritant and
an inhalation hazard. If you accidently ingest acetone, it can cause seizures, unconsciousness,
coma, and death.
Flux remover is a combination of alcohol and acetone. Both isopropyl alcohol and
acetone are highly flammable and repeated exposure to skin will dryness and cracking. If one of
these chemicals splashes on your clothing remove that clothing immediately to avoid the
chemical soaking through to your skin, and rinse in clean water any areas of skin where the
chemical has soaked through. If a chemical splashes into your eye, rinse your eye in clean water
for several minutes.
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 Hazards

Inside computers and electronic equipment there is a range of voltages from 3.3 volts to
25 volts, most of these are harmless. But at the power supply, you'll find line voltage, which is a
lethal 120 volts, unless you're in Europe, where line voltage is 220 volts.
Most of the time while working inside computers and electronic equipment, you'll want
them unplugged from the wall socket. If you need to work on equipment while it's still plugged in

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Unit 1 – Computer Systems Servicing

or powered up, remove all jewelry and wrist watches. I cringe when I see someone calling
themselves a computer technician wearing jewelry while their hands are inside a plugged-in
computer.
If you must work inside a line power distribution box, wear electricians rubber insulated
gloves and safety glasses. You might think you don't need these safety devices because you're
going to be extra careful, but one little slip could cause a flaming explosion that could take off
your hand, embed shrapnel in your eyes, or conduct electricity through your heart, where it takes
only 10 milliamps (0.01) to kill a human.

➢ CRT Monitor High-Voltage Hazard

CRT monitors are becoming less common nowadays, but should you run into one, your
best be is to NOT open it up. Instead outsource any CRT repair job to a qualified CRT repair
service. A CRT monitor has a high-voltage anode inside it, which can carry a charge of up to
25,000 volts, and it can still be holding a high charge days after the power is removed.
If you must open a CRT monitor case for some reason, be sure to study the proper way to
discharge a CRT before you proceed. It involves using a jumper wire and a flat blade screwdriver
to short the anode to ground. After being discharged, even with no power connection, the anode
voltage will actually build up again. So you have to repeatedly discharge it.

➢ Fire Hazard
With electronics a short circuit can develop without warning. This can
cause a substantial increase in current flow in the circuit, the power formula reveals
that this will result in a rapid increase in heat. When something near this heat
source reaches its combustion temperature, you've got a fire.

Some people will run for a bucket of water to toss on the fire. Not so fast.
With an electrical fire that's the last thing you want to do. Water is a conductor and
anyone standing in the extinguisher puddle may be electrocuted. You should
always keep a fire extinguisher handy, in fact the law might require it in a commercial facility.

But not just any fire extinguisher. Fire extinguishers are classified by types. A close look at
the fire extinguisher label shown above reveals its class. Also at the bottom of the label is the
international symbol for its class.
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Unit 1 – Computer Systems Servicing

Fire Extinguisher Classes

• Class A: Uses water to put out the fire. Good for paper and wood fires, but do not use on an
electrical fire. Water is a conductor and anyone standing in the extinguisher puddle may be
electrocuted.
• Class B: Uses dry chemicals to smother the fire. Good for fires caused by flammable liquids
such as alcohol, gasoline, kerosene, or oil. But if the fire extinguisher label does not also
specify class C, there's no guarantee that those chemicals are not conductors.
• Class C: Uses nonconductive chemicals to put out the fire. Good for fires caused by
electricity.

The fire extinguisher shown here meets all three classifications. That might be a good
thing, but remember when you use a fire extinguisher there is likely to be collateral damage.
Equipment near the fire that is covered with fire retardant may be ruined. For this reason, many
people choose a class B, C fire extinguisher, using only dry powder they keep the collateral
damage to a minimum.

How to Use a Fire Extinguisher

It's interesting the way people respond to fires. Many times, they panic and start
throwing things, flammable things, at the fire. Another common response is throwing the nearest
liquid available at the fire, even if it's just the coffee in their cup. The proper response is to
remain calm, and fetch the nearby fire extinguisher.
For safety reasons, hold the fire extinguisher away from you as you pull the pin. With one
hand point the hose at the base of the fire while, with your other hand squeeze the trigger
handle. As you squeeze the handle evenly, sweep the nozzle from side to side. After the fire is
out, be alert for any glowing embers that might cause the fire to reignite.

Reference:

Sadicon, C., Dalugdug, F., & Arellano, S. (2020). Computer System Servicing NCII (1st ed.). DepEd.

Bucaro, S. (2022). Computer Technician's Guide to Safety. Bucarotechelp.com. from

http://bucarotechelp.com/computers/winadmin/89010202.asp.

*CTTO of pictures, NOT owned by the author.

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