Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) Policy – An Information and communication technology
(ICT) student should know how to behave when working in the computer laboratory, as well as
implement a safe way of accomplishing every task. Safety practices should be learned early and
always adheres in working with any electrical and electronic device, including personal computers
and its peripherals. This is for your protection as well as to the people working with you, and for
the devices that you are using. The basis for this process begins with Occupational Health and
Safety Policies.
Occupational safety and health (OSH). It 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.
OHS or Occupational Health and Safety refers to the legislation, policies, procedures and
activities that aim to protect the health, safety and welfare of all people at the workplace.
Always power off the computer and unplug the computer before working on it.
Take away any liquid near your working area to avoid getting electrocuted or accidentally
damaging computer parts.
Be careful with tools that may cause short circuit.
Always ground or discharge yourself before touching any part of the computer.
Do not use excessive force if things don't quite slip into place.
Clean the area before and after using it to maintain sanitation and prevent accidents.
Hold the components on the edges and do not touch the Integrated Circuit (IC) parts.
Always wear personal protective equipment (PPE) in accordance with the organization's
OHS procedures and practices.
Make sure that the pins are properly aligned when connecting a cable connector.
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Contingency measures during workplace accidents, fire and other emergencies are
recognized.
Use brush, compressed air or blower in cleaning the computer system.
Occupational Health and Safety standards
Each student has a responsibility to their colleagues and their organization to report
and act upon any potential workplace hazard. Students need to be aware of the type of hazards
that are possibly present in their work environment.
Procedure
1. Identify the hazard
2. Clear the area close to the hazard
3. Partition the hazard off or clearly identify the area to protect other people from
harm
4. If the hazard is easily and safely cleared, then do so
If not…
5. Report the hazard to the appropriate person (such as teacher in charge,
principal etc.) to obtain assistance
6. Following clearing of the hazard fill out the correct documentation to assist in
identifying improved practice to reduce further incidence of hazards.
All hazards must be reported using Accidental Report form. This enables us to track
the kinds of hazards we have in our workplace, and take action where necessary to make it safer
for all student and clients.
Accident Reports
Forms are used to give specific details with regards to the accidents happened in the
laboratory during experiments. Accident reports contain the following details:
Name of the person injured
Date and time of the accident
Type of injury
First aid given
Action taken to prevent further accident
Hazardous substances
If the workplace hazard appears to be dangerous to staff and clients and professional
assistance is required:
A. Call the supervisor or manager and advise them of the problem and the urgency of the
matter.
B. Depending on the risk it may be called as an evacuation.
C. Follow the evacuation procedure.
D. The supervisor or manager will call in the fire brigade or specialized personnel who will
deal with the spill.
Fire Exits
All fire exits should be kept clear of from obstacles. All students have a responsibility to
make sure that chairs, empty boxes or any other type of obstacle are not placed in or near fire exit
doorways. All corridors also need to have equipment stored on one side only to ensure
that in the event of an emergency there is a clear exit.
Fire Safety Procedure
Each work area has a designated fire warden, who in the event of a fire will take charge.
They are recognized by the wearing of a red hard hat.
If you find the fire
• Assess the danger prior to doing anything.
• If it is safe to move assist anyone in the vicinity of the fire away from danger.
• If it is possible close the door to the fire area.
• Call for assistance. Verbally call FIRE, FIRE, in a loud and clear voice.
• Break the glass section of the fire alert call point.
• Call to the switch; ensure you know where the fire is, any other details that may be of
assistance to the fire brigade. Details could be size of the fire, cause or type of fire, any
people hurt or trapped, has anyone tried to put it out.
• If safe to do so, attack the fire with the correct extinguisher or fire hose.
If the designated fire officer is not present, someone quickly needs to take
responsibility and:
1. Locate the source of the fire.
2. Locate any people.
3. Remove all people from the building.
4. Once outside do a head count.
5. Notify the authorities.
Personal Safety While Working with PC’s
Computer equipment can be dangerous, and you or others can be injured or even killed if
you don’t follow proper safety guidelines when working along with PC’s. The following are some
precautionary measures to take before working with any computer equipment:
• Wear shoes with non-conductive rubber soles to help reduce the chance of being shocked
or seriously injured in an electrical accident.
• Do not work on components that are plugged into their power source.
• Do not remove expansion cards from a computer when it is turned on.
• Remove jewelries when working inside any computer related equipment.
• Be sure not to mix electronic components and water.
