Assignment 5

Health and Safety

For this assignment I have been asked to explain the different accidents that can happen whilst using a computer. Below I have listed the most common accidents and briefly explained what can happen in an ICT suit.

Overloading sockets:

Extension sockets shouldn’t be left hidden as by overloading them and leaving them unattended is a fire hazard.
Eye strain:

Using a computer all day can cause eye strain. You should always take regular breaks from the computer every so often to prevent this from happening.



Disruption:

Listening to loud music in the classroom can distract others from their work. You should always use headphones to listen to music in the computer room.



Back strain:

Using the wrong computer chair and not having it adjusted properly can cause back strain. This is caused by the way your chair is positioned. All computer chairs should have five wheels and the height adjustable.



Food and drinks:

Food and drinks should not be brought into the classroom as a spillage can cause damage to the computer equipment.



Loose cables:

Having lose cables across the classroom floor can cause someone to fall or trip.



 
Fire exits:

It is extremely important to keep all fire exits clear so that if there ever was a fire, people would be able to evacuate the building safely.



Sun light:

Sun light coming into the room can cause a glare on the computer screens which can then cause eye strain. Keeping the blinds closed will avoid glare on monitors.



Fire extinguisher:

All computer suits must have a fire extinguisher.

For the second part of this assignment I have been asked to explain the health and safety steps used when connecting peripherals.

Printer:

There are several ways that you can connect your printer to your computer. When doing this there are different options to choose from it depends on which option you choose and whether you are at home or in an office. The most common way to install a printer is to connect it directly into your computer.



If your printer is a USB model (universal serial bus), windows should automatically detect it and began the installation when it is plugged in. If your printer is wireless and connects to your computer over a wireless network which is Wi-Fi, then you can use the “add the device wizard” to install the printer. If the printer is an older model then you might have to install in manually.

Speakers:

To install speakers into your computer the first thing you do is shut down your computer. Connect the speakers to the computers sound card which is the port at the back of the computers CPU. Make sure that it is the right port as some people insert it in the microphone plug instead. Also look for either the microphone or speaker icon beside it. Speakers using and external power supply such as a battery have a line out connection that needs to be connected into the right jack. The power cable that needs to be connected should have came with the speakers which is a hard wired cable that should already be plugged into the speaker or needs to be inserted.



 
Now start up your computer and turn on the speakers. Test the sound connection and you can adjust the speaker volume to whatever level you want. You can also check the volume settings in sound and audio devices under control panel.

Scanner:

To install a scanner onto your computer first of all you connect the AC adapter to the computer, turn on your computer. Insert the installation disk into the optical drive and wait a few seconds until the setup wizard appears on your screen. Click the install applications in the wizard window. Accept the license agreement then accept the default settings for the installation folder, now click continue. Follow the rest of the installation process to install the scanner onto the computer.


It will then ask you to install the driver link in the wizard window. Accept the license agreement. If asked, select the model of your scanner then click continue. After you clicked on continue the window will disappear then reappear and the installation utility will copy files about the scanner onto your computer. Turn the scanner on and then connect the USB cable to the scanner and into your computer. Another window will appear when you have connected the USB into the computer, click ok. Launch the scanner application on your computer and when it has appeared on the screen then the installation has succeeded.


Digital camera:

Select the start menu then click on control panel. When that window has opened then click on “printers and other hardware”. A selection of options will appear, choose “scanners and cameras”. When this window opens at the left hand side there will be a column with different options, select the first option which is “add an imaging device”. The installation wizard window will open so just click on next.


If an installation disk came with you digital camera then choose “have disk”. If you do not have a disk then just select your camera from the list provided by wizard, then click next. When asked, insert the disk into the computers disk drive. Follow the instructions which will be on the screen for installing your camera from the disk. Then select finish when you are done.


Microphone:

Plug your microphone into your computer. The microphone jack is found at the back of the CPU (central processing unit) and usually has a microphone icon beside the port where it has to be inserted if not read the manual that came with your microphone. Now click on the start menu then select control panel. When the window has opened click on Hardware and Sound. When the Hardware and Sound list appears click on Sound. In the Sound window you will be shown three tabs, select the Recording tab. Once you are in the Recording tab, right click on the microphone device that you had just plugged into the computer and then select Set as default device.
Now to test the microphone you simply tap the microphone with you finger several times. In the Sounds window the empty lines which are on the right hand side of the window beside the default microphone, should fill up with a green colour.

If you cannot see the green bars filling up, right click any device in the Recording tab and a little window will appear. Click on “show disabled devices” if it is not marked with a tick sign. Next you will have to read the text aloud and for the computer to recognize your voice follow these steps below.
  
1. Open the Control Panel and click on Ease of Access.
2. In the Ease of Access window click on Set up Microphone. 3. Choose the microphone device that you are currently using then click on next. 
4. A window will appear giving you text you read out loud.   5. Once you have done that, click next.
6. The wizard will now tell you that the microphone has now been set up.