Office Safety

1. Equipment, Disaster, Computer and Internet Safety Presented by: Mrs. Amie Ware Office Safety

2. Computer Safety (Tips to reduce computer-related health problems) • Position yourself and your computer to minimize glare on your screen. • May require shielding lights around your desk. • Never shine a light directly onto your computer screen. • Adjust shades or blinds to improve the lighting and reduce glare. • Place the computer at right angles to the window. • Angle the screen to avoid backlight glare. • Take your eyes off the screen occasionally and focus on a faraway object for a few seconds. • Place your document at about the same height as the computer screen so you don’t have to continue looking back and forth and to avoid eyestrain.

3. Computer Safety—Cont’d… • The screen’s top viewing line should no higher than your eyes. • The screen itself should be 18-24 inches from your face. • Organize your workstation so that everything you need is within reach. • Shift positions regularly. • Position your mouse with your entire forearm resting on the desk. • When typing at a keyboard, your forearms should be parallel to the floor. • Adjust your chair so the bottom of your feet reach and rest comfortably on the floor and the back of your knees are slightly higher than the chair’s seat. • Sit all the way back in the chair so that your body is fully supported.

4. Internet Safety • Keep your passwords private, even from your best friend! Your online service provider should never ask for them, so neither should anyone else. • Use only your member name and/or email address when chatting or sending out email. • Never give out personal information like your name, address or phone number.

5. Internet Safety Cont’d… • Don’t share photos of yourself, your family, or your home with people you meet online. • Keep your myspace and/or facebook private • Always delete unknown email attachments without opening them. They can contain destructive viruses. • If a person writes something that is mean or makes you feel uncomfortable, don’t respond. Just log off and tell your parents, who can report it to your online service provider.

6. Internet Safety cont’d… • Remember that nothing your write on the web is completely private—including email. • Be careful and think about what you type and who you tell. • Not everyone is as nice, cute, and funny as they may sound online. Never make plans to meet an online “friend” in person. • WHEN IN DOUBT—always ask your parents for help – and just LOG OFF if you’re not sure! You can always go back online later.

7. Safety Facts for the Business Office • No office is totally safe environment. A high percentage of accidents on the jobs are caused by employee carelessness. Listed on the next several slides are areas that have been identified as accident “traps”. Learn what effect each of them has on you, as a student and as a future employee.

8. Safety Facts for the Business Office • Behavior • Open all doors slowly, realizing that someone may be entering from the other direction. Never stop at a door to visit. Someone may be coming through. • Avoid sitting on the furniture or counters that were not designed for seating purposes. Tipping or collapsing furniture can cause serious injury, and often is not constructed to be safe to sit on—in additional to not looking very professional. • Liquids should be kept away from electrical floor outlets or equipment; a spill could cause an electrical short or fire.

9. Safety Facts for the Business Office Cont’d… • Behavior • Always keep cover on floor-mounted electrical outlets when not in use. Keep electrical cords as short as possible and out of walkways. • Keep pens, pencils, clips, etc., out of your mouth—you leave yourself open to problems ranging from choking to catching a communicable disease. • Use a stepladder or stool for high reaching objects, do not climb on chairs or desks.

10. Safety Facts for the Business Office Cont’d… • Behavior • Pick up foreign object (paper clips, paper, pencils, pens, books, etc.) on the floor wherever and whenever you see them. • Wipe up small spills or report large spills immediately before someone slips and falls. • Keep file cabinet and desk drawers closed to prevent tripping. • Always balance loading of file cabinet drawers. File cabinets with improperly balanced, heavily loaded drawers become top heavy and may cause the file cabinet to tip forward when one of the upper drawers is pulled out. Should a loaded file cabinet fall forward, serious injury may result.

11. Safety Facts for the Business Office Cont’d… • Behavior • Never carry a load you cannot see over. Keep your head up and eyes forward when walking. Keep your shoestrings tied. • In the classroom or office, keep your feet, books, purses and other materials out of walkways where someone could trip. • Never go barefooted in the office or classroom. In a carpeted office or classroom, objects such as staples, tacks, or pins could be imbedded in the carpet and cause injury. Wear shoes that are comfortable and not a hazard; high heels may be awkward. • Always keep your weight equally distributed when sitting in a chair, particularly one that has casters. Leaning away from a chair may case the casters to roll, making the chair (and you) upset. Leaning back on two legs of a straight chair can also cause an upset.

12. Safety Facts for the Business Office Cont’d… • Equipment • Use all equipment in a safe manner—wash your hands and pay attention when using something potentially dangerous like a paper cutter or stapler. • Report faulty equipment immediately and do not attempt to use it until it is repaired. • Never place your hands or foreign objects (pens, pencils, hair, clothing, etc.) in equipment that is running. Disconnect any equipment before working on it or attempting to remove objects that have been dropped into the machine.

13. Safety Facts for the Business Office Cont’d… • Equipment • Be careful of long hair and loose clothing (such as ties, jewelry, or scarves) near moving equipment and around cabinets and doors. • Never lift or move equipment in the classroom, only the instructor is authorized to move equipment. In an office, if it is necessary to move equipment be sure to secure the electrical cord so you will not step on it and trip. • Never disconnect electrical equipment (calculators, computers, etc.) by pulling the cord. Grasp the plug itself and pull to prevent separation of the cord and plug.

14. Safety Facts for the Business Office Cont’d… • Equipment • Never disconnect electrical equipment with wet or damp hands. • Cables and electrical cords lying across the floor are considered a safety hazard because you could trip over them. Upon entering a room that contains cables and electrical crossing the floor, you should be sure to notice where they are you will be conscious of them. When crossing the path of a cable or electrical cord lying across the floor, make sure you pick up your feet and step over it to avoid tripping.

15. Safety Facts for the Business Office Cont’d… • Equipment • If while working on a machine you smell the odor of burning wires or see smoke, you should turn the equipment off and notify the instructor. • You should keep your hands away from the print area of any machine with movable parts while the machine is in use to avoid getting your hands caught and causing injury to the operator. • When changing ribbons or print mechanisms on any piece of equipment, you should make sure the print is NOT operational (turn the machine off), then follow the proper procedures outlines by the manuals for changing ribbons and print mechanisms.

16. Safety Facts for the Business Office Cont’d… • Equipment • The correct procedure for using a stapler is to place the stapler on a flat surface, hold papers to be stapled with one hand at the opposite end of where the staple is to be placed, apply pressure to the top of the stapler with the other hand, and staple papers. • When using the paper cutter, your hands should be placed so that one hand is holding paper on t he edge not being trimmed and the other hand on the handle that controls the blade. • After using the paper cutter, you should secure the blade by putting the blade in the DOWN position and latching the arm so that blade will not fly up.

17. Safety Facts for the Business Office Cont’d… • Disaster • The signal for fire is a series of long buzzes sounds of the intercom. • When the fire signal sounds, we are to stay put till we have other directions saying EVACUATE or STAY. We will stay on the right side of the hall, go down stairs, outside the doors to the south end of the practice football field. • After the fire signal sounds and you have assembled in a safe area, you should stay with your group until the instructor takes roll and gives you further instructions. • In the event of a fire, books are to be left in the rooms. Only valuables are to be taken. Under no circumstances are students to go to their lockers. All doors are to be closed but not locked. All electrical and gas equipment should be turned off.

18. Safety Facts for the Business Office Cont’d… • Disaster • In the event your exit route is blocked or fire and smoke are present, reverse your direction and move to the nearest EXIT. Exit the building and regroup on the south end of the practice football field. • An all clear will be announced, after which everyone may return to his or her respective area. • Remember the acronym: PASS (Pull, Aim, Squeeze, and Sweep)

19. Safety Facts for the Business Office Cont’d… • Disaster • The signal for SEVERE WEATHER/DISASTER (i.e. tornado) is shorter in duration but in a series of 3 buzzes of the intercom. • When the severe weather alarm is given, all students and staff should immediately exit the room and walk to the tornado shelter. (For my room, room #710, we will go to main hallway, down to Rm 776-safe room) • Instructor will take the class roll after the tornado has passed to determined that all students are accounted for. The all clear signal will be given orally to indicate the danger has ended. • During lightning, the minimum precaution you should take is to save your work frequently. If possible, turn off equipment and unplug all cords from electrical outlets.

20. Safety Facts for the Business Office Cont’d… • Disaster • Lock Out Procedure • Once this is announced, all teachers will lock their doors and check the halls for any students. • As a student, if you are in the hallway, you will go to the closest classroom and stay there till we are released. • All students and teachers are to remain in their classroom. NO EXCEPTIONS!!! • We will be released by intercom. • Lock Out=Threat is outside of campus • Lock Down • Same as Lock Out procedure, plus turn lights off and move as far away from door as possible. • Lock Down=Threat is on campus.