Health And Safety When Using A Computer
Computer-related injuries

Working at a computer can cause back, neck and shoulder pains, headache, eyestrain and overuse injuries of the arms and hands.You can help avoid computer-related injuries with proper furniture, better posture and good working habits.Parents should put sensible time limits on their children’s computer use and video-game playing.Your child should take regular breaks from using a computer and should do some physical activities each day.

The computer is a vital tool in many different jobs and activities, for adults and children. But long periods of using a computer can increase your chance of developing an injury. Inappropriate computer use can cause muscle and joint pain, overuse injuries of the shoulder, arm, wrist or hand, and eyestrain.Children can experience particular physical and psychological problems if they play computer games too much.

You can reduce or avoid these risks with the correct furniture, better posture and good habits, such as taking rest breaks and restricting time spent playing computer games.Back and neck pain, headaches, and shoulder and arm pain are common computer-related injuries. Such muscle and joint problems can be caused or made worse by poor workstation (desk) design, bad posture and sitting for long periods of time.

Although sitting requires less muscular effort than standing, it still causes physical fatigue (tiredness) and you need to hold parts of your body steady for long periods of time. This reduces circulation of blood to your muscles, bones, tendons and ligaments, sometimes leading to stiffness and pain.

Sit at an adjustable desk specially designed for use with computers. Have the computer monitor (screen) either at eye level or slightly lower.Have your keyboard at a height that lets your elbows rest comfortably at your sides. Your forearms should be roughly parallel with the floor and level with the keyboard.Adjust your chair so that your feet rest flat on the floor, or use a footstool.Use an ergonomic chair, specially designed to help your spine hold its natural curve while sitting.Use an ergonomic keyboard so that your hands and wrists are in a more natural position.Take frequent short breaks and go for a walk, or do stretching exercises at your desk. Stand often.

Muscles and tendons can become painful with repetitive movements and awkward postures. This is known as ‘overuse injury’ and typically occurs in the elbow, wrist or hand of computer users. Symptoms of these overuse injuries include pain, swelling, stiffness of the joints, weakness and numbness.Tips to avoid overuse injuries of the hand or arm include:

Have your mouse at the same height as your correctly positioned keyboard.Position the mouse as close as possible to the side of the keyboard.Use your whole arm, not just your wrist, when using the mouse.Type lightly and gently.Mix your tasks to avoid long, uninterrupted stretches of using the computer.Remove your hands from the keyboard when not actively typing, to let your arms relax.

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Contents

What is safety measures in the use of computer?

Safety Measures include: – (i) Good Sitting Posture The sitting posture of the user of the computer should be comfortable so that backache, neck pains, wrist injuries and eye strain will be reduced to the barest level. The sitting posture should allow one to sit with both feet on the floor, and thighs at right angles to the body.

  1. The chair should be adjustable to support the lower back while the forearms should be kept parallel to the floor.
  2. The eye level should be straight to the screen while keeping the wrist and hands relaxed as one types on the keyboard.
  3. Ii) Use of Anti-glare Protector The use of an anti-glare protector helps protect the eyes against radioactive rays coming from the computer monitor.

It is important to keep a distance of two feet between the eyes and the monitor when working on the computer. It is also very important to blink the eye regularly if one is working on a colour monitor. (iii) Proper Positioning of Monitor Base The monitor should be well positioned for it to stand very well and also to give room for it to be adjusted sideways, up or down while it is being used.

  • Iv) Illuminating the Computer Room The computer room should be well lit with fluorescent light.
  • This is to enable one to see very well the things that are been done on the computer.
  • It will also remove eye strains from the user on the computer monitor.
  • V) Maintaining a Dust-free Environment Computers are very sensitive electronic machines.

They can easily get damaged by dust, moisture and temperature, hence the need to ensure that the environment where the computer is kept and used is dust-free. Computer laboratory floors should be made with floor tiles and not a rug. The window should be airtight and air-conditioned.

What are the health and safety risks in a computer room?

The main risks to health associated with ICT work are repetitive strain injuries and other musculoskeletal problems causing upper limb pain and discomfort as well as eye strain. HSE guidance includes a range of advice which seeks to minimise the risk of RSI.

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What is computer security and safety?

Does artificial intelligence (AI) compromise computer secutiry? – computer security, also called cybersecurity, the protection of computer systems and information from harm, theft, and unauthorized use. Computer hardware is typically protected by the same means used to protect other valuable or sensitive equipment—namely, serial numbers, doors and locks, and alarms.

  • The protection of information and system access, on the other hand, is achieved through other tactics, some of them quite complex.
  • The security precautions related to computer information and access address four major threats: (1) theft of data, such as that of military secrets from government computers; (2) vandalism, including the destruction of data by a computer virus; (3) fraud, such as employees at a bank channeling funds into their own accounts; and (4) invasion of privacy, such as the illegal accessing of protected personal financial or medical data from a large database.

The most basic means of protecting a computer system against theft, vandalism, invasion of privacy, and other irresponsible behaviours is to electronically track and record the access to, and activities of, the various users of a computer system. This is commonly done by assigning an individual password to each person who has access to a system.

The computer system itself can then automatically track the use of these passwords, recording such data as which files were accessed under particular passwords and so on. Another security measure is to store a system’s data on a separate device or medium that is normally inaccessible through the computer system.

Finally, data is often encrypted so that it can be deciphered only by holders of a singular encryption key, ( See data encryption,) Computer security has become increasingly important since the late 1960s, when modems (devices that allow computers to communicate over telephone lines) were introduced.

  1. The proliferation of personal computers in the 1980s compounded the problem because they enabled hackers (irresponsible computerphiles) to illegally access major computer systems from the privacy of their homes.
  2. With the tremendous growth of the Internet in the late 20th and early 21st centuries, computer security became a widespread concern.

The development of advanced security techniques aims to diminish such threats, though concurrent refinements in the methods of computer crime pose ongoing hazards. The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica This article was most recently revised and updated by Erik Gregersen,

What are the three types of hazards from computer?

Hazard (computer architecture) Problems with the instruction pipeline in central processing unit (CPU) microarchitectures

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In the domain of (CPU), hazards are problems with the in CPU when the next instruction cannot execute in the following clock cycle, and can potentially lead to incorrect computation results. Three common types of hazards are data hazards, structural hazards, and control hazards (branching hazards).

What are the health hazards of computer monitor?

Health hazards of computer monitor screens Name(s): Job stress from video display terminal work Computer vision syndrome Nature Working at a computer is a visually demanding task, often in a compromised visual environment. Various forms of visual and physical discomfort (and decreased performance) commonly occur.

The most common include eye strain (sore eyes, eye fatigue, slowness in change of focus), eye irritation (burning, dryness, redness) headache, near blurred vision, glare sensitivity, neck, shoulder and back pain, repeated strain injury particularly of the wrist and reproductive hazards as a result of radiation from video display screens.

Counter-claim There is no proof that VDTs cause reproductive problems, eyestrain or backache or any other health problems. There is some evidence that these problems associated with VDTs are the result of working condition, job stress and misuse of the equipment.

What is the definition of safety in computer?

Safety Safety in computer systems is a measurement of the system’s ability to avoid unwanted harm, loss, injury, or damage. Safety is of significant concern when the systems’ use involves a hazard (the likelihood of injury, damage, loss, or death if the system is operated in an unsafe manner), and is a fundamental characteristic of safety-critical systems.

  1. Safety is one of four aspects of system dependability; the other three are availability, reliability, and security.
  2. A safe system is not necessarily highly available; systems can degrade system performance to the point that irresponsible operators may attempt to disable them.
  3. In addition, a safe system is not necessarily reliable; in radiation therapy, concerns warrant that the device should shut down rather than administer potential lethal radiation doses.

See availability, hazard, reliability, safety-critical system, security.

What is computer security risk and measures?

What is a computer security risk? – A computer security risk is an event or action that could cause a loss of data or damage to hardware or software, It could result from unpatched software, misconfigured software or hardware, and bad habits (e.g., using “1234” as your password).

How to protect yourself while on the Internet. How to prevent unauthorized computer access.