Career & Technical Education Computer Lab Safety Business Technology Dept.

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome (CTS)  CTS is an inflammatory disease that develops gradually and affects the wrists, hands, and forearms.  May be caused by any one of these common factors (1) using awkward posture (2) using poor techniques (3) not taking rest breaks (4) improper wrist position for keystroking

Good Computer Habits  Can help you avoid back, neck, and shoulder pain AND eyestrain.  The computer monitor should be positioned at a comfortable distance from your eyes – at least a hand-span away.  For balance, you should sit on the edge of your chair when you are keying.  To be safer, you should keep all legs of your chair on the floor

While at the Computer…  Your work material should be arranged so that you can see it easily and continue to maintain good posture.  The keyboard operator should make a conscious effort to relax his/her hands and shoulders while keying.  Brief daily practice of finger gymnastics will strengthen your finger muscles and increase the ease with which you key.

Injuries and such…  Every injury, regardless of its nature or extent, should be reported to the teacher.  Backpacks and other personal items should be placed under your desk, not in the aisle, to avoid injury to others.  Know the location of exits, and the emergency action plan that is posted in the classroom for a safe and orderly evacuation if necessary.

Hazards…  Be aware of the location of the power source for all equipment. Electrical equipment can be potentially hazardous.  It is NOT okay to have food and drinks near computers or at workstations.  You should report to the instructor anything that could be a potential safety hazard.

Permission…  Always get permission from your instructor before using your personal disks, CDs, or flash drives because of the risks of spreading computer viruses.  You must be in compliance with the Rutherford County Schools Acceptable Use Policy and abide by the school’s computer policies.

Responsibilities!  You are RESPONSIBLE for keeping your workstation and area around you CLEAN! House elves don’t work here!  Breaking codes and gaining access to classified files is referred to as hacking – this is ILLEGAL and UNETHICAL!  For the school servers to operate safely and securely computers should be used for educational purposes only – no games, videos, music, downloading, etc.