Lesson 1: OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH AND SAFETY POLICIES AND PROCEDURES

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 health and safety (OHS) 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.

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 accidents

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.

The 12 Golden Rule OHS of Computer Servicing.

01. Contingency measures during workplace accidents, fire and other emergencies are recognized.

02. Personal protective equipment are correctly used in accordance with organization OHS procedures and practices.

03. Hazard/risks in the workplace and their corresponding indicators are identified to minimize or eliminate risk to co-workers,
workplace and environment.

04. Take necessary precautions to protect the components of the computer from damage caused by ESD (Electrostatic Discharge).

05. Hold the components by the edges and do not touch the IC’s.

06. Read and follow instructions on the manual carefully.

07. Do not use excessive force if things don’t quite slip into place.

08. Place your computer in a flat, sturdy and clean surface.

09. Avoid eating and drinking beside your computer.

10. Properly shutdown your computer and make it sure that you have closed all open applications before shutting down.

11. Always perform disk cleanup to remove unwanted files.

12. Have the unit cleaned twice a year to remove internal dust.
Lesson 2: Types of Computer

What is a computer?

A computer is a general-purpose device that can be programmed to carry out a finite set of
arithmetic or logical operations. A computer is an electronic machine used to process information.

A machine that performs tasks, such as calculations or electronic communication, under the

control of a set of instructions called a program.

There is not just one type of computers. There are many types of computer since the 3 rd generation
and most especially the 4th generation computer, where computers are classified depending on its
usage.

1. Supercomputer - A supercomputer is focused on performing tasks involving intense numerical

calculations such as weather forecasting, fluid dynamics, nuclear simulations, theoretical
astrophysics, and complex scientific computations.

2. Mainframe computer - (colloquially referred to as "big iron") are computers used primarily by

corporate and governmental organizations for critical applications, bulk data processing such
as census, industry and consumer statistics, enterprise resource planning, and transaction
processing.
Difference of supercomputers and mainframe computers
A supercomputer is a computer that is at the frontline of current processing capacity, particularly
speed of calculation. Supercomputers are used for scientific and engineering problems (high-
performance computing) which are data crunching and number crunching, while mainframes are used
for transaction processing.

3. Minicomputer - A minicomputer, a term no longer much used, is a computer of a size

intermediate between a microcomputer and a mainframe. Typically, minicomputers have been
stand-alone computers (computer systems with attached terminals and other devices) sold to
small and mid-size businesses for general business applications and to large enterprises for
department-level operations. In recent years, the minicomputer has evolved into the "mid-range
server" and is part of a network.

4. Microcomputer - Microcomputers are the most common type of computers used by people

today, whether in a workplace, at school or on the desk at home. The term “microcomputer”
was introduced with the advent of single chip microprocessors. A microcomputer is a small,
relatively inexpensive computer with a microprocessor as its central processing unit (CPU). It
includes a microprocessor, memory, and input/output (I/O) facilities.
Types of Microcomputers/ Personal Computers
There are many types of personal computers nowadays as technology advances. These computers are
classified according to its use and purpose. These are the following and we will further discuss each of
it.

Classes by Size

1. Desktop Computer - Desktop computers are commonly called as the Personal Computers (PC) though
most of the microcomputers nowadays are referred to as Personal Computers with the exemption of
the smaller devices. A personal computer (PC) is any general-purpose computer whose size,
capabilities, and original sales price make it useful for individuals, and which is intended to be operated
directly by an end-user with no intervening computer operator.

2. Carputer - A carputer is a category of mobile computer designed or modified specifically to be installed

and run in automobiles. Originally these were based on industrial personal computer technology, but
as smartphones and PDAs have become more powerful, and have included useful technologies
like GPS and Bluetooth, they have become the predominant base platform for developing carputers.

3. Game consoles - A video game console is an interactive entertainment computer or customized

computer system that produces a video display signal which can be used with a display device
(a television,monitor, etc.) to display a video game. The term "video game console" is used to
distinguish a machine designed for people to buy and use primarily for playing video games on a TV.

There are many different types of video game consoles. Just like the personal computers. Game
consoles have several generations and up to now newer models of game consoles continues to appear.

Some known models of game consoles.

1. Sony Playstation series (Playstation 1)
2. Xbox Series (Xbox 360)
3. Nintendo Game series (Nintendo 64)
4. Sega Saturn

4. Laptop computer – A laptop computer is a personal computer for mobile use. A laptop has most of the
same components as a desktop computer, including a display, a keyboard, a pointing device such as a
touchpad (also known as trackpad) and/or a pointing stick, and speakers into a single unit. A laptop is
powered mainly by electricity via an AC adapter and can be used away from an outlet using a
rechargeable battery. Lapops are also sometimes called notebook computers, notebooks, or netbooks.

Laptop vs Desktop

Desktop Computers Laptop Computers

1. Can upgrade most of it parts easily 1. Only a very few parts can be upgraded.
2. Power reliant, will not work without an 2. Can be operated for a few hours
electric supply. because of its AC battery that can be
 charged.
3. Very bulky to transfer to different 3. Versatile, can be easily carried
locations. anywhere.
4. High Durability 4. Lesser durability because of smaller
compressed parts.
5. Cheaper 5. Expensive than desktop if they have the
same specifications.

Types of Laptop computers

A. Netbooks - Netbooks also called mini notebooks are basically the same like laptops but much
smaller, lighter and cheaper. Netbooks have ranged in size from below 5" screen diagonal to
12". A typical weight is 1 kg (2.2 pounds). The main difference is that netbooks doesn’t have
any optical drives unlike Laptops. The specs and also the parts are almost similar that most
buyers are confused about the difference of those two except from the size and the lack of
optical drive.

B. Notebook – This is the common Laptop computer which is bigger than a Netbook.

C. Rugged Laptop - A rugged (or ruggedized) laptop is designed to reliably operate in harsh usage
conditions such as strong vibrations, extreme temperatures, and wet or dusty environments.
Rugged laptops are usually designed from scratch, rather than adapted from regular consumer
laptop models. Rugged laptops are bulkier, heavier, and much more expensive than regular
laptops, and thus are seldom seen in regular consumer use. Military personnel, Scientists,
Engineers are the people who uses them commonly.

D. Ultrabook is a specification and trademarked brand by Intel for a class of high-

end subnotebooks which are designed to feature reduced bulk without compromising battery
life. They use low-power Intel Core processors, solid-state drives, and unibody chassis to help
meet these criteria. Due to their limited size, Ultrabooks typically omit common laptop features
such as optical disc drives and Ethernet ports.

5. Tablet computers - A tablet computer, or simply tablet, is a mobile computer, larger than a mobile
phone or personal digital assistant, integrated into a flat touch screen and primarily operated by
touching the screen and instead of using a physical keyboard it often uses an onscreen virtual
keyboard. Some well-known tablets are the iPad from Apple and the Samsung Galaxy Tab.

6. Personal Digital Assistant (PDA) - A personal digital assistant (PDA), also known as a palmtop
computer, or personal data assistant, is a mobile device that functions as a personal information
manager. PDAs are largely considered obsolete with the widespread adoption of smartphones.
Nearly all current PDAs have the ability to connect to the Internet. A PDA has an electronic visual
display, enabling it to include a web browser, all current models also have audio capabilities enabling
use as a portable media player, and also enabling most of them to be used as mobile phones. Most
PDAs can access the Internet, intranets or extranets via Wi-Fi or Wireless Wide Area Networks. Most
PDAs employ touchscreen technology.

7. Smartphones - A smartphone is a mobile phone built on a mobile operating system, with more

advanced computing capability and connectivity than a feature phone. The first smartphones
combined the functions of a personal digital assistant (PDA) with a mobile phone. Later models added
the functionality of portable media players, low-end compact digital cameras, pocket video cameras,
and GPS navigation units to form one multi-use device.

Examples of Smartphones

1. Apple iPhone series

2. Blackberry Curve series
 3. HTC pure
4. Sony Xperia
5. ASUS Zen phone 2

8. Programmable Calculator - Programmable calculators are calculators that can automatically carry

out a sequence of operations under control of a stored program, much like a computer.

9. Hand-held game consoles - A handheld video game console is a lightweight, portable electronic
device with a built-in screen, game controls, speakers and replaceable and/or rechargeable batteries
or battery pack. Handheld game consoles are smaller than home video game consoles and contain the
console, screen, speakers, and controls in one unit, allowing people to carry them and play them at
any time or place.

Examples of handheld video game consoles

1. SONY PSP
2. Nintendo Gameboy

10. Hybrid Computers – This is an innovative design that combines a netbook/laptop and its monitor is
a tablet computer. The monitor once detached to the keyboard is a tablet computer. This is also called
a transformer notebook.

11. Wearable computers - A record-setting step in the evolution of computers was the creation of
wearable computers. These computers can be worn on the body and are often used in the study of
behaviour modeling and human health. Military and health professionals have incorporated wearable
computers into their daily routine, as a part of such studies. When the users' hands and sensory organs
are engaged in other activities, wearable computers are of great help in tracking human actions.
Wearable computers do not have to be turned on and off and remain in operation without user
intervention.

Types of Computer by Functions

1. Servers - Server usually refers to a computer that is dedicated to provide a service. For

example, a computer dedicated to a database may be called a "database server". "File servers"
manage a large collection of computer files. "Web servers" process web pages and web
applications. Many smaller servers are actually personal computers that have been dedicated
to provide services for other computers.

2. Workstations/Clients- Workstations are computers that are intended to serve one user and
may contain special hardware enhancements not found on a personal computer. Information
appliances Information appliances are computers specially designed to perform a specific user-
friendly function —such as playing music, photography, or editing text. The term is most
commonly applied in automobile devices, though there are also portable and desktop devices
of this class.

Embedded computers - Embedded computers are computers that are a part of a machine or device.
Embedded computers generally execute a program that is stored in non-volatile memory and is only
intended to operate a specific machine or device. Embedded computers are very common. Embedded
computers are typically required to operate continuously without being reset or rebooted, and once
employed in their task the software usually cannot be modified. An automobile may contain a number
of embedded computers; however, a washing machine and a DVD player would contain only one.
The central processing units (CPUs) used in embedded computers are often sufficient only for the
computational requirements of the specific application and may be slower and cheaper than CPUs
found in a personal computer.

A brief history of computer

1st generation computers – “The calculators” and hand powered tools.
1. Abacus – First ever calculator invented by the Chinese.
2. Pascaline – The first calculator that can add and subtract automatically invented by Blaise Pascal
3. Stepped Reckoner – The first calculator that can do all four basic arithmetic operations. (MDAS)

2nd generation computers – The “real” ancestors of modern computers. Powered by electricity and vacuum
tubes.
1. Difference engine – can process polynomial equations. The father of all modern computers invented by
Charles Babbage.
2. ENIAC (Electronic Numerical Integrator and Calculator) - the first electronic general-purpose  computer.
It was Turing-complete, digital, and capable of being reprogrammed to solve a full range of computing
problems.
3. EDSAC (Electronic Delay Storage Automatic Calculator) – Same purpose of ENIAC but better and faster.

3rd generation computers – The turning point of modern computers. They used transistors and are capable of
doing many tasks compared to the previous generation. They are smaller, faster, cheaper to produce and more
reliable.
Examples of 3rd generation computers
1. IBM 704
2. IBM SYSTEM/360
3. IBM System/36
4. Cash register machines issued by IBM during 1970s onwards.

4th generation computers – The 4th generation computers are the computers that were used early in the 1980s
up to now. It uses the technology VLSI (Very large scale integration) IC boards which is the process of
creating integrated circuits by combining thousands of transistors into a single chip. A lot of technology
advances makes this generation faster, durable, and even affordable and efficient.
Components of a Computer.
1. Hardware – refers to the physical parts of a computer.
2. Software – refers to the program that makes the computer perform its tasks and are installed in a
hardware.
3. Peopleware – Are the people who uses a computer.

Why/Where/When do we use a computer?

1. Education and research
2. Communication
3. Business
4. Entertainment