Safety on Computers

Using a computer can come with certain risks - afterall we humans were not made to sit down all day and stair at a screen - so there things which have been made to make sure that we stay safe when using a computer.
In the world of business some of these things can be potentially very dangerous - what if someone manages to access a database with the credit card details of a companies customers in it. The person who accessed this database without permission could go on a massive shopping spree with someone elses money.

There are several categories that we need to make sure we keep both ourselves and our work safe when using a computer...

• Personal Safety
• Health
• Protecting files from modification and loss

Below are a few areas to get you started thinking around this topic (these aren't "the answers" just some ideas to get you started). For each section you need to also consider the consequences and how you can prevent the hazard from happening.

Basic example:
The Hazard: Wires to trip over
The consequences: Someone might trip over the wire and fall and hurt themself
What can be done to prevent this: Make sure all wires are tucked behind a desk and tidied away neatly using a cable tidy.

Personal Safety
This is making sure that you stay safe when in a computer room. There are many hazards, such as:

• Wires to trip over
• Hardware which might fall off it's stand

Health
This is making sure that you are not damaging your health over time when using a computer. If you use a computer frequently you might suffer from:

• Eyestrain
• Bad back
• Headaches
• RSI

Protecting files
Things can go wrong when you are using a computer:

• Files can get lost or corrupted, or you might not be able to remember where you saved files
• People can hack into your account or computer and leak the information or modify files
• People can use your computer whilst you are not at it
• Computers (or memory sticks) can break, get lost, or become completely unusable (for example if it ends up fallinng down the toilet or there is a fire - it's probably not going to work after!)

Things to think about:

• Ergonomics
• Strong passwords
• Data Protection Act
• Computer Misuse Act