By There are 2 things you need to remember about computers. First, they are electrical machines made up of many points of failure. Second, they contain a number of CompTIA that are not friendly to the environment. In this section, you will learn how to identify potential hazards, how to deal with them, and how to be an eco-friendly technician.
Accidents can be avoided by identifying hazards in advance. One of the best ways to do this is to always read MSDS information when available. Hazardous materials come with Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) that provide a variety of information for handling the material. This can include: physical data, toxicity, health effects, first aid, reactivity, storage, disposal, protective equipment, and spill/leak procedures. It is important to read this information before using hazardous products. It is also a good idea to keep these and make them easily accessible in case of an accident.
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Electrostatic Discharge:
Electrostatic Discharge (ESD) can be harmful to electronic components and cause them to fail. Low humidity, walking across carpet, and appliance motors are some of the common generators of ESD. Metal oxide semiconductor devices are particularly sensitive to ESD and special care should be taken around them. Below are some of the prevention methods employed to prevent damage:
*Use grounding straps when working on the inside of a computer. Grounding straps are connected to a and you can ground the wrist strap to the earth pin on a wall socket.
*Remove all metallic jewelery.
*Use anti-static mats.
*Before working on the inside of a computer, touching the chassis A+ Exams of the computer while plugged into a grounded outlet can prevent ESD.
*Anti-static sprays can be applied to floors, computers and work surfaces.
*A humidifier can be used to keep the humidity above 50%.
An ESD wrists trap should never be worn when working with high voltage equipment such as monitors. When transporting or storing them, computer components should be placed in an anti-static foam or an anti-static bag.
Electricity:
A computer needs a “clean” electricity source in order to work properly. By “clean” we mean a source that is not plagued with spikes or dips in current.
Electrical spikes (measured in nanoseconds) or surges (measured in milliseconds) can cause damage to system components or even data loss. Surge suppressors (often called “surge protectors”) can prevent minor variances in power and provide a stable stream of electricity to the unit, however, they may not always work against larger surges. For this reason, computer should be unplugged from the wall during electrical storms to prevent equipment damage and injury. Also keep in mind that not all power strips are surge suppressors even though they look the same.
Uninterruptable Power Supplies (UPS) provide power to the devices connected to it for a period of time in the event of power loss or sag for long enough to gracefully shutdown the computer and avoid data loss. Unnecessary peripherals such as scanners and printers should not be connected to a UPS as they can overload it.
Monitors and power supplies (including printers) should not be opened unless you are qualified to work on them. Deadly voltage (up to 30,000 volts) can be stored inside their capacitors for periods long after you turn them off. Leave monitor repair to the professionals or simply replace a bad monitor/power supply. It is not worth your life to try to fix one of these.
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