Ethiopian Treasures

Working Safely with Computers

For your health, safety and data loss prevention, please take the following precautions:

Do

make sure you have enough space to take whatever documents you need. A document holder may help you to avoid awkward neck movements.
adjust your chair and monitor to find the most comfortable position for your work. Your arms should be horizontal and your eyes at the height as the top of the monitor.
arrange your desk and monitor so that bright lights are not reflected in the screen. You must not be directly facing windows or bright lights. Adjust blinds or curtains to prevent unwanted light.
adjust your keyboard and monitor to get a good typing and viewing position. A space in fornt of the keyboard is helpful for resting the hands and wrists while not typing.
take short breaks away from the Computer.
avoid excessive pressure on the backs of your legs and knees. A footrest, particularly for shorter users, may be helpful.
Make sure there is enough space underneath your desk to move your legs freely. Move any obstacles i.e boxes or equipment.
save your work regularly (e.g. every 5 to 10 minutes) in order not to lose your work in case of computer malfunctions or power cut.
make backup copies of important files on a separate disk(s).
always close the file you are currently working on before removing the floppy disk from the drive.
handle your disks with care. Always keep them in their paper or plastic covers. Do not store or keep your disks near metallic objects or electrical equipment or loose in a bag or pocket.

Do not

bend your hands up to the wrists when typing. Try to keep a soft touch on the keys and do not overstretch your fingers.
sit on the same position for long periods. Make sure you change your posture as often as possible.
despair if you find things a bit confusing at first. People learn to use computers by experience and not by a lot of theory. So keep on trying. You will get there!
switch your computer off without logging off or shutting down first.
expose your disks to extremes of hot or cold.
touch the exposed surface of the disk.
force a disk into the disk drive.
insert or remove a disk into/from the drive when the drive’s light is on. This could make all the data on the disk unreadable.

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