Safety
Lots of jobs require safety training and require their employees to be mindful of best safety practices. For instance, a mechanic should know the dangers of working on an engine. Likewise, an electrician should know the dangers of working with electricity. This is true with the IT support technician as well. Safety to the individual as well as safety to the parts you work on is vital to understand.
Electrical Shock
Electrical shock occurs when uncontrolled electricity flows through your body. This electrical flow can range from the tingle of a 9-volt battery on your tongue—an old, not advisable way people would test 9-volt batteries to see if they were still good—to severe injury and even death. There is an adage that states, “amps kill, not volts.”
As shown in Figure 2-1, Ohm’s law states W = VA or Watts = Volts × Amps.
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Figure 2.1 Ohm’s Law
In a reductionist method of describing electricity, the water hose analogy is often used. Amps, or current, is often described as the volume of water moving through the water hose, and volts, or voltage, is the water pressure. Notice, you can’t have one without the other. However, this analogy helps you have a basic understanding that amps are the amount of electricity and consequently what can cause serious harm. You don’t need a degree in electrical engineering to be an IT support technician, but it is a good idea to have a basic understanding of electricity so as not to harm yourself.
There is one component that an IT support technician needs to be especially careful around: this is a computer’s power supply unit, or PSU. Unless specifically trained, you should never open a PSU to fix it. A damaged PSU should be sent back to the factory for repair because they have capacitors in them that hold lethal electrical charge—even after unplugged! This holds true with monitors as well. Never open a monitor for the same reason.
You should be aware of these specific electrical shock hazards when working in IT:
Damaged cords and equipment: Exposed or frayed wires on cords or inside equipment can be a shock hazard.
Improperly grounded equipment: Most surge protectors will help with this, but you should make sure the grounded light is illuminated. Equipment plugged directly into the wall should have the third grounding pin utilized if applicable in your country, as well as the receptacle unless using a two-prong “double insulated” type.
Working on live equipment: For the most part, don’t do this unless you know there is zero risk of electrical shock.
Liquids: Water conducts electricity, so keep liquids away from electrical components that are not waterproofed.
Safety tips to minimize electrical shock:
Do inspect cords and equipment for damage.
Don’t overload power strips/surge protectors and don’t daisy-chain them either (plugging one into another one).
Don’t work on electrical equipment while it’s plugged in or on.
Don’t eat or drink near electrical equipment.
Do look around your surroundings to look for potential electrical hazards; be aware.
ESD
Remember shuffling your feet on carpet and touching your friends to give them a shock of static electricity? You were, in fact, giving them electrostatic discharge, or ESD. ESD is the releasing of that static electricity. What might seem as harmless fun between two people can be extremely damaging to computer components. Hard drives, solid-state drives, RAM, graphic cards, and motherboards are especially sensitive to static electricity. Basically, any component that has electronic chips and/or memory modules is susceptible to ESD damage. While the results aren’t always instantaneous damage, it can be cumulative and ultimately destroy the device.
To go back to the example of “shocking” your friend, it takes over 3,000 volts for a regular person to feel ESD. Ever hear or see the spark of static electricity when, say, touching a doorknob? That’s over 5,000+ volts! As previously covered in this chapter, the reason it doesn’t kill us is that the amps are very low. Unfortunately, computer components can be damaged with as little as 30 volts. If you’re working on sensitive computer components—say, replacing a motherboard—and you feel ESD, there’s a good chance you have already done irreversible damage to that part. There are many videos circulating online that try to refute the claim that ESD can cause damage to computer components. It can.
ESD prevention tips:
Don’t work on computer components while standing on carpet (or rugs) unless the carpet/rug has been specifically treated for ESD.
Don’t work on computer components under blowing air from an HVAC system or similar because it can increase static electricity.
Don’t wear wool or synthetic fabrics that can conduct static electricity.
Don’t wear metal jewelry when working on computer components.
Do adjust the humidity in your room if at all possible—under 40 percent humidity increases static electricity while over 55 percent can cause moisture damage, so try to aim between 45 and 55 percent humidity if at all possible.
Do store sensitive computer components in antistatic bags (remember the inside of the bag helps reduce static electricity, not the outside; so don’t place your motherboard on top of that antistatic bag to work on it).
Do use an antistatic mat to place your parts on.
Do wear an antistatic wrist strap.
A note on antistatic wrist straps: these are invaluable tools for the IT support technician. One connects the wrist strap to one hand—usually your nondominant hand so it doesn’t cross in front of your work path as often—and the other end, usually with an alligator clip, to the metal chassis of the computer case if you’re working on that. There is a misnomer that this process “grounds” you. That is not really the case. Rather, it’s important to remember that electricity flows between positive and negative or negative and positive. The antistatic wrist strap equalizes the charge between you and the component you’re working on, thus eliminating the flow or discharge of the static electricity. This is why it is important to place the alligator clip to something, ideally metal, near the component you’re working on—to help dissipate the electrostatic charge. It is not advisable to clip on to the power supply, because if the alligator clip were to inadvertently touch any of the internal components of the power supply, it could send a dangerous volt to you.
Fire Safety
Fire safety is important in every industry and should be important to every individual as well. Far too many people have had their kitchens burned down from a fire on the stove. Unfortunately, that scenario often goes like this: John heats up a pan of oil to make some fries. The pan catches on fire from the oil heating up too much. Panicked, John sees his kitchen faucet nearby and rushes the flaming pan under the water to put out the fire. Oil and water do not mix. The water displaces the flaming oil and sends shooting, flaming oil all over his kitchen. Don’t be John; learn fire types and the proper ways to stop those fire types.
Figure 2-2 depicts the common classes of fires.
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Figure 2.2 Classes of Fire
Every home and business should have at least one ABC fire extinguisher within easy access—more than one if in a larger area. An ABC fire extinguisher will put out type A, B, and C classes of fires listed in Figure 2-2. If you’re working in a specialty industry, such as a restaurant, then a Class K, specifically for grease/oil fires, would be beneficial as well. In IT, you might deal with a wood or paper fire, which a Class A fire extinguisher would work on, but you might also deal with an electrical fire. Again, water is conductive, so you would not want to put out an electrical fire with water. Instead, a typical ABC fire extinguisher, because of the Class C in particular, will be able to put out most electrical fires.
A note on fire extinguishers: fire extinguishers do not last forever. The propellant inside of them dissipates over time. This is why it is critical to have them checked annually (or sooner) or replaced. While most fire extinguishers have a gauge that reads green for good and red for bad, it is not recommended to rely on this gauge alone. Fire extinguishers should be serviced by a reputable company. It is good advice to contact your local fire agency to see if there is an opportunity to learn fire safety and use a fire extinguisher before an emergency.
To use a fire extinguisher, remember the acronym P.A.S.S.:
P is for pull the pin on the fire extinguisher. While this might seem obvious, in the heat of the moment, people often forget.
A is for aim. Aim the nozzle to the base of the fire to smother it. It is human nature to aim at the top of the flames because that is what you see. Resist that urge and aim at the base to smother the source/fuel of the fire.
S is for squeeze. Squeeze the trigger slowly and evenly so as to not use all of the extinguishing agents too quickly.
S is for sweep. Whiling aiming at the base of the fire, sweep the nozzle from side to side to make sure to cover as much of the base of the flames as possible.
If applicable, call your local emergency services before the fire is too large for you to put out or after if you are afraid there might still be hot spots.
Prevention of fires is of utmost importance to the IT support technician. The first step is to reduce fire hazards in your workplace. Keep your workplace free of clutter: don’t stockpile papers, wires, and other combustible material to reduce the risks of something catching fire. Regularly inspect equipment for damaged cords, overheating components, and overloaded power strips/surge protectors. Have a fire safety plan in your workplace and schedule regular checks of your fire alarms to make sure they are working.
Personal Safety
While the standard IT support technician might not be breathing in dangerous chemicals or working with highly explosive materials in normal working conditions, that doesn’t mean there aren’t personal safety issues to consider. One major threat to IT technicians is online safety. Often, it is the IT staff who are targeted by threat actors to gain access to a network/computer system. However, that topic will be covered in more depth in Chapter 7, “Security.”
Another often-overlooked risk to the IT support technician is physical safety. One area of focus in recent decades has been on repetitive strain injuries, or RSIs. You will often be working long hours at a desk typing on your keyboard and clicking away with your mouse. Carpal tunnel syndrome is a very real condition that affects many office workers and involves pinching the nerve in your wrist. It is a condition that often causes pain in the hand and wrist. This condition occurs because of the repetitive motion of typing and using your mouse. To help prevent carpal tunnel, take breaks from your computer when at all possible—stand up, stretch, hydrate, and move your body. Another prevention technique is the use of ergonomic devices.
Ergonomics is the study of engineering and designing of products and systems to help people. This can be as simple as chairs to help promote better posture when sitting at a desk, the rise of adjustable desks to allow for standing and working, mouse pads with wrist guards to help the posturing of your hand, and even keyboards to help your hands be in a more natural position when typing.
Figure 2-3 shows an example of an ergonomic keyboard.
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Figure 2.3 Ergonomic Keyboard
In addition to RSIs, injuring yourself lifting is also a possible safety risk. You might often be tasked with moving around heavy pieces of equipment. Even lighter equipment can pose a risk of injury if not carried or placed correctly. Use a dolly or moving cart when at all possible. If you must lift an object, use your legs and don’t pull up with your back muscles. Ask for help if a piece of equipment needs more than one person to move it.
In addition to injuring yourself physically through moving a heavy object or getting an RSI, you also need to be careful not to be the target of a physical attack. You will often be working alone or late at night. You might be transporting valuable IT equipment from one office to another. This makes you a target for a would-be thief. Be aware of your surroundings and communicate with your colleagues about when and where you’re at if it could be a risky situation.
Finally, maintain a healthy lifestyle. Drink plenty of water, eat a balanced diet, take breaks from the computer (in accordance with your company policy), use blue light filters on your monitor to help prevent eyestrain (most operating systems, including phones, have a “night light” feature to help reduce harmful blue light), and get sleep.
“An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.”—Benjamin Franklin