SAFE LAB PROCEDURES AND

TOOL USE

CHAPTER 2
IDENTIFY SAFE WORKING CONDITIONS AND PROCEDURES
• It is essential to maintain safe working conditions to prevent accidents and
injury to any person or damage to any object in a work area. New staff and
visitors must be informed of the appropriate safety procedures. Any
transgression of the procedures must be reported.
• As a computer user or a technician, you should be aware of all possible
dangers. A safe workspace is clean, organized, and well lit.
• Follow proper procedures for handling computer equipment. Failure to follow
the prescribed safety procedures could result in fines, criminal convictions,
damage to equipment, claims for damage from the owner of the property and
data or injury.
• The proper disposal or recycling of hazardous computer components is a
global issue. Make sure to follow regulations that govern how to dispose of
specific items. When an organization violates these regulations, there can be
legal consequences.
GENERAL SAFETY GUIDELINES
Follow the basic safety guidelines to prevent cuts, burns, electrical shock, and damage to
eyesight. As a best practice, make sure that a fire extinguisher and first aid kit are
available in case of fire or injury. Here are some general safety guidelines:

■ Remove your watch or any other jewelry and secure loose clothing.
■ Turn off the power and unplug equipment before opening the case and performing
service.
■ Cover any sharp edges inside the computer case with tape.
■ Never open a power supply or a monitor.
■ Do not touch areas in printers that are hot or use high voltage.
■ Know where the fire extinguisher is located and how to use it.
■ Know where the first aid kit is located.
■ Keep food and drinks out of your workspace.
■ Keep your workspace clean and free of clutter.
■ Lift heavy objects with your legs to avoid back injury
IDENTIFY SAFETY PROCEDURES TO PROTECT
EQUIPMENT FROM DAMAGE AND DATA FROM LOSS
• Static electricity is the buildup of an electric charge resting on a surface. This buildup and
sudden release of energy, called electrostatic discharge (ESD), can be destructive to the
electronics in a computer system.
• ESD, harsh climates, and poor-quality sources of electricity can cause damage to
computer equipment. Follow the proper handling guidelines, be aware of environmental
issues, and use equipment that stabilizes power to prevent equipment damage and data
loss.
• At least 3000 volts of static electricity must be built up before you can feel the ESD, but
less than 30 volts of static electricity could damage a computer component. For example,
static electricity can build up on a person walking across a carpeted floor. When the
person touches another person, they both receive a shock. If the discharge causes pain
or makes a noise, the charge was probably above 10,000 volts.
ESD PROTECTION RECOMMENDATIONS
• ESD can cause permanent damage to electrical components. Follow these
recommendations to help prevent ESD damage:
• ■ Keep all components in antistatic bags until you are ready to install them.
• ■ Use grounded mats on workbenches and on the work area floor.
• ■ Use antistatic wrist straps when working on computers.
• ■ Avoid working on carpeted areas if possible.
• Climate also affects risks when working with computer equipment. Consider the
following recommendations:
• ■ If the environment temperature is too high, equipment can overheat.
• ■ If the humidity level is too low, the chance of ESD increases.
• ■ If the humidity level is too high, equipment can suffer from moisture damage.
IDENTIFY HARDWARE
TOOLS AND THEIR
PURPOSE

•A tool kit should contain all the tools

necessary to complete hardware
repairs. Using the wrong tool for a job
might lead to bodily injuries or result
in equipment damage. As you gain
experience, you will learn which tools
to have available for different types of
jobs. Hardware tools are grouped into
the following four categories:
•■ ESD tools
•■ Hand tools
•■ Cleaning tools
•■ Diagnostic tools
 MATERIAL SAFETY AND DATA SHEETS AND
COMPONENT DISPOSAL
• Some components and the supplies that you use to maintain computers have or are
considered hazardous material. Therefore, special safety and environmental
considerations exist for handling and disposing of these components and materials.

• A Material Safety and Data Sheet (MSDS) is a fact sheet that summarizes information
about material identification, including hazardous ingredients that can affect personal
health, fire hazards, and first aid requirements. The MSDS sheet contains chemical
reactivity and incompatibilities information that includes spill, leak, and disposal
procedures. It also includes protective measures for the safe handling and storage of
materials. To determine whether a material used in computer repairs or preventive
maintenance is classified as hazardous, consult the manufacturer MSDS.
What valuable information can be found within the MSDS?
The name of the material
The physical properties of the material
Any hazardous ingredients the material contains
Reactivity data such as fire and explosion data
Spill or leak procedures
Special precautions
Health hazards
Special protection requirements
Why do batteries need to be properly disposed of?
• Batteries from portable computer systems may contain lead, cadmium, lithium, alkaline manganese,
and mercury. These metals do not decay and will remain in the environment for many years. Mercury,
commonly used in the manufacturing of batteries, is extremely toxic and harmful to humans.
Why do monitors need to be properly disposed of?
• CRTs contain glass, metal, plastics, lead, barium, and rare earth metals. According to the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), CRTs may contain approximately 4 pounds (1.8 kg) of lead.
What guidelines should you follow when you are disposing of batteries, monitors, and toner cartridges?
MAINTENANCE SAFETY
Because computers use electricity to operate, a danger always exists when you are fixing a computer.
Therefore, you need to take certain steps to make sure that you don’t get hurt and that you don’t damage
the computer and its components.
What should you do before cleaning any device or repairing a computer?
• Turn off the device and unplug it from the power source.
Which two devices contain such very high voltages that you should not wear antistatic wrist straps when
repairing them?
• Monitor
• Power supply
Tools of the Trade
• Because computers are complicated devices that use ever-changing technology, you are not going to
know everything about computers. There will be times when you need help to fix a problem. However,
knowing where to get this help will greatly enhance your ability as a PC technician.
Answer the following question about tools of the trade:
• You just purchased a Router. Unfortunately, it does not include the CD or manuals. Where can you go to
find the drivers and manuals?
HOW TO WORK INSIDE A DESKTOP
COMPUTER CASE
• In this part of the chapter, you learn how to take apart a desktop computer
and put it back together. This skill is needed in this and other chapters as you
learn to add or replace computer parts inside the case and perhaps even build
a system from scratch. As you read the following steps, you might want to
perform the Hands-On Projects, which allow you to follow along by taking a
computer apart. As you do so, be sure to follow all the safety precautions
found in Appendix A “Safety Procedures and Environmental Concerns.” In the
steps that follow, each major computer component is identified and
described. You learn much more about each component later in the text. Take
your time— don’t rush—as you take apart a computer for the first time. It can
be a great learning experience or an expensive disaster! As you work, pay
attention to the details, and work with care.
 When handling motherboards, cards, or drives, don’t touch the chips on the device. Hold
expansion cards by the edges. Don’t touch any soldered components on a card, and don’t
touch the edge connectors unless it’s absolutely necessary. All this helps prevent damage
from static electricity. Also, your fingerprints on the edge connectors can cause later
corrosion.
To protect a microchip, don’t touch it with a magnetized screwdriver. Never ever touch the
inside of a computer that is turned on. The one exception to this rule is when you’re using a
multimeter to measure voltage output.
Consider the monitor and the power supply to be “black boxes.” Never remove the cover or
put your hands inside this equipment unless you know about the hazards of charged
capacitors and have been trained to deal with them.
As you work, remember to watch out for sharp edges on computer cases that can cut you.
In a classroom environment, after you have reassembled everything, have your instructor
check your work before you put the cover back on and power up.
In a classroom environment, after you have reassembled everything, have your instructor
check your work before you put the cover back on and power up.