ELECTRONICS

• Environmental safety


  The practice of policies and procedures that ensure that a surrounding environment, including work areas, laboratories, or facilities, is free of dangers that could cause harm to a person working in those areas
• Environmental safety has become a high priority issue within the United States and among other countries around the world
• Ensuring the safety of an environment is key to productivity and function in a work or research setting
• WEEE recycling


  Waste of Electrical and Electronic Equipment recycling, meaning anything that has a plug or requires power
• Up until February 2003, there were no laws or regulations regarding the recycling of electronic equipment and devices
• Once EEE became law, electronics started to carry the crossed-out bin symbol, to indicate the correct way to dispose of electronics
• WEEE items


  Any electrical or electronic items that have reached the end of their user life, whether it is a household item or non-household item
• Types of electronic items that fall under WEEE

  • Household appliances
  • Toys
  • Medical devices
  • Consumer equipment
  • Monitoring/control equipment
• Most popular electrical equipment in businesses

  • Computers (desktop or laptop)
  • Telephones (conference phones, mobile phones, landline units)
  • Monitors
  • Printers & Scanners
  • Keyboards and Mice
  • Routers
• People now have more electronic devices and pieces of equipment than ever before, especially in businesses and offices
• Around 2 million tons of WEEE items are wasted every year and all of these could have been easily recycled
• With so many hazardous materials used to build electronic devices, sending these straight to landfill will severely damage the environment, contaminating the soil and effectively, the surrounding areas
• Main, recyclable materials found in electronic devices

  • Gold
  • Silver
  • Palladium
  • Copper
• By simply being aware of the reasons for WEEE and how to correctly dispose of electrical items, you can help to reduce the amount of electrical waste that goes to landfill every year
• Businesses being the biggest cause of unnecessary electronic waste, it's important companies dispose of their old equipment correctly
• How to safely dispose of WEEE


  1. WEEE consists of a multitude of materials, including metal, glass, plastic, precious metals, arsenic, lead, and mercury

  2. The complex and dangerous mix of components means that the recycling of WEEE poses a serious health risk to those involved

  3. WEEE must be taken care of by fully trained professionals
• 3RS (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle)


  Reduce is cutting back on the amount of trash we make, reuse is finding a new way to use trash so that we don't have to throw it out, and recycle is using trash to remake new goods that can be sold again
• Reduce


  • The first line of defense in minimizing e-waste is to reduce purchases of new electronic devices and electrical equipment
  • Not buying new stuff is good for the environment and your wallet
• Reuse


  • Redeploy existing items to new owners
  • Regift to a friend or family member
  • Donate to a school, community center, nonprofit, Salvation Army, Goodwill, or charitable organization
  • Sell or giveaway using services like Gazelle or Freecycle
  • The person or organization you give, donate, or sell your used electronic devices to may or may not recycle them properly down the road
• Repair


  • When electronic devices and electrical equipment break down, they can often be repaired
  • People may choose to toss out the old unit and buy a new replacement because it seems cheaper and less hassle
  • Retail prices do not include the cost of environmental damage and health issues caused by dumping e-waste in landfills or recycling unsafely, so a new item is not actually "cheaper"
• There is a growing movement for do-it-yourself which is paid for the environment, empowers people
• 1. waste contains valuable materials that can be safely recycled to recover toxins appropriately
• The 7 R's of recycling

  • Reuse
  • Repurpose
  • Rot
  • Repair
  • Return
  • Recycle
  • Refuse
• Occupational Health and Safety (OHS)


  A disciplinary area concerned with protecting the safety, health and welfare of people engaged in work. The goal is to promote a safe work environment
• OHS may also impact employers, customers, suppliers, nearby communities and the public who are impacted by the workplace
• As a Consumer Electronic Servicing National Certificate (CES NC) student, you should know how to conduct yourself when working in the classroom laboratory and implement a safe way of accomplishing every task
• Safety practices should be learned early and always adhered to when working with any electrical and electronic device, for your protection as well as the people working with you and the devices you are using
• The basis for this process begins with Occupational Health and Safety Policies
• Personal Safety While Working Along Electronic Circuits

  • Wear shoes with non-conductive rubber soles
  • Do not work on components that are plugged into their power source
  • Do not remove expansion cards from electronic product when it is turned on
  • Remove jewellery when working inside any electronic related equipment
  • Be sure not to merge electronic components and water
• Each student has a responsibility to their colleagues and their organization to report and act upon any potential work hazards
• Procedure for dealing with hazards

  1. Identify the hazard

  2. Clear the area so the hazard is visible

  3. Isolate the hazard off or clearly identify the area to protect other people from harm

  4. If the hazard is easily and safely cleared, then do so

  5. Report the hazard to the appropriate person, to obtain assistance

  6. Fill out the correct documentation to assist in identifying improved practices to reduce further incidence of hazards
• All hazards must be reported and recorded to track the types of hazards we have in our workplace and act accordingly
• All fire exits should be kept clear of any obstacles. All corridors also need to have equipment stored on one side only to ensure that safe door exit is possible in case of fire
• In case of fire

  1. Assess the danger prior to doing anything

  2. If safe to move, assist anyone in the area of the fire away from danger

  3. If possible, close the door

  4. Call for assistance. Verbally call FIRE, FIRE in a loud and clear voice

  5. Break the glass section of the fire alarm

  6. Call to the switch, ensure you know where the fire is, any other details that may be of assistance to the fire brigade

  7. If the designated fire officer is not present, one quickly needs to take responsibility and: Locate the source of the fire, Locate any people, Remove all people from the building, Once outside do a head count, Notify the authorities