The server on the top shelf
Maya works alone in a school on a Saturday. A server must be moved to the top shelf of a rack. It weighs more than she can lift.
She stands on a chair, pulls it up and her back gives way. Nobody knows she is hurt.
Four rules in the health and safety policy would have stopped it.
Key words
| Word | What it means |
|---|---|
| Health and safety policy | The written rules that protect people at work from harm. |
| Procedure | The steps to follow to do a job safely. |
| Lone working | Working with nobody else nearby who could help. |
| Manual handling | Lifting, carrying or moving something with your body. |
| Working at height | Any job where you could fall and be hurt. |
| Risk assessment | Checking what could go wrong and how to prevent it. |
| RIDDOR | The 2013 rules that make employers report serious injuries and some events to the HSE. |
| HSE | The Health and Safety Executive, the UK body that checks workplace safety. |
| Fire marshal | A trained member of staff who helps people leave in a fire. |
The cells students fill in are left blank in this preview.
By the end of this lesson
Note
I can explain each procedure in a health and safety policy, and say why it matters for people who work with hardware.
Starter: what you know
Have a go
Starter: what you know
3 questionsYour answers are marked here and are not kept. A college account keeps every student’s marks.
Cycle 1: the duty
By law, an employer must keep staff safe, and staff must take care and follow the rules. The health and safety policy turns this into steps.
For IT staff the risks are real: heavy kit, ladders to reach cable trays, and server rooms with power and fire risks.
Five procedures cover most of it.
The five procedures at a glance
| Procedure | The rule in short | An IT example |
|---|---|---|
| Lone working | Check-in and a way to call for help | Working alone in a comms room at night |
| Manual handling | Avoid lifting, or lift in a safe way | Moving a heavy server or a monitor |
| Working at height | Use the right equipment, avoid if possible | Fitting a cable tray above a ceiling |
| Fire safety | Know the exits and the extinguishers, train staff | A hot server room with a propped door |
| RIDDOR | Report serious injuries and events to the HSE | A worker breaks a bone moving a rack |
The cells students fill in are left blank in this preview.
Check: which procedure?
Have a go
Check: which procedure?
3 questionsYour answers are marked here and are not kept. A college account keeps every student’s marks.