Ergonomics/Safety

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RISKS-LIST: Risks-Forum Digest  Tuesday 17 May 2005  Volume 23 : Issue 87

ACM FORUM ON RISKS TO THE PUBLIC IN COMPUTERS AND RELATED SYSTEMS (comp.risks)
Peter G. Neumann, moderator, chmn ACM Committee on Computers and Public Policy

This issue is archived at http://www.risks.org/ as
  http://catless.ncl.ac.uk/Risks/23.87.html

------------------------------

Date: Fri, 29 Apr 2005 19:29:59 EDT
From: Ken Knowlton <KCKnowlton@aol.com>
Subject: The Downside of Wired Hospitals

"Computers are making hospitals more dangerous, new research suggests.
Computer keyboards fester with colonies of bacteria, which can easily spread
from the medical personnel who use them to the patients they treat.  Some
hospitals now have computers in every patient room, creating even more
opportunities for contamination.

Researchers at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago found that the
types of bacteria commonly found in hospitals--some resistant to
antibiotics--could survive on a keyboard for 24 hours.  Simply cleaning
the computers with soap and water didn't make a difference.  Using a
strong disinfectant did kill the germs--but it also damaged the
computers.  'The difficulty with keyboards is you can't pour bleach on
them,' Dr. Allison McGreer of Toronto's Mount Sinai Hospital tells The
Canadian Press.  'They don't work so well when you do that.'

Because it's nearly impossible to keep keyboards sterile, researchers
say, the onus is on doctors and nurses to wash their hands vigorously
and often."

[Excerpted from *The Week*, 29 May 2005]

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This firm:

Educational Resources Inc.
557 Whiteford Way
PO Box 1257
Lexington, SC  29071-1257

WATS voice:  1-800/333-8822
POTS voice:  1-
POTS   FAX:  1-803/356-1946

has the following safety films available:

9113   "Video Display Terminal Safety"
       - ergonomics
       - eye strain
       - effect of lighting
       - radiation
       - fatigue and stress relief
       - practical solutions

       15 minutes long

        5-day rental   $150
       30-day rental   $200
            purchase   $395

       VHS, U-Matic

DM43   "Preventing Carpal Tunnel Syndrome"

       14 minutes long

        5-day rental   $150
       30-day rental   $200
            purchase   $325


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From skoper@comcast.net Thu Jan  6 13:10:58 2005
Newsgroups: ne.general.selected, ne.general
References: <sel.barmar-30E24F.14064103012005@comcast.dca.giganews.com>
Message-ID: <eNSdnZF06pFEykHcRVn-1g@comcast.com>
Organization: I.E.C.C., Trumansburg NY USA
Date: 5 Jan 2005 16:11:20 -0500
From: Stan Koper <skoper@comcast.net>
Subject: Re: Donating old computer parts

Barry Margolin wrote:
> I've got some really ancient computer equipment: an old ImageWriter, a 
> SCSI QIC tape drive, a SCSI CD-ROM drive (probably 2X or 4X), lots of 
> cables, some old hard disks, lots of floppy and Zip disks (containing 
> ancient home Macintosh backups that I don't think I'll ever need to 
> restore from).
> 
> I'm looking for a good way to get rid of this stuff that's cluttering my 
> apartment.  I did some web searching, and most places that want donated 
> computer equipment are looking for PC's and monitors, typically less 
> than 10 years old, not all these random parts and accessories.  Or 
> they're just places where you can list what you have, and they'll match 
> up donors with requestors -- I'd like to just load up my car with all 
> the stuff and drop it off somewhere.
> 

> Any suggestions (ideally, within a half-hour of Arlington)?  To see the 
> description of the place that would have fit my needs if they were still 
> in operation, go to:
> 
> http://www.nonprofits.org/gallery/alpha/east
> 
Here's a piece that someone posted on the Metrowest Freecycle list:

Anne Kandra of Consumer Watch reports:


I'm not proud of this, but here's what I recently discovered stashed in a
corner of my basement, right next to the high school yearbooks and stacks of
vinyl LPs: two old tower PCs, two CRT monitors, a nonfunctioning
multifunction fax/copier/scanner, a cell phone the size of a Kleenex box, a
single-disc CD player, an elderly but willing inkjet printer, and a PDA that
long ago lost its will to hot-sync.

Naturally, I never intended to create a refugee camp for discarded digital
devices. It just sort of evolved..

Throwing the stuff out, though, can be worse than stockpiling it. According
to the Environmental Protection Agency, the average CRT monitor or TV
contains about 4 pounds of lead, and most electronic devices contain
mercury, cadmium, and other hazardous materials. Currently, according to the
EPA, electronics account for about 1 percent of all solid waste, but most
research suggests that the percentage is increasing every year.

Manufacturers Help

The good news? Hardware makers and other companies are finally starting to
help stem the flow of electronic waste. Many have established programs that
make recycling easier for consumers and that offer incentives such as
discounts on new purchases for customers who recycle.

Last summer, Office Depot worked with HP to offer free electronics recycling
to the public for a limited time--all you had to do was drop off your device
at a local store. Companies such as Dell, Gateway, and IBM provide recycling
services, too.

HP, which historically has been proactive in electronics recycling, will
recycle just about any PC, monitor, printer, scanner, fax machine, or
handheld device--including equipment made by companies other than HP. You
simply fill out an online form and pack the hardware up:
  <http://www.hp.com/hpinfo/globalcitizenship/environment/recycle/>
http://www.hp.com/hpinfo/globalcitizenship/environment/recycle/

At $13 to $34 per item, the service isn't the cheapest solution around, but
the convenience is hard to beat: Just leave the box on your doorstep, and
rest assured that your hardware will be reused or recycled for parts.

If you have your own collection of outgrown tech gear languishing in a hall
closet, start the new year right and clean house. Chances are that you have
something someone can use. Even if you don't, it's worth spending a few
minutes--and maybe a few bucks--to dispose of those dormant devices
responsibly.

First take inventory of what you have in storage. Separate the things that
work from those that don't, and gather all the documentation and components
you can find. Don't worry if the devices have minor problems; in some cases,
facilities will do minor repairs or upgrades.

Obviously you shouldn't even think of handing over a computer--or anything
else that might store private information about you--without wiping the
entire hard drive clean. (And remember, simply deleting the sensitive data
doesn't make it unrecoverable from the hard drive.)

Some refurbishers or recycling services might offer to wipe the hard drive
for you, but unless the company is run by your mom, my advice is to do it
yourself. Read "Ditching an Old Computer" for how to scrub your drive:
  <http://pcwnl.pcworld.com/t/314560/24652388/967649/0/>
http://www.pcworld.com/reviews/article/0,aid,117330,tk,cax,00.asp

There is a downside to wiping the drive completely: Most charities and
nonprofits don't have the resources to replace deleted operating systems and
other software. If you have either a restore disc for the computer or your
original copy of the OS, you can help by reinstalling the software or by
including the disc with the PC.

Free to a Good Home

Once you've collected and cleaned your hardware has-beens, you can focus on
getting rid of them. The easiest approach is to find a company that
specializes in placing or recycling used equipment and let that group handle
the details, even if it ends up costing you a few dollars.

A helpful place to start your search is the National Recycling Coalition,
which offers an extensive database of recyclers and refurbishers, listed by
state:
  <http://pcwnl.pcworld.com/t/314560/24652388/967650/0/>
http://www.nrc-recycle.org/resources/electronics/search/getlisting.php

Another useful site is TechSoup, which lists recyclers, refurbishers,
charities, and other resources by region:
  <http://www.techsoup.org> http://www.techsoup.org

Check with your community's waste management department, as well. Many
cities and towns schedule times when you can drop off electronics and other
unwanted equipment; some even provide occasional curbside pickup service.

Got an old cell phone, PDA, or other small electronic device whose service
is no longer required? ReCellular, a Michigan-based company, collects and
refurbishes or recycles unwanted devices, donating most of the proceeds to
charities. Return any retired cell phone to a local pickup spot, and it'll
be refurbished, reused, or recycled, according to marketing director Mike
Newman. Go to the company's Web site for a list of pickup spots:
  <http://pcwnl.pcworld.com/t/314560/24652388/967652/0/>
http://www.wirelessrecycling.com/home/index.html

And don't forget that disposing of some recent tech products could yield you
a little cash. Auction giant EBay is doing its part to encourage consumers
to sell their outgrown computers for reuse. The company's PC Selling Center
service lets you obtain a detailed description of your computer (using an
online tool provided by PC World) and a quote of its value, print prepaid
shipping labels, order shipping materials, post a listing, and arrange for
pickup, all with just a few clicks:
  <http://pcsellingcenter.ebay.com/> http://pcsellingcenter.ebay.com/

David Stern, senior category manager of systems at EBay, says, "When we
surveyed our customers, we found a tremendous demand for systems that are
between one and three years old. So it made sense to help sellers reach out
to that community."

As for my own collection of idle tech tools, I discovered a nearby recycling
center and cleared out my electronic castoffs within a few hours. Some of
the devices--like the CD player and the printer--even got a new lease on
life, finding a home at a nonprofit after-school program.

It's a win-win solution: You get rid of stuff you don't need, help a good
cause, and do the environment a favor. But remember, the longer your
computer sits idle, the less useful it becomes. So Happy New Year--and happy
recycling.

For more help getting rid of your old equipment, read "PC Recycling Made
Easier":
  <http://pcwnl.pcworld.com/t/314560/24652388/967654/0/>
http://www.pcworld.com/news/article/0,aid,114054,tk,cax,00.asp

Have a question or comment? Write to Anne Kandra:
consumerwatch@pcworld.com

Read Anne Kandra's regularly published "Consumer Watch" columns:
  <http://pcwnl.pcworld.com/t/314560/24652388/364579/0/>
http://www.pcworld.com/resource/columnist/0,colid,4,tk,ca,00.asp



