Always power down electrical equipment, disconnect power cords, and wait before touching exposed wires. Do not wear metallic objects and ensure hands and shoes are dry. Do not open computer power supplies or monitors, and watch out for sharp edges. Protect equipment by shutting down computers properly, using surge protectors, unplugging when not in use, and keeping a cool room temperature. Beware of static electricity when working inside computer cases, and do not touch circuit boards or contacts.

1. Laboratory Safety Information Always Remember: Safety First! These guidelines are important. It is possible to do serious damage in the Computer Lab- both to yourself and to some expensive equipment. Please, follow these guidelines!

3. Laboratory Safety Information Therefore, in order to minimize the electric shock hazard: Always power down the electrical equipment, disconnect the power cord, and wait for a few seconds before touching exposed wires. Remember that circuit breakers are usually set for much larger currents (e.g., household breakers are at 15 A and higher) than the current that kill a person (200-300 mA). Do not assume that because your circuit is powered with 5 V, it is not dangerous. In some circuits, capacitors can be charged to a much higher voltage and give you a nasty surprise. Death by electrocution has been reported at a voltage as low as 42 V (DC).

5. In case of electric shock, cut the power and/or remove the victim as quickly as possible without endangering yourself. If the power switch is not readily available (remember the Lab Emergency Shut-Off Power switch), use an insulating material such as dry wood, rope, belt, etc. The resistance of body decreases during a shock so action should not be delayed. Send someone to call for help immediately.

7. Laboratory Safety Information Summary . . . Always power down the electrical equipment, disconnect the power cord, and wait for a few seconds before touching exposed wires. (2) Do not wear rings, watches, necklace, and any other loose metallic objects. (3) Make sure that your hand are dry. (4) Make sure that your shoes are dry (specially in rainy days) (5) Don’t open the computer’s power supply or monitor. (6) Watch out for sharp metal edges!

9. Always shut down the computer via Windows’ Start button

10. Use a surge protector to keep excess electric power from damaging your computer (i.e.AVR, UPS...)

11. Unplug the computer or turn off the wall socket when the machine is not in use.

12. Excessive heat can damage the computers. Please ensure that the room temperature stays cool.

13. Motion can damage some computer components. Try to move laptop computers as little as possible, especially when the hard drive or the floppy drive is whirring.

14. Always have at least two copies of all your important files, in case the worse happens! Especially in busy offices, the data on your computer is soon more valuable than the hardware itself.

16. The mild shock that would startle you can destroy the sensitive electronics inside of a computer. Wear an anti-static strap to ensure that you are “grounded” to the PC.

17. Do not touch any of the circuit boards directly!

18. If you must add or remove them, please handle them by their edges. They can be damaged, and the fingerprints that you leave behind can cause short circuits

19. Especially, do not touch the gold or silver contacts where the component connects to the motherboard!