Health and safety

Exercise 1. Study the following words and expressions:

1) unhealthy side effects – вредные побочные эффекты 2) harmless – безвредный 3) padded chair – мягкое кресло 4) climate-controlled office – вентилируемое помещение 5) eyestrain – астенопия (быстрая утомляемость глаз) 6) age-old back problem – радикулит 7) repetitive-strain (action) injury (RSI) – хроническое растяжение сухожилий травматического характера 8) carpal tunnel syndrome – кистевой туннельный синдром 9) miscarriage – выкидыш 10) to develop – (зд. ) зарабатывать 11) to involve – вовлекать 12) damaged – поврежденный 13) legislators – законодатели 14) to push for laws – продвигать законы 15) exposure – радиоактивное облучение 16) built-in protection – встроенная защита 17) to take care of – заботиться 18) computer facilities – компьютерное оборудование 19) work conditions – условия работы 20) coping mechanisms – механизмы адаптации (приспособления) 21) to reduce glare – уменьшить свечение 22) deflector – отражатель, отража- тельный экран

23) tilt-and-swivel base – наклонная и вращающаяся подставка 24) pneumatically adjustable chair – пневматически регулируемое кресло 25) to avoid - избегать 26) arm and wrist [rist] fatigue [fә 'ti: g] – усталость рук и кистей 27) rest – подставка 28) to rest – опираться, облокачиваться 29) sharp end – острый край 30) firmly – твёрдо, крепко, прочно 31) to rotate (to roll)– вращать 32) occasionally – изредка, временами, время от времени 33) to stretch – потягиваться 34) irresponsible – безответственный 35) disposal – утилизация, ликвидация, уничтожение 36) (to) cause – вызывать, заставлять; причина 37) environmental problems – экологические проблемы 38) severe [si'viә ] – серьёзный 39) public health – здоровье населения 40) to treat – обрабатывать, перерабатывать 41) concern – беспокойство 42) radiation emitted – излучаемая радиация 43) to distract – отвлекать 44) accident – авария 45) obsessive – чрезмерный, одержимый, навязчивый 46) gambling – азартная игра; игра на бирже; игра в казино

Exercise 2. Read and translate the text:

1. Can all this computing be good for you? Are there any unhealthy side effects? The computer seems harmless enough. How bad can it be sitting in a padded chair in a climate- controlled office?

2. Health questions have been raised by the people who sit all day in front of the video display terminals (VDTs) of their computers. Are computer users getting bad radiation? What about eyestrain? And what about the age-old back problem of the workers who hold their hands over a keyboard? What about repetitive-action injury also known as carpal tunnel syndrome? What about the risk of miscarriage?

3. Any person who repeats the same movement a lot of times can develop repetitive strain injury (RSI). Factory workers, computer operators, sports people, and musicians are at the most risk because their jobs involve making the same movement thousands of times. The symptoms of RSI include: pain and/or burning in the damaged area, difficulty in moving, and loss of feeling.

4. Unions and legislators in many countries continue to push for laws limiting exposure to video screens. Many manufacturers now offer screens with built-in protection.

5. Meanwhile, there are a number of things workers can do to take care of themselves. A good place to begin with is an ergonomically designed workstations. The study of how people interact safely and efficiently with machines and their work conditions is called ergonomics. In computing, ergonomics is about designing computer facilities so they are safe and comfortable.

6. Experts recommend the following steps:

ü Turn the screen away from the window to reduce glare, and cover your screen with a glare deflector. Turn off overhead lights; illuminate your work area with a lamp.

ü Put your monitor on a tilt-and-swivel base.

ü Get a pneumatically adjustable chair. Position the seat back so your lower back is supported.

ü Place the keyboard low enough to avoid arm and wrist fatigue. Do not bend your wrists when you type. Use an inexpensive, raised wrist rest. Do not rest your wrists on a sharp end.

ü Sit with your feet firmly on the floor.

ü Exercise at your desk occasionally rotating your wrist, rolling your shoulders, and stretching. Better yet, get up and walk around at regular intervals.

7. Irresponsible disposal of electronic waste can cause severe environmental and public health problems. For example, children or workers who come in contact with toxic components of electronic products may suffer from skin and breathing problems.

ü We should recycle or treat ICT (Information and Communication Technology) equipment (e. g. plastics from mobiles could be used to make pens and rules).

ü Manufacturers should pay to finance recycling programs.

8. Frequent use of mobile phones are the cause of concern and there is ongoing research into whether radiation emitted causes health problems. A serious risk is the use of mobiles and navigation systems in cars; this can distract the driver and cause accidents.

ü Don’t use your mobile while driving.

9. Another health problem is Internet addiction, including obsessive game playing, gambling, etc.

ü If you are an Internet addict, you should ask for help from specialists.

Exercise 3. Find the words in the text which mean:

1) nuclear radiation (paragraph 4); 2) injurious (1); 3) radicular pain (2); 4) diagnostic (3); 5) healthy (5); 6) convenient (5); 7) disposition (7); 8) put up money for (7).

Exercise 4. Complete the sentences with the words in the box. Translate.

■ Internet addiction ■ mobile phones ■ RSI ■ eyestrain

■ recycle ■ electronic waste ■ ergonomics

1. Experts believe the best way to reduce musculoskeletal injuries is through … - designing computer facilities so they are safe and comfortable. 2 The developers of the Safetype ergonomic keyboard claim that it can prevent … or repetitive-strain (action) injury. 3 Visual problems, such as … and irritation, are severe. Causes of these problems include glare, poor lighting and focusing the eyes on the screen for long periods of time. 4 Some companies test ways to … and dispose of …. For example, Epson Portland sponsored all electronics collection day on the so-called Earth Day. 5 The police say … can distract the driver and cause the crash. 6 When a person is spending days and nights on the Internet, we say he is suffering from ….

Exercise 5. Look at the diagram and put the labels below in the correct place:

a) elbows at 90 degrees

b) feet flat on the floor

c) head and neck strait and

relaxed

d) lower arm horizontal

e) shoulders down

f) upper arm vertical

g) use an adjustable chair

Homework

Write down your own tips for computer safety (at least 8)