ICAITTW001B Work Effectively in an Information Technology Environment

On completion of this unit, learners should be competent in assimilating into an information technology environment. This is fundamental for working in an organization.

They should have the ability to:
1. Comply with general information technology policies and procedures.
2. Promote the organisation and the Information Technology department in a manner consistent with the organisation's mission.
3. Identify information technology equipment, software and operating systems supported by the organisation.

Glossary

Anti-discrimination
The Anti-Discrimination Act (1997) is designed to protect your rights and to prevent discrimination. This includes equality in the workplace and in other aspects of your life.

Capital equipment
An object which is a financial asset needed for an undertaking or to perform a service. Generally, capital equipment is a financial asset that adds to the net worth of a business.

Code of conduct
Ethics agreement which details acceptable behaviour and conduct for a particular company or role.

Contractor
A person or organisation that agrees to provide materials or perform services at a specified price, especially for construction or development work.

Contracts
An employment agreement between employer and employee, which is enforceable by law. A contract of employment sets out the conditions and terms under which an employee accepts to work in a particular job, such as the wage or salary amount, number or spread of working hours and whether overtime is paid or allowed.

Computing support
The provision or maintenance of hardware and software assistance.

Consumables
Computer related goods, which are used in the daily use or maintenance of a computer system, for example ink cartridges for a printer.

Corporate hardware and software
Approved hardware and software products used within a business.

Deadlines
A time limit for the completion of a task.

Duty statements
Also known as a job description. A document which describes the purpose, expected activities and responsibilities of a particular job.

E business
E business (electronic business) is the conduct of business on the internet
EEO
Equal Employment Opportunity. Any person employing other people has to take care to treat those people fairly, and not to discriminate on the grounds of race, sex, marital status, physical or mental impairment or sexual preferences.

Employer/employee rights and responsibilities
The duties and conformable rules or guidelines for a worker who is hired to perform a job, the employee, and the person or company that employ workers, the employer.

External client
A customer or someone who pays for goods or services who is independent of the organisation delivering the service.

Help desk
A department within a company that responds to technical questions. Most large software companies have help desks to answer user questions. Questions and answers can be delivered by telephone, email or fax .

Internal client
A customer within the limits of the organisation.

Mission statement
A declaration of a company's vision and role statement.

Organisational chart
A graphic representation of how authority and responsibility is distributed within a company or other organisation.

Outsourcing
Paying another company to provide services which a company might otherwise have employed its own staff to perform, for example software development.

Project teams
A group organised to work together to undertake and complete an extensive task.

Strategic plan
A plan detailing where a company wants to be in the future. These plans usually have a strong emphasis on new technologies and ways of conducting business, such as e business.

Supplier
Someone whose business is to supply a particular service or commodity.

Workplace committees
A group of people officially delegated to perform a function, such as investigating, considering and/or reporting on a particular aspect of the workplace such as an Occupational Heath and Safety Committee.

Work schedules
A plan for performing work or achieving an objective by specifying the order and allotted time for each part.

Key Players

Key players are personnel within an organisation that are essential for the functioning of that section or department. Within an organisation key players may include: Your supervisor ,Your trainer ,A manager , Helpdesk staff ,Other colleagues in the department or division

There may be a number of key players outside your organisation that influence how information technology is used in your organisation. These may include: Government departments ,Vendors of information , technology products or the customer ,Professional bodies and societies such as the Australian Computer Society ,Industry publications
Employer organisations and relevant unions

How do you promote the organisation?

Promoting the organisation to internal and external customers needs to be done in a manner consistent with organisational policies and procedures. You will need to establish how the organisation wants to be promoted. To do this you may need to understand the organisation's mission statement. Mission statements are usually found in the organisation's strategic plan. The mission statement and organisational plans are often published on the organisation's web site.

Organisations promote themselves through corporate advertising. This includes posters, brochures, listings in phone books, promotion of their mission statement within the organisation and having a presence on the internet. Individuals promote and are a representative of their organisation. The overall image of the organisation can be conveyed by the collective approach that staff have to customers, their dress, telephone manner and how their business is conducted, including meetings, presentations and interviews.

The organisation may also have a code of conduct that outlines the manner in which staff are expected to conduct themselves when consulting customers. If you are unsure about what is expected of you, speak with your supervisor, trainer or mentor who can clarify the situation for you.

Policies & Procedures

Each organisation will have its own policies and procedures. They may be directly related to the use of technology or designed to cover many aspects of the organisation. These policies and procedures may include -

- Occupational Health & Safety (OH&S) guidelines
- Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) guidelines
- Guidelines outlining work practices in a department
- The structure of departments within an organisation
- Work agreements or enterprise bargains
- Manuals on how to use technological equipment
- Preventative maintenance procedures
- Purchasing requisition procedures and documentation

Mission Statements

A mission statement refers to the core business of the company, their general philosophy and customer service focus. Organisations often have their mission statement on display in the foyer of their office. Mission statements are readily accessible for viewing by the public as organisations publish them in documents, such as annual reports and overviews of the organisation.

Organisational Charts

Organisational charts are used to represent the hierarchical or vertical structure of the organisation. These charts depict the reporting and communication lines for the organisation.
An organisational chart usually includes job or position description, and in some cases the name of the person holding that position.

Information Technology Functions

Information Technology can be used for a wide range of functions depending on the sectors within the industry, the type of organisation and the business conducted. The structure of the Information Technology department may be a separate branch, department, division or an integrated function of an organisation.

The five general sectors of the Information Technology industry include:
- computer hardware
- communications hardware
- packaged software
- computer services communication services

Unions

A union is an organisation of employees which acts collectively for mutual protection and assistance. Unions represent workers in dealings with employers. They negotiate wages and conditions of employment for their members.

Information Technology Careers

The Information Technology industry is well known for its breadth and diversity. It is a dynamic area and students are well advised to read widely for current trends and emerging technologies. The broad fields in the Information Technology industry can include those associated with hardware, software, web design, networking, marketing, help desk, and communications. Many jobs in Information Technology are a broad combination of several areas. To gain an insight into the careers in the Information Technology industry, look at the following websites listed below. A brief description of each site is included.





Activities



Exercise 1



Using your work placement company or another organisation that you are studying, write a 2-3 page report which addresses each of the following points.

1. Identify the name, address, telephone and fax numbers of your organisation

Bistro Marque , Gymea Hotel , 41 Gymea Bay Rd. GYMEA Sydney , NSW. 2227 , TEL: 02 9524 3429

2. Identify and briefly explain the role of the key players in the organisation.

My Boss , He is chef in the organisation and to manage the another chefs and employees in the kitchen . He will order some materials with many merchants. He will solve the new problems that is coming for every day.

3. Create an organisational chart for your organisation.

4. What is the mission statement of the organisation?

Clean foods , Good taste , Best Quality

What does the mission statement mean to the employees ?. How does it help them to assimilate into the workplace?

“ We are family ”

5. Briefly list and explain the information technology functions within the organisation.

They use the information technology with the salary paying for every week. They will have a receipt for employees .

6. Identify information technology equipment in use in the organisation

hardware, Computers , Printers

software (including operating system software),
Wage payment software , Ordering Software.

description of any special information technology equipment used in the workplace. Telephones , Fax , calculator

7. Find out and write down the telephone number and location of your nearest branch of the Australian Computer Society.

- Sydney Mechanics School of Arts , Lower Ground 280 Pitt Street,SYDNEY NSW 2000 Ph: +61 2 9261 4411
- Email: acsnsw@acslink.net.au

8. Find out where the following policies and procedures are located in your organisation and write down where they are kept.

a. Occupational Health & Safety

Safety in the workplace is critical to the success of running a business, no matter what size it is. As a small business owner you have certain rights and responsibilities regarding health and safety in your workplace. Even if you don’t have any employees, you must ensure that your business doesn’t create health and safety problems for your customers and the general public

b. Equal Employment Opportunity
- This means having workplace rules, policies, practices and behaviours that are fair and do not disadvantage people because they belong to particular groups. In such an environment, all workers are valued and respected and have opportunities to develop their full potential and pursue a career path of their choice. EEO groups are people affected by past or continuing disadvantage or discrimination in employment. As a result they may be more likely to be unemployed or working in lower paid jobs.
c. Purchasing Guidelines

- When purchasing goods and services, the following four steps should be followed.
Step 1:Obtain written quotation from more than one vendor.
Step 2:Request your purchase using purchase requisition or the Banner .
Step 3:Purchasing Services will review your request and issue a official purchase order to the vendor.
Step 4:Verify that the goods and services delivered conform to the requirements of the order.

Exercise 2

Identify career options in the Information Technology industry.Your task is to create a profile of a person currently working in the Information Technology industry.Create a questionnaire to be used together inform

Use desktop publishing software to create a personal career profile - including a scanned photo or photo taken using a digital camera. A Sample format is included below to help you

Name : Theerasak Kajornkeitpaisarn

Name of company : TNC computer world

Job Title : Programmer

Job description : Create new software

IT skills required to do this job :
-Ability to establish and lead governance committees and facilitate the process of priority-setting and decision-making.
-Interpersonal skills and a willingness to work closely with all constituents.
-Ability to adapt known technologies to new uses and envision natural relationships between emerging technology resources and the education process.

Salary (optional) : 120.000 pa

Length of time at current job role : 8 hour

Training or qualifications required : Bachelor of IT

How did you get this job? Internet advertisement

Future career aspirations: Have my own IT companyUse desktop publishing software to create a personal career profile - including a scanned photo or photo taken using a digital camera. A Sample format is included below to help you

Choose an information technology workplace and complete the exercises below.
1. Locate samples of information that the organisation distributes to its customers. This could include pamphlets, booklets and posters that advertise various aspects of the organisation. What does this information reveal about the organisation?
When my restaurant have some promotions . For example , Monday night is T-bone night . It’s just 10 dollar. They will show the promotion on T.V. inside the Gymea Hotel. And sometimes they will use posters for another promotions.
2. Does the organisation have guidelines that direct the way in which the organisation is promoted? If so what are they, if not why aren't guidelines necessary?
No, They don’t have guidelines because they have an event organizer company to create some promotions.

Case Study

Email Policy
The following links to the Australasian Legal Information Institute have some interesting information regarding the use of e-mail in the workplace. This is an area that has hit the media and the courtrooms recently due to employee claims of unfair dismissal and invasion of privacy.
The section of the website called, Privacy Law and Policy Reporter, publishes articles relating to privacy and computing. Read the article titled E-mail Privacy
The article recommends that organisations publish their email policy so that employees are aware of the correct use of email and the consequences of any breach of the email policy.

Task 1
Locate your work placement or another organisation's email policy. Briefly outline the acceptable use of email for your organisation. Are the consequences of breaching this policy documented ? If so what are the consequences?
- The policy should be promulgated to staff and management should ensure that it is known and understood by staff. Ideally the policy should be linked from a screen that the user sees when they log on to the network
- The policy should be explicit as to what activities are permitted and forbidden.
- The policy should clearly set out what information is logged and who in the organisation has rights to access the logs and content of staff e-mail and browsing activities.
- The policy should refer to the organisation's computer security policy. Improper use of e-mail may pose a threat to system security, the privacy of staff and others and the legal liability of the organisation.

ICAITU004B Apply Occupational Health and Safety Procedures

ICAITU004B
Apply Occupational Health and Safety Procedures
On completion of this unit learners should be competent in supporting the organizations’ Occupational Health and Safety principles and practices.
They should have the ability to:
Determine Occupational Health and Safety (OH & S) issues relating to immediate work environment.
Document and disseminate Occupational Health & Safety requirements.
Provide basic ergonomic advice.
Glossary Other Resources
Activities
Exercise 1 - Short Answer Questions
Exercise 2 - Multiple Choice
Case Study 1 - Reporting Procedures
Exercise 3 - Questions
Case Study 2 - Workplace Inspection
Sample Project

Glossary
OOS
Occupational Overuse Syndrome, also know as Repetitive Strain Injury (RSI). Caused by repetitive tasks and/or having poor posture.
Workstation
Includes the whole work area and positioning of – computer, monitor, keyboard, desk, chair, document holder and footrest.
Ergonomics
The study of the work environment in relation to the user.
Hazards
A situation or substance which could cause injury or illness.
Code of Practice
Guidelines which should be implemented to maintain safe work practices.
Manual Handling
Lifting or moving any equipment or other objects.
OHS Committee
A body of workplace employees committed to ensuring a safe work environment – attends regular meetings and carries out regular inspections.
WorkCover
The managing body for NSW Workplace Health & Safety
Accident Report
A document which should be filled out by anyone involved in workplace accidents/injuries, regardless of however minor they might be.
Worker’s Compensation
A special insurance-type payment made to any person who is injured or suffers a work related illness and needs time off work.
MSDS
Material Safety Data Sheets – specifies how to handle certain material and/or substances.

Other resources

K Burton & K Le Rossignol, 2000, Communicating in an IT Environment, Eastern House, Victoria

www.workcover.nsw.gov.au/ - is the NSW managing and monitoring body for health and safety, Worker’s Compensation, and injuries in the workplace. www.ohs.com.au/sites.htm - Contains Products and services and other government sites relating to OH & S – Australian and international.
Video: Using Computers without Pain and Injury, 1993, Open Training and Education Network, (NSW) Film and Video Unit, Sydney.
OTEN Module – 3650F, Distance Education, Strathfield NSW


Activities

Exercise 1
1 An unhealthy work environment can lead to many problems, name some of these problems:
2 The study of the work environment in relation to the user is called ergonomics.
TRUE FALSE
3 Name some of the common complaints in relation to ergonomics.
4 How often should you take a break when using a computer?
every 3 hours , once per day , every 30 mins
5 Your eyes should be level with the top of the screen.
TRUE FALSE
6 If your feet cannot comfortably reach the floor what should you use?
7 Repetitive Strain Injury is often referred to as OOS (Occupational Overuse Syndrome), is this correct?
8 If you suffer from eyestrain, what course of action should you take?
9 To be comfortable when you are working with the keyboard, your wrists should be resting on the desk.
TRUE FALSE
10 Describe what kind of chair you should have at your workstation.

Answers

Exercise 1
1 Stress, accidents, headaches, backaches, eye strain, low morale (anything else similar to these)
2 TRUE
3 Wrong type of chair – back and neck problems, stress on the body overall, Wrongly adjusted VDU – eye problems, headaches, glare problems, Environment – stuffy, too cold or hot, over air-conditioned, noisy, overwork Workstation arrangement – not practical, causes twisting or turning, cluttered or messy, frustrating and stressful
4 Every 30 minutes
5 TRUE
6 Footrest
7 Yes
8 Have your eyes checked, wear glasses if necessary, adjust brightness and/or positioning of monitor
9 FALSE
10 An ergonomic chair, with adjustable height and back support, 5 feet with castors, seat should be made of cloth and angled away from your upper thighs, preferable with no arms (or lower enough to fit under the desk) and in complete working order.

Exercise 2

Questions:
1. Stress can be related to:
a. An ergonomic, well-planned workstation
b. Job overload and poor work design
c. A happy work environment
d. None of the above

2. OOS stands for:
a. Occupational Overworked Syndrome
b. Often Occupationally Sick
c. Occupational Overuse Syndrome
d. Any of the above

3. A VDU is another term for:
a. RSI
b. Chronic Stress
c. Monitor or screen
d. All of the above

4. Which of the following is a hazard?
a. Chemicals
b. Poor work design
c. Electrical Problems
d. All of the above

5. When lifting any heavy weight you should:
a. Keep your back straight
b. Keep you knees straight
c. Hold the weight away from your body
d. Carry as much as you want

Answers

Exercise 2 Multiple choice

1 b

2 c

3 c

4 d

5 a

Exercise 3
1. In relation the Occupational Health & Safety Act what are the employer’s responsibilities?
2. What are the employee’s responsibilities?
3. What sort of injuries does the OH & S Law cover?
4. List some of the changes made to the workplace as a result of OH & S Laws.
5. Name some of the functions of the OH & S Committee.
6. Investigate what the following safety signs mean in the workplace.A red circle with a line through itA green triangleA yellow triangleA blue circle
7. Summarize the Hierarchy of Controls.
8. If you were asked to move a computer from one place to another, what safety precautions would you take?

Answers:

1. Employer’s responsibilities:o Provide training for the use of any equipment in the workplaceo Educate staff about occupation overuse syndromeo Outline correct lifting procedures for heavy weightso Establish a schedule of repairs and maintenance for equipmento Provide adequate lightingo Provide ergonomically designed furnitureo Outline procedures for reporting potential hazards

2. Employee’s responsibilities:o Adjusting equipment to suit themselveso Reporting potential hazardso Adhering to safety regulations regarding issues such as power, lifting, housekeepingo Considering the welfare of themselves and others in the workplaceo Taking frequent breaks when doing repetitive tasks

3. In relation to IT injurieso Being injured during a lunchtime game in the grounds of the organization/companyo An assault by another employeeo An accident in the office or workshopo An accident while traveling between job locations for work purposeso An accident at a social function held by the organization/company

4. Some changes to the workplace;o Safety signs warning of dangero Compulsory protective clothing where it is necessaryo Regular maintenance of air conditioning unitso Regular inspections of the workplace and follow up of hazard reportso Hazard controlo Emergency drillso Safety auditso Documentation for work-related incidents, accidents injuries and illnesses

5. Functions of an OHS Committeeo Investigate issues brought to its attention by employees or employerso Assist in the development of a safe work environmento Ensure there are appropriate recording procedures for accidentso Attempt to resolve issueso May have other functions relevant to the type of workplace

6. Safety signso Indicates something that must not be doneo Indicates where emergency equipment is kepto Danger warningo Indicates the need for some type of safety equipment

7. Hierarchy of controlso Elimination – removing the risk.o Substituting – replacing equipment or substance with a better or less risky oneo Engineering controls – designing or redesigning a better work area.o Administrative controls – training, job rotation, scheduling of work, risk control.o Personal protective clothing and equipment – to provide a barrier to any hazard.

8. Safety precautionso Turn off all components at the wallo Unplug all the power leadso Disconnect all cables from the computer components keyboard, printer, mouse etco Use a trolley if it is a fair distance to be moved to or,o Lift the equipment with bent knees, keeping the equipment close to your body and your back straight.

Case study 1
You are an employee of Bits & PCs Computer Services Company and one of your tasks is to attend the helpdesk enquiries for two hours every day. There are three of you doing this during a normal day, but on this particular day one of your workmates is off sick and you are asked to do his two hours as well as your own.

Along with this you also have some urgent tasks that you feel you really need to try and do in between enquiries. The day begins quite well and you seem to be making progress, however, you start to get very busy on the helpdesk and you end up working through lunch.

Later in the afternoon, you decide it is time to have a quick break. In your rush, you trip over the electrical leads hanging down beside the desk and land on an open PC case, cutting your hand and badly bruising both knees as you hit the floor!

You are not seriously hurt, but shaken and your hand will need some attention to stop the bleeding.
Fill out the information on the Injury/Investigation Report below, using all your own details and the relevant information from the above case study.

1 Fill out the information on the Injury/Investigation Report below, using all your own details and the relevant information from the above case study.

Sample Injury/Investigation Report

Surname: Kajornkeitpaisarn
Given Name: Theerasak
Address: 17/230 Elizabeth House. Elizabeth Street.
Suburb: Surry Hills , NSW .
Post Code: 2010
Home Phone: 0298765432
DOB:02/03/1882
Marital Status: Single
Age: 25
Job Title: IT Technical Support Officer
Time and date of injury: 2.30 p.m. (18/07/2007)
Cause of injury (in your opinion) : to trip over the electrical leads hanging down beside the desk and land on an open PC case
Nature of injury: hand cut and both knees bruised
To whom did you report the injury? : IT Technical Support Supervisor
Did you need medical attention?: Yes

If there were any witnesses supply their name and phone number : Note: I worked alone

2 What should you do with this report once it is completed?

Answer :
2. I should send this report to my supervisor .


Case study 2
Choose an appropriate office or workplace with at least one computer workstation and carry out the following tasks:
In the factory : Theerasak's company

Investigate the OH & S practices which are in place

In a factory should have OH & S practices for every 6 month such as the fire escape practicing , should have first aid practicing , should have safety first policy when they work at dangerous place or danger machine . In the factory should have good environment because it will be good for employee healthy

Identify any electrical hazards

The metal parts of electrical tools and machines may become “hot” if there is a break in the insulation of the tool or machine wiring. The worker using these tools and machines is made less vulnerable to electrical shock when a low-resistance path from the metallic case of the tool or machine to the ground is established. The effects from electric shock depend upon the type of circuit, its voltage ,resistance ,amperage ,pathway through the body , and duration of the contact. In addition to shock and burn hazards , electricity poses other dangers. For example ,when a short circuit occurs, hazards are created from the resulting arcs. If high current is involved , these arcs can cause injury or start a fire.

What OH & S reporting procedures are there?

The OH & S reporting should have the name, address, number phone , job position , cause of injury , time and date of injury , nature of injury and then when you fill the detail finish. You must send to your supervisor.

Is the furniture ergonomically designed?

Yes , because if you have furniture ergonomically designed that it will be suitable for worker.

In all these areas recommend any OH & S improvements you feel are necessary.

I think , In factory must have sick bay room and some first aid because the factory is very large area and a lot of worker in there that it is necessary if it can improve for worker safety.



Workstation Ergonomics

- material obtained from Workcover NSW, Feb 2001

Recommendation Install the RTA computer in the office facing the door. Install another light above the computer. This would comply with the requirements of the WORKCOVER guidelines for environmental factors. For ergonomic requirements an additional ergonomic chair is purchased. The computer system is installed based on the WORKCOVER guide lines for the following:The angle of the screen to the eye is max 30 degrees to horizontal. This is to protect the neck.The key board is positioned to reduce stress on the risk.

The back rest is adjusted to ensure the back is vertical when seated.Refer to http://www.acay.com.au/~mkrause/workstation_ergonomics.htm for additional information on Workstation Ergonomics.The basic setup is given in Figure 1. Basically this includes the setup oft he following: Chair, Desk screen, Documents Layout, Keyboard, Mouse, Environment, Telephone Operations and Headsets and Work Organisation.

Figure 1


Figure 2



Figure 3


Additional requirements for posture are given in the following reference.

http://www.acay.com.au/~mkrause/posture.htm

Sample project

This scenario involves a Public School with a student enrolment of approximately 99. Recently a new family moved to the area increasing the enrolment by 3. Schools that have an enrolment of more than 100 become entitled to a full time clerical officer and a computer system, i.e. a PC and a laser printer.
The Principal of the school only has one area where she can locate the new clerical officer and the computer. It is a small room that used to be the sick bay (see plan attached).

While school funds are limited there may be some money available for some minor office renovation.
The school does have an OH & S Committee so the Principal asks that the committee members examine the proposed new office as to its suitability under the OH & S Act. She also informs the committee that there is a table and an old office chair in the room, which she thinks will do for the time being.

The new staff member will be starting work at the commencement of the next term in 8 weeks time. The computer and printer have already been delivered.
Your task as an OH & S representative is to:

1. Consider all the facts before giving a recommendation to the Principal and outline all these facts and why they should be taken into consideration.

Answer

I think the store room is too large so it make the sick bay room too small. In this room has just one window. The air can’t flow around the room. The lights don’t have the power (Watt) enough for sick bay room.

2. What recommendations would you make to the Principal as to the set up of this new workstation in the new office?

Answer

1. The principle should take the wall out and to build the new store room . The new store room should be small room because the store room is not more necessary for sick bay room and to build at some corner.
2. The principle should build one more window and to put the beds near the windows because it good for the patient and then should to add the air conditioner too.
3. The principle should change the new lights . It should be 100 Watt because it comfort for clerical officer to work .
4. The principle should locate the clerical officer desk at some the corner of sick bay room.The computer desk should suit for clerical officer.
You should use the Internet, text books or any pamphlets/leaflets you may have obtained to help you with this report.