Digital MediaSafety Issues

102.02

Physical Safety Issues

Safety issues pertinent to digital media professionals fall under two categories:

Physical safety issues Physical hazards that could injure you or others

Digital safety issues Computer or technology-related dangers to your personal, financial, emotional or physical well-being

Physical Safety Issues

Electrical Hazards

A dangerous condition that poses a threat of injury or even death. Contact with electrical current or equipment failure can result in electric shock, arc-flash burn, thermal burn, blast or other injury.

Physical Safety Issues

Trip Hazards

Unexpected objects in a path can pose a hazard. Examples: Poor housekeeping

Cords in walkways

Cluttered work area

Poor visibility

Open drawers

Physical Safety Issues

Ergonomics

Ergonomics is simply defined as the science of designing the workplace to fit the worker, enabling comfort and avoiding injury from strain. Examples: Proper posture

Safe lifting techniques

Appropriate seating position

Adaptive equipment

Physical Safety Issues

Lifting Hazards

Improperly lifting a heavy object is the most common cause of injury for younger workers, damaging muscles, tendons, ligaments, nerves and blood vessels. Lift with the knees, not the back

Keep loads close to the body and near your center of gravity

Use diagonal foot positions

Lift from waist height rather than from the floor.

Avoid awkward positions and get help if needed!

Digital Safety Issues

Identity Theft

Identity theft is a serious problem in modern society, made easier for criminals by the use of computers

and electronics.

Identity thieves steal or capture identifying or personal data

such as Social Security numbers, credit card numbers, passwords,

etc. and use it to gain access to financial accounts and more.

Digital Safety Issues

Cyberbullying

“Cyberbullying” is when someone – often a child, pre-teen or teen – is tormented,

threatened, harassed, humiliated, embarrassed or otherwise

targeted by another person using the Internet, interactive and

digital technologies or mobile phones.

Digital Safety Issues

Cyberbullying

There are two kinds of cyberbullying:direct attacks (messages sent to your kids

directly) and cyberbullying by proxy(using others to help cyberbully the

victim, either with or without theaccomplice's knowledge).

Because cyberbullying by proxy often gets

adults involved in the harassment, it is much more dangerous.

Digital Safety Issues

Viruses

A virus is a small piece of software that piggybacks on real programs.

For example, a virus might attach itself to a program such as spreadsheet software.

Each time the spreadsheet programs runs, the virus runs too and has the chance to

reproduce (by attaching to other programs) or wreak havoc.

Digital Safety Issues

Trojan Horses

A Trojan horse is simply a computer program that claims to do one thing

(it may claim to be a game, or screensaver software) but instead

does damage when you run it.

A Trojan horse may use your computer to send spam, or could

even erase your hard disk.

Digital Safety Issues

Worms

A worm is a small piece of software that uses computer networks and

security holes to replicate itself.

A copy of the worm scans the network for another machine that

has a specific security hole.

It copies itself to the new machine using the security hole, then starts

replicating from there as well.

Digital Safety Issues

Spam

Companies sell valid email addresses to people who want to sell a product.

They may get the emails through numerous methods, including:

Social networks or websitesNewsgroups or chat room

Websites that request personal infoSites created with the specific

purpose of ‘harvesting emails’ (example: prize offerings)

Digital Safety Issues

HoaxesHoaxes, commonly spread via email, chain letter or social

media, are false reports. They can be malicious, or mischievous. They are usually started with mal-intent but

then spread by people who believe them to be true. Hoaxes sometimes involve:

Non-existent subjects (e.g. warnings about viruses that aren’t real), Claims of impossible feats

False alarms about supposed new criminal tactics False or exaggerated accusations against politicians or celebrities

Scams or scaresChain letters (if you don’t send this letter to ten friends by midnight..)

Digital Safety Issues

Internet AddictionsInternet addiction is a type of compulsive disorder that

encompasses many unhealthy obsessions:

Cybersex addictionOnline gambling

Compulsive online gamingAuction addiction

Internet addicts gradually spend less time with real people in their lives in exchange for solitary time

in front of a computer.