Safety and Ethics

Workplace Safety or hall are a fire risk. To prevent injuries: • do not stack boxes or papers on top of Workplace safety in the United States tall cabinets; has continuously improved since the beginning of the 20th century. Gradually, • store heavier objects on lower shelves; injury, death, and illness related to working and conditions have declined. This is due to a • keep aisles and hallways clear. change in the type of work done today and Maintaining a safe workplace is the in the safety precautions that have been put joint responsibility of the employer and in place. employee. The employer makes sure the facility and working conditions are such Accident Prevention that accidents are unlikely to occur. The Falling hazards, lifting hazards, and employee uses common sense and care material-storage hazards account for most while at the office. of the workplace accidents that occur in offices. Falling hazards are sources of Workplace Ergonomics potential injuries from slipping or falling. Ergonomics is the science concerned Falls are the most common workplace with designing and arranging things accident in an office setting. Falls can result people use so that they can interact both in broken bones, head injuries, and muscle efficiently and safely. In the workplace, strains. To prevent workplace falls: it can include designing workstations to • close drawers completely; fit the unique needs of the worker and • do not stand on a chair or box to reach; the equipment used. For example, many and office workers spend long periods of time working on computers. They may be at risk • secure cords, rugs, and mats. for eyestrain, back discomfort, and hand Lifting hazards are sources of and wrist problems. Applying ergonomic potential injury from improperly lifting principles results in a comfortable, efficient, or carrying items. Most back injuries and safer working environment. are caused by improper lifting. To avoid There are many types of ergonomic injuries resulting from lifting: accessories that may improve a computer • make several small trips with items workstation, including wrist rests, specially rather than one trip with an overly designed chairs, and back supports. In heavy load; addition, Figure A-1 identifies a few things • use dollies or handcarts whenever that can be done to create a comfortable possible; environment and help prevent injury or strain to the worker’s body. Finally, • lift with the legs, not the back; and cleanliness is an important part of the • never carry an item that blocks vision. working environment. Keep papers, pens, Material-storage hazards are sources files, reference books, and other materials of potential injury that come from the organized. The work area should not be improper storage of files, books, office cluttered with unneeded items. Properly equipment, or other items. A cluttered store items not in use. Also, always read workplace is an unsafe workplace. Material and understand equipment safety manuals, stacked too high can fall on employees. follow safety instructions, and abide by Paper and files that are stored on the floor safety requirements. Safety and Ethics 2

Monitor approximately an arm’s length away, top of screen near eye level

Knees even Elbow bent with or 90° or greater slightly below hips

Feet set flat on floor or footrest

Goodheart-Willcox Publisher Figure A-1

Eyes adjustable and provide armrests. Sit up Position the monitor to minimize glare straight. This maintains good posture and from overhead lights, windows, and other reduces strain. Think about good posture light sources. Reduce light intensity by until it becomes common practice. Try turning off some lights or closing blinds standing up, stretching, and walking every and shades. You should be able to see hour. This will also reduce strain. images clearly without glare. Position the monitor so that it is 18” to Legs 30” from your eyes. This is about an arm’s Keep your thighs parallel to the length. To help reduce eyestrain, look away ground. Rest your feet flat on the floor or from the monitor every 15–20 minutes and use a footrest. When taking a break, walk focus on an object at least 20 feet away for around. This will stretch the muscles and 1–2 minutes. promote circulation through your body Wrists and Arms Workplace Ethics Forearms should be parallel to the floor. Ethics is a guiding set of moral Periodically stretch your arms, wrists, and values that helps people make decisions. shoulders. Try using an ergonomic keyboard For employees, workplace etiquette is a set and mouse. The keyboard keeps the wrists of guidelines for appropriate behavior in a normal body position and the mouse on the job. Employers typically have a will fit your hand more comfortably. handbook and code of conduct that outlines the manner in which employees should Neck and Back behave while at work. Companies may Adjust the monitor so that your head is define specific issues as inappropriate as level, not leaning forward or back. The top of well as unethical or illegal. For example, the screen should be near your line of sight. employers have rules for avoiding computer Use a chair that is comfortable and provides threats, using company equipment, and good back support. The chair should be downloading software. Safety and Ethics 3 Computer Threats from desktop computers and phones to Viruses can be introduced by the photocopy machine. All employees downloading infected programs from the must be aware of appropriate use of office Internet. Using the Internet at school or equipment. Many codes of conduct also work without following guidelines can have guidelines for visiting websites put the computer and the network at risk. and rules for downloading to company Software viruses are computer programs computers. These rules protect the that cause harm to computer systems. A business’ computer system and its private virus may destroy customer data on the information. Some downloaded files computer or collect information from the and software contain computer viruses company’s network and transmit it to some or other harmful malware designed to other location. They can also be contained damage or disrupt a computer or network. in e-mail attachments or transmitted by Intentionally introducing a virus to a visiting websites. In general, viruses can computer or network is against the law. be file infections, boot-sector infections, Hardware, such as computers and worms, and Trojan horses. copiers, are provided to employees to Never open an e-mail attachment that improve efficiency. In many cases, it would you are not expecting. It is better to send an be impossible for an employee to perform e-mail asking about the attachment before his or her job without this equipment. opening it than risk a virus infection. Be aware that a company can look at Avoid visiting questionable websites or information stored on computers at any downloading files from unknown sources. time. Phishing, pronounced fishing, is the use Company-owned mobile devices, of fraudulent e-mails and copies of valid such as smartphones or tablets, are also websites to trick people into providing company property. They should not be private and confidential personal data. used for personal reasons without company The most common form of phishing is approval. Additionally, follow the company done by sending a fake e-mail to a group policies for appropriate communication and of people. The e-mail message looks like workplace behavior. it is from a legitimate source, such as the Scanners are a common piece of person’s bank. The e-mail asks for certain equipment in many business and home information, such as an account number offices. A scanner is used to create a digital and password, or it provides a link to a version of printed material. Scanning website. The linked website looks real, but something, however, does not make the it collects private information that is used content yours. Whether it is text, artwork, to commit fraud. or a photograph, all rights of that material Businesses can protect their customers remain with the owners. Make sure to get or vendors from phishing e-mails by the owner’s permission to use scanned keeping that information secure. They can material legally. also warn customers or vendors if sensitive information has been stolen or if they know Software Downloads phishing e-mails are being sent pretending It is unethical, and illegal, for an to be from the company. Everyone can employee to download software that has protect himself or herself by using software not been purchased and registered by filters on their e-mail accounts. Never enter the employer. When buying software, a personal information online; only thieves license is purchased. A license is the legal request confidential information via e-mail. permission to use a software program. All software has terms of use that explain how Company Equipment and when the software may be used. Company equipment is meant for Some software may only be lawfully business-related functions, not personal used if it is purchased. These programs are use. Office equipment includes everything known as for-purchase software. Demo, Safety and Ethics 4 or demonstration, software may be used created by company employees on the job is without buying it. However, demos are owned by that company. In business, these either limited in functionality or time. If ideas are considered proprietary information you decide to keep using the software, it and must be protected from theft. Any use must be purchased. Piracy is the illegal of intellectual property without permission copying or downloading of software, files, is called infringement. A copyright or other protected material. This includes acknowledges ownership of a work and scanning or downloading images or music. specifies that only the owner has the right Never engage in software piracy. to sell the work, use it, or give permission Other software, known as freeware, for someone else to sell or use it. is fully functional and can be used forever The © symbol or the statement without purchasing it. To be considered “copyright by” indicates copyrighted freeware, the software cannot be a demo material. Lack of the symbol or statement or restricted version of software meant for does not affect a copyright, though. purchase. Shareware is software that can be All original material is automatically installed and used at no cost, but usually has copyrighted. A copyright can be registered a notice screen, time-delayed startup, or fewer with the US Copyright Office, which is features. Purchasing the software removes part of the Library of Congress. However, these restrictions. Figure A-2 identifies the original material is still legally protected differences between software types. whether or not the copyright is registered. There are differences between a demo of for-purchase software and shareware. Patents and Trademarks Typically, shareware can be used forever with A patent gives the person or company some restrictions. Use of shareware is on the the right to be the sole producer of a honor system. Those who continue to use the product for a defined period of time. software, though, are expected to purchase it. Patents protect an invention that is Demos of for-purchase software, however, will functional or mechanical. The invention stop working after a certain amount of time. must be considered useful and inoffensive Public-domain software is similar and it must be operational. This means that to freeware in that it is free. However, an idea may not be patented. A process freeware is copyrighted, while public- can be patented under certain conditions. domain software either has no copyright The process must be related to a particular or the copyright has expired. Some machine or transform a substance or item photographs, music, videos, and textual into a different state or thing. information are in the public domain. The inventor must file a patent application with the US Patent and Intellectual Property Trademark Office. Once granted, a patent Intellectual property is something protects the inventor’s intellectual property that comes from a person’s mind—such as for between 14 and 20 years from the filing an idea, invention, or process. Any work date.

Software Type Characteristics For-Purchase Freeware Shareware Cost • Must be purchased Never have to pay • Free to try to use for it • Pay to upgrade to full • Demo may be functionality available Features Full functionality Full functionality Limited functionality without upgrade

Goodheart-Willcox Publisher Figure A-2 Safety and Ethics 5 A trademark protects taglines, Unless the terms of use specifically slogans, names, symbols, or any unique state that you are free to copy and use any method to identify a product or company. material provided on a website, the material A service mark is similar to a trademark, is copyrighted. Copyright laws are in place but it identifies a service rather than a to protect the creators of original work. product. Trademarks and service marks You cannot reuse the material without do not protect a work or product. They permission. Plagiarism is claiming another only protect the way in which the product person’s material as your own, which is is described. The term trademark is often both unethical and illegal. used to refer to both trademarks and service marks. Trademarks never expire. Netiquette Graphic marks, also called symbols, can be Netiquette refers to the accepted social used without being formally registered, as and professional guidelines for Internet shown in Figure A-3. communications. Netiquette covers e-mails, social networking, blogs, texting, and Correct Usage of Trademark Symbols chatting. For example, it is unprofessional to use texting language in a business TM Trademark, not registered environment. Also, always proofread and SM Service mark, not registered spell-check e-mails before sending them. ® Registered trademark If you are sending e-mail to a customer in

Goodheart-Willcox Publisher response to a question, texting a coworker, Figure A-3 blogging about a company product, or any other communication, it is important to follow the same common courtesy used in Legal Issues face-to-face discussions. A copyright lists the author or creator Internet access provided by the and the year the work was published. company should be used only for business Copyrights are valid for the life of the purposes. Checking personal e-mail or author plus 70 years. The laws cover all shopping online is not acceptable. When original work, whether it is in print, on the using the Internet, you are a representative Internet, or in any other form or media. You of the company. Proper netiquette should cannot claim work as your own or use it be followed. Cyberbullying is using the without permission. Intellectual-property Internet to harass or threaten an individual. laws protect a person or company’s Cyberbullying includes using social inventions, artistic works, and other media or e-mails to harass or scare people. intellectual property. Ownership of all Cyberbullying is unethical and can be intellectual property is implied. However, prosecuted. there are three ways to register the different forms of intellectual property to discourage infringement, as shown in Figure A-4.

Form of Protection Intellectual Property Copyright Protects books, magazine articles, music, paintings, or other work of authorship for the life of the creator plus 70 years. Patent Gives inventor the sole right to produce and sell an invention for a specific time. Trademark Protects phrases, names, symbols, or any unique method of identifying a company or its product.

Goodheart-Willcox Publisher Figure A-4 Safety and Ethics 6 Confidential Information Before hiring an employee, a company may require the person sign a Proprietary information may be confidentiality agreement, as shown in called trade secrets because it is confidential Figure A-5. A confidentiality agreement information a company needs to keep typically states that the employee will private. Proprietary information can not share any company information with include many things, such as product those outside the company. Confidentiality formulas, customer lists, or manufacturing agreements can also prevent former processes. All employees must understand employees from working for a competitor the importance of keeping company for a specified length of time. information confidential. The code of conduct should explain that company information may only be shared with permission from human resources. Employees who share proprietary information with outsiders are unethical and, possibly, breaking the law.

Yours in Retro Confidentiality Agreement

THIS AGREEMENT made on _____, 20_____, between Yo urs in Retro, a place of business at 101 Main Street, Anytown, IL, and ______, an employee of Yours in Retro.

As an employee of Yours in Retro, we require nondisclosure of any proprietary information about our products, employees, or business plans. This confidential information may include, but is not limited to, patents, trademarks, research, market analyses, or any other information concerning Yours in Retro.

All work contributed by the employee as part of the employee’s paid position remains the property of Yours in Retro.

The obligations of this agreement shall continue two (2) years after employee leaves Yours in Retro.

Goodheart-Willcox Publisher Figure A-5