Safe use electricity

Safe use electricity

Safe use of electricity A new edition of The safe use o f electricity: a guide for industry and commerce, (AS, 30pp - price 53p) has been published by...

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Safe use of electricity A new edition of The safe use o f electricity: a guide for industry and commerce, (AS, 30pp - price 53p) has been published by The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents, Royal Oak Centre, Brighton Rd., Purley, Surrey CR2 2UR. tn industry and commerce in 1972 there were 27 electrical fatalities out of a total of 483 accidental deaths. The purpose of this booklet is to provide a guide to the safe use of electricity and it is expected to be useful to those who, although qualified in other safety matters, need some guidance on electrical hazards. Contents include sections under the headings of: characteristics of electricity; statutory safety requirements; non-statutory requirements; causes and prevention of electric shock; protective multiple earthing; wiring systems; lampholders, plugs and sockets; overhead travelling cranes; overhead power lines; maintenance of electrical equipment ; testing; switching, isolating and checking; office machines.

Typewriter for handicapped Solenoids manufactured by Magnetic Devices Ltd and supplied b y Skandinaviska Telekompaniet AB of Sweden are being used by Palmstienas Mekaniska Verkstad AB of Stockholm in a system which is enabling severely handicapped people to use a conventional electric typewriter.

PMV typewriter system for the disabled

wear of the typewriter keys is kept to a minimum. Operator controls are provided on a single three-way switch mounted on the solenoid uniL Position one is an on/off switch, position two allows typing to be performed at virtually any speed, and position three o n l y allows typing at approximately 2 s intervals. This is incorporated to prevent typing errors. The time period can be adjusted by varying a resistor in the time delay circuit.

Basically, the PMV System consists of a specially designed keyboard which replaces the conventional typewriter keyboard and a solenoid unit which acts as an interface between the typewriter keys and PMV keyboard. PMV, which has been developing specialised products such as this typewriter system since 1938, has produced several different keyboards which can be operated by many parts of the body.

More on work and women

The keyboards are enlarged modified versions of the standard Qwerty key, the largest measuring 770 mm by 495 mm. Pushbutton switches are mounted on a single printed circuit board which links the switch terminals to a multiway cable that plugs into the solenoid unit. This unit is mounted over the keyboard of a typewriter by a simple clamp. For each key on the typewriter a solenoid is aligned in such a way that when activated it pushes down the relevant key. The solenoid pins are provided with a protective moulding so that

Job prospects for women could improve if attitudes and working arrangements were to take full account of the revolutionary changes in women's participation in the labour force over recent decades. A review of research literature, entitled Women and work: a review, (Department of Employment Manpower Paper No 11, HMSO, Price 71 p.) gives the facts needed to assess what might be done over and above the planned legislation to give women better opportunities in employment. The paper shows that the vast increase in

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AppliedErgonomics June 1975

the number ot married women at work, now nearly 6 million, has not led to any great change in the type of jobs women do, or the level at which they work. Three reasons tot the tack ol change are reviewed. Many employers d i s c o u n t w o m e n from a wide range of jobs either by asking specifically for men or preferring men. Women themselves tend to seek work within the usual areas. Many women have to lower their ambitions for good jobs because of their traditional domestic role. There are some signs, however, that these attitudes are weakening and the picture is becoming more varied. Evidence about the attitudes of employers to women's employment is drawn from a specially commissioned sample survey by the Office of Population Censuses and Surveys. Evidence about women's suitability for the full range of jobs and thek performance at work gives no reason to restrict their job opportunities. Generalisations about women's work performance, particularly in relation to labour turnover and absence, which overlook the differences in the jobs men and