Computer – Mainly used for Microsoft applications, email and the internet Shredder – Used to shred private and confidential documents that may not be used by others. A telephone maintains a few different features rather than just receiving and making calls. At work the phones that we use are often different to the standard telephone you would find at home. On our telephone we have a few extra buttons than a standard home phone. On our work phones we have ‘DND’ which is an abbreviation for Do Not Disturb, which once activated, any calls that comes to my phone it will not ring out loud.
The purpose of this is that if busy and unavailable to take calls this can be activated. Another feature is a loud speaker function, which is useful for when talking to clients you can have both hands free to write, as it is not easy to hold a telephone and write at the same time. Computer – The computer can be used for many different things. There are many different purposes for a computer, they can vary from producing documents, sending information to the printer, browsing the internet and managing applications. At work, one of the main reasons we use a computer every day is that we can monitor the security surveillance through the PC and we can see who enters and leaves the building with a magnetic key which must be scanned to use the doors to the building. Scanner – The scanner has different features that come in useful in an office environment. When hard copy documents have been signed or written on they can then be scanned and saved as a soft copy on the network drive.
A scanner also can photocopy documents producing a 2nd copy of an original, which is helpful in an office environment when someone provides an original document, a 2nd copy can be produced and stored for proof then the original can be given back to the person.
Some of the equipment used is time efficient and keeps us safe from losing on set deadlines. For example at the front office everyday post is passed to reception to then be sent out. The Franking machine saves a lot of time and money. If the franking machine wasn’t used in the business a lot of time would be wasted putting an individual stamp of every letter that must be sent. Using a computer for many different reasons and tasks is important in an office. All documents are produced through computer applications such as Microsoft Word, PowerPoint and Excel etc. to make as much of a paperless office as possible.
Outcome 2: Understand the purpose of following instructions and health and safety procedures. Following the manufacturer’s instructions is very important. When setting up a new piece of equipment you should read the instructions first before going ahead. The purpose of this is that the equipment is installed correctly with no faults along the way. If installing a new piece of equipment but damaging along the way, and then realise that you have done the opposite to the instructions provided, warranty from the manufacturer will be void as information provided has not been followed. When following organisation instructions it is always important that they are followed in a professional and calm manner. The purpose of doing so is that following instructions then makes the equipment safe to be used by other colleagues around the building.
Another reason for using the equipment to organisation instructions is that if broken or a fault has become visible and you have caused it, you will lose the company money as they will have to pay to have it repaired. It’s important that health and safety procedures are followed when using different types of equipment. The main focus is to keep a safe and hazardless environment for you and the people around you. When using certain types of office equipment there are some things which could become a problem in terms of health and safety. For example an office will have a lot of computers. When there are a lot of computers it is extremely important that wires are tucked away and not lying around on the floor.
Loose wires on the floor make people in the building very vulnerable to trip over and to cause an injury. The purpose of keeping equipment clean and hygienic is that the next person to use it will not have to worry about catching or touching anything that they wouldn’t want to. Offices tend to be quite closed in environments and if one person within the building is to catch a bug and use the telephone, the next person to also use the same phone is highly vulnerable of catching the bug also.
Different types of office equipment often produce different forms of waste. The main waste within an office environment is electricity and this is caused by computers, printers scanners and lights etc. being left on overnight when the office is shut and there is no one in the building. Another large waste in an office environment is paper. Everyday paper will be used and most likely by the end of the week, or even the day thrown in the bin. Some things are printed on paper and only needed for a short time before being thrown in the trash. A way of reducing waste is that lights, computers, printers and scanners etc… should be switched of from the main plugs in the wall to reduce un used energy. Another would be to keep soft copies of documents rather than printing and using paper which may be irrelevant.
The main purpose of minimising waste is that it may be cost efficient for the company and for the environment. Outcome 4: Know about the different types of problems that may occur when using equipment and how to deal with them 4.1: Give examples of equipment problems
Some problems that can go wrong with types of equipment are that the printer could be jammed. Another problem that may occur could be that a wire is faulty with the computer and maybe that the franking machine was run out of credit. The purpose of following manufacturer’s instructions and organisational procedures is that the problem could be dealt with in an respectable manner to the people around you and the equipment itself. It’s important the instructions must be followed so when trying to repair the fault the person who is hands on is safely managing the equipment. For example, you wouldn’t want to stick your hands in a printer if it is still being sourced power from the mains. This could cause being electrocuted. Whereas the instruction will state “Make sure equipment has NO flowing source of power”.
When dealing with problems it is important that all source of power is switched off. Always refer the instruction manual before trying to figure out an issue out of your own mind. If there is a certified professional who has expertise in that area contact them to find out if they have been familiar with the issue before. If you cannot find a solution in the instruction manual contact the manufacturer for solutions. Understand the purpose of meeting work standards and deadlines. The purpose of meeting work standards and deadlines when using equipment is very important. Specialist equipment is given to us to use to be more time and cost efficient.
It is important to meet work standards and to complete tasks to set deadlines as it shows that you are capable to work under pressure and to certain times. An example which is similar to deadlines and are used in many work places are SLA’s which stands for Service Level Agreements. SLAs are agreed times between the client and the company which have been contracted hours which a problem should be fixed. The reason I mention this is because it is almost the same to deadlines and I currently work to SLAs at my current position.
Outcome 6: Understand the purpose of leaving equipment and the work area ready for the next user. It is important to leave the work area and the equipment ready for the next possible user as the next person doesn’t have to worry about locating anything around the work space. As long as everything is left where it came from and in the correct destinations the next user will not have to waste time trying to find equipment when they shouldn’t have to. Having a tidy desk is also important as it makes the user feel more comfortable to work. No one likes to be surrounded by lots of mess and not being able to work efficiently around it.
