Computer-related injuries in US 'increase sevenfold' American medical eggheads have issued a stark warning today about the latest deadly health scourge to hit the developed world. It's one particularly relevant to Reg readers. We refer, of course, to the unprecedented rise in computer-related injuries, which have - shockingly - surged by a shocking 732 per cent in America during …
.....is the case! Many a time I've been in my case feretting around and had a stiff cable (this isn't going well euphamism wise is it?) and tried to pull one off and actually lacerated my hand.
I would also like to add that since BOFH has become popular and been published on The Reg that accidents have gone up. Coincidence?
H&S goggles....well....just because
Even when the increase in user numbers is taken into account, the rate per 1000 users seems to have doubled - in one country, at least. I can't help thinking that, if properly located and simply left alone, a PC is pretty benign. It's only when inexperienced people, who don't know what they're doing (and includes but is not restricted to children) start sticking things where they shouldn't ought to be stuck - or moving things that they are ill-equipped to move, that bad things happen.
Since you can't account for all the stupid things that dumb people will do, I'm quite relaxed about this statistic. Yes, there will always be accidents and you can't mitigate against every, single possibility but sometimes dropping a monitor on your foot, or getting cut by the sharp edge of a cheap and tinny chassis serves as a gentle reminder to STOP DOING THAT. Having done both of these - although only once, I can attest to the efficiency of the learning process.
And for those who don't learn the lessons, well just think of it as evolution in action.
mental trauma caused by bug ridden, poorly coded and exploitable software, is this not considered an injury?
The early days of Windows pre XP SP3 have caused me far more injury than the physical hardware. I started in IT as a hardware tech. I have grazed my knuckles a few times and pulled a muscle shifting a PowerEdge 2400 but this pales in comparison to the mental stress suffered as a result of the MS domination of the desktop OS market.
"B" Ark descendants, as are the employees of the US National Electronic Injury Surveillance System. To whit: "Future research on acute computer-related injuries is needed as this ubiquitous product becomes more intertwined in our everyday lives... Given the large increase in acute computer-related injuries over the study period, greater efforts are needed to prevent such injuries..." (Lara B. McKenzie) is suspiciously close to "When you have been in marketing as long as I have you'll know that before any new product can be developed it has to be properly researched. We've got to find out what people want from fire, how they relate to it, what sort of image it has for them."
Was this ever done for PC's, I wonder?
Mine is the one with the fire in the pocket, obviously.
Score wise I think computers and I are on a tie, they've injured me enough times (mainly cuts from the sharp insides whilst building/upgrading) and my main Quiet PC bases each weigh 20kg which can be a bugger to move when needing altering, but I've fought back, destroyed countless mice & keyboards when they piss me off.
As for US computer related injuries increasing so dramatically, isn't that just Darwinism in action?
Imagine the BOFH carefully orchestrating a potentially lethal situation which he uses to gain sick pay and a hefty cheque from the company on H&S grounds even though he's not that injured, only to then use the same trick to bump off a boss.
Hang on... I think that one's already been done...
While I have over the years been burned by soldering guns, solder suckers, melted plastic stuck to skin, cut up on circuit cards, burned by banging a propane torch heated circuit card solder splatter (for the chips) and sliced up on racks, more often case sheet metal (usually a surprise shock that makes ya jump and cut yourself, stop the bleeding, wipe the blood and go) Razor blades, and knives (not really part of the kit)
Out of all of it, I have to say the 21" sun monitor is pretty much one of the most painful items I've ever owned. (I had visited a doctor for a pain in my foot and found out I had broken metatarsals and other parts in my foot at least three times--according to the X-ray. Now I know why dropping the monitor on my foot hurt for so long. I've even accidentally smashed a cat's tail with one.
On the other hand what a tough monitor eh? Can the BOFH say, "trebuchet?"
...the odder the sharp spot.
We all know that the cheap tin cases are sharp all over, but it seems no matter how expensive the case, or well designed for regular swapping, there's always a sharp bit somewhere. I think it's an industry regulation that it has to be added. Somewhere, no matter how expensive your case, there is a sharp bit hunting your pinkey.
I had an immediate thought about how to solve all the woes about cutting fingers on hidden sharp bits, and that was plastic cases.....this thought then lead to lego cases...and then I remembered
How many times have I destroyed my thumbs trying to get 2 bricks to seperate?
It seems there is no solution to this problem...
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