ESD Safety Technician Safety

Technician Safety

Getting Started

Welcome to the Technician Safety course.

Technician Safety precautions include CRT discharge procedures, avoiding shock hazards on some iMacs, special take apart handling on some iMac models, and how to properly handle hazardous materials used in servicing Macintosh systems.

Please note that the topics covered in this course are the basis for the Technician Safety sections of both ACMT Certification and Recertification Exams. Those sections MUST be passed in order to pass those exams.

If you do not pass a Technician Safety section, even a perfect score on the remainder of the exam will still result in a failed exam.

Target Audience

This training module is intended for technicians who support and service Apple products.

Prerequisites

You review these courses before reviewing this one:

• Basic Computer Theory and Terms
• Underlying Technologies
• References
• Diagnostics
• Troubleshooting Theory
• ESD Precautions
• Hardware Tools

Time Required

It will take about forty minutes to complete this course.

Training Course Objectives

After reviewing this course you should be able to:

• Locate safety information via Service Source.
• State the risks of servicing CRTs.
• Identify hazardous areas inside and around a CRT display.
• List the eight CRT safety rules.
• Describe the CRT discharge procedure.
• Given a CRT, discharge the CRT using Apple-recommended ESD and CRT discharge procedures. (AASPs only).
• Describe the CRT disposal procedure.
• Describe precautions for avoiding shock hazards on iMac systems.
• Describe special tools and procedures required when opening up iMac (Early 2008) systems.
• Describe precautions for working with Krytox thermal grease.
• Identify potentially hazardous materials used in Macintosh systems.

Next: Safety Overview

Safety Overview

• Introduction
• Safety Resources

Introduction

Safety issues in Macintosh systems fall into several major categories:

• Handling and servicing CRTs
• Shock hazards
• Working with and disposing of hazardous materials

Safety Resources

There are several online resources that can keep you up to date regarding safety issues for Macintosh systems.

Service News

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Service News provides announcements and updates for safety procedures.

It can be accessed via the service provider version of Service Source.

Service Manuals and Technician Guides

Any special precautions for working on product will be spelled out in detail.

Next: Course Exercise

Course Exercise

Open this page separately and keep it open while you review the course.

As you go through the course, answer each of the exercise questions.

1. You are about to work on a Mac Pro (8x) system for the first time. No one else at your site has worked on this system. Which ONE of the following resources will be your BEST means of understanding any safety issues or procedures?

• a. Discussion Boards
• b. Service manual
• c. Service News

2. What makes up most of the weight of a CRT?

• a. Electron Generator
• b. Anode
• c. CRT Grids
• d. Glass Vacuum Tube

3. Name the three major risks of working on CRTs
4. Is it recommended to carry CRTs by the neck?
5. Name one toxic material found inside of CRTs.
6. You are troubleshooting an eMac system for a no video issue. You want to open up the system to check internal cabling. What is the FIRST recommended step you take before doing this?
7. What are the eight CRT safety rules?

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8. What does this symbol represent?
9. Another technician is working on an iMac (24-inch) system and has plugged in the opened unit to check LEDs. Should he be wearing an ESD wrist strap?
10. List five of the special tools needed to open the case on an iMac (20-inch Early 2008) system.

11. You are surfing the Web on a Power Mac G5 (Early 2005) 2.7 GHz system and notice that there appears to be liquid leaking out from the bottom of the case. What is the FIRST thing you should do?

• a. Restart the system
• b. Unplug the system
• c. Shut down the system
• d. Start up system in verbose mode

12. You get some of the liquid in your eye. How long should you flush out your eye with water?

• a. One minute
• b. Five minutes
• c. Ten minutes
• d. Fifteen minutes

13. You diagnose that a high-end Mac Pro (Early 2008) requires a new heat sink. Is it okay to leave the system torn down while you order a new heat sink?
14. What do you do with the disposable materials that came with the replacement heat sink?

Next:

CRT Introduction

CRT Introduction

• Overview

Overview

CRT (Cathode Ray Tube) displays designed for use with computers are built to high specifications because they are used for word processing and other detailed work, and must be readable.

A CRT display is composed of a vacuum tube with an electron beam generator inside.

The tube makes up most of the size and weight of a CRT display

The number of times the screen is repainted each second is the CRT's scan, or refresh rate, expressed in hertz (Hz). Higher scan rates result in images that appear stable; lower scan rates result in images that seem to flicker. Flickering images can cause eyestrain.

You can adjust the scan rate in the Displays pane in System Preferences. Select a rate that is compatible with the display for best results.

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Next: CRT Risks

CRT Risks

• Introduction
• Glass and Vacuums
• Implosions
• Avoiding Breakage
• Toxic Materials
• Shock Hazards

Introduction

While CRT-based Macintosh systems are no longer sold, they will be a part of the supported product line for years to come.

At some point, you may have to service a CRT system and it is extremely important that you know how to troubleshoot and service these potentially dangerous Macs.

Glass and Vacuums

Cathode ray tubes are glass vessels that have the air pumped out of them. They will have very thick glass in the screen area and a thinner glass in the narrow neck area.

This makes a CRT fairly fragile when it