General IT tips

In continuation to our earlier blog about the general IT tips, here are few more

File Management Tricks:

Rename a file quickly Right-clicking and selecting rename is not very efficient. Instead simply press F2 while a file is selected to change its name. To alter the name of another file, type TAB without deselecting the current file.

Rename files sequentially in Windows You actually don’t need to download any programs to perform a batch file rename in Windows. Instead, you can select all the files you want to change, right-click the first one in the list, select rename (or use F2) and type in the name. This will automatically change all the other files with the same root name with a suffix: (1), (2), and so on

Select multiple files using the keyboard. To select a bunch of files using your keyboard, you can press shift+ down arrow to select a single file or shit + Page Down to select a large group of files at one time.

Web Browsing Tricks

Automatically add www. And .com to a URL, you can shave off a couple of seconds typing in a URL by simply click CTRL + Enter after you type the name of the site. Need .net instead of.com, press CTRL + Shift + Enter.

Jump to address bar, there are a number of ways to jump right to the address bar from anywhere in browser. Pressing CTRL + L, F6 and ALT + D all accomplish this goal.

Accidentally closed a tab? Simply press CTRL + Shift + T to reopen the most recently closed tab and get back to what you were doing.

Use private browsing, the uses for not having cookies and history saved are obvious for certain activities, you know, like shopping for gifts on a shared computer. Pressing CTRL + Shift + N will launch a new private in Chrome, CTRL + Shift + P will do it in Firefox and Internet Explorer.

Cycle through open tabs Pressing CTRL + TAB while in a browser will flip between each one. This can be much faster than moving the mouse and clicking on a tab. CTRL + NUM (1, 2, 3, 4, n..) will also take you to certain tab in that numeric order.

STORAGE & TRANSPORTATION OF FOOD PRODUCTS

To ensure and to protect food products from potential contamination and damage, and to prevent the growth of pathogens, food transportation and storage should be considered as per the standards requirements

FOOD TRANSPORTATION AND STORAGE

a.     Food transportation, storage and distribution units should be designed, constructed, maintained and used in a manner that permit effective segregation of different foods and protects food products from being contaminated.

b.  Where both food and non-food products are transported, stored 

   and distributed together, procedures should be in place to ensure 

   that food products are not exposed to potential contamination from 

    non-food products.

c.       Food transportation equipment that is intended to be in direct contact with food products shall be constructed with non-toxic materials, which are easy to maintain and clean.

Examples include stainless steel and food-grade plastic containers.

d.      When necessary, cleaning and disinfection should be done between loading food stuff.

e.      Food must be transported in vehicles approved by the Food Control Department.

f.        Food transportation and storage units/equipment must be of suitable capacity and should be maintained at temperatures that are consistent with requirements of this Code.

g.      Equipment units must have accurate and reliable monitoring devices. All such devices should be calibrated at a pre-determined interval.

h.      In transportation, storage and distribution units, foods should be stored off the floor and away from walls.

TEMPERATURE CONTROL DURING STORAGE AND TRANSPORTATION:

a.      All high risk and perishable foods requiring temperature controlled environments to extend their shelf life or limit microbial growth shall be transported, stored or distributed in equipment that consistently maintains those temperature controls.

·         At or below 5ºC if cold or at or above 60ºC if hot

·         Frozen at -18ºC if they are intended to be stored frozen

b.       Areas used for the storage of dry food commodities need to be cool, well ventilated with a relative humidity of 60-65%, to ensure that product quality and safety is not compromised. Temperature of storage should meet the requirements of the manufacturer when specified on the product label 

HANDLING AND TRANSFER OF FOODS

a.      Food establishment should take necessary steps to inspect foods at the time of receiving to detect and avoid foods that are unacceptable

b.      Receipt of high risk foods should be monitored to ensure that proper temperatures are maintained during their transportation, storage and distribution. Products and records should be checked at the time of receiving and nonconforming products should not be accepted

c.       Food should not be handled or transferred in any way that may cause damage, contamination or adulteration of the food. Food handlers responsible for loading foods into vehicles

and filling display chillers and freezers should be familiar with capacity levels and restrictions to loading such units, volume limits, air flow, temperature range variances, etc., in order to maintain the minimum/ maximum temperature needs of the products being placed therein

d.      While transferring chilled foods, foods should be quickly moved into temperature controlled storage, to minimize the time in which they are in the danger zone, between 5ºC and 60ºC. A deviation of not more than 5ºC is allowed for not more than 20 minutes during the transfer of chilled foods.

e.      While receiving and transferring raw frozen foods, the temperature of the food shall not exceed -10ºC

f.        Contaminated or adulterated foods and foods that have been subject to temperature abuse shall be discarded or disposed off.

g.      Damaged food container systems must be thoroughly examined and if the food is contaminated or adulterated, it shall be discarded or effectively segregated until returned to the supplier or otherwise disposed of.

STORAGE PROCEDURES

a.         Rotation of food stocks in storage areas should occur frequently to ensure that the “first-in-first-out” rule is followed. Food products removed from storage should always be the oldest food stocks present

b.         Food should be stored in suitable and safe containers and stored covered. If packaged, suitability of packaging should be ensured. 

POTENTIAL CAUSE OF ELECTRICAL HAZARDS IN FOOD INDUSTRY

 Below are the few points which shows the potential causes that might occur in any food industry

ELECTRIC SHOCK or ELECTROCUTION:

·         Use of ungrounded and improperly grounded machinery and equipment

·         Electrical cables passing through/laid around damp/humid locations

·        Cracked fuses, plugs and sockets, damaged distribution boxes, circuit breakers and poorly connected and/or worn, frayed or bare cables

·         On/Off power circuit switches that are not located at clearly visible points

·     Absence of lockout/tag out maintenance procedures, training and required apparatus to de-energize electrical circuits

·         Absent, insufficient and unreadable signage related to electrical hazards

·     Inadequate electrical lightning conductor deployment and installation leading to power surges and associated problems

·    Lack of PPE for workers that may be in contact with exposed electric parts response, building evacuation and first aid procedures

·         Obstructed or locked emergency exits

·         Lack of lighting at emergency exits, in corridors and hallways

EMERGENCY EVENTS of ELECTRICAL Fires and Explosions:

·         Inadequate procedures for maintenance and cleaning of heat-producing equipment, such as burners,   ovens, stoves and fryers

·    Inadequate handling, signage and storage of "flammable, combustible and explosive materials, including pressurized containers

·     Inadequate housekeeping (cleaning, servicing, repairing), collection and disposition of "flammable materials from workplaces and storage areas

·         Poor inspection and maintenance of fuel lines

·         Leaks and spills from "flammable materials containers and installations

·         Inadequate ventilation facilitating accumulation of fine dust particles exceeding the lower explosive    limit (LEL)

·   Improper storage (e.g. unventilated places) and transport (e.g. rolling instead of using carts) of pressurized gas cylinders

·         Failure to reject, return to supplier or eliminate damaged or incompletely equipped gas cylinders (e.g. missing regulator caps)

·         Inadequate procedures for controlling ignition sources such as smoking, welding, and burning

·         Unsafe gas hoses and gas welding equipment

·         Use of equipment producing sparks close to explosive, combustible and "flammable materials storage and usage

·         Poor electrical maintenance using unauthorized electricians

General IT tips

There is always something new to learn that helps in improving one’s skills.

Generally hardcore computer users have to learn new things to keep abreast about the latest technology.

Here are a few general IT tricks that comes handy when using a computer.

Windows hidden “god mode” folder Windows offers a centralized panel for all of the OS settings, which makes it easy for users to tweak everything from desktop background to setting up a VPN. To enter this mode, create a new folder with this exact name: God Mode.{ED7BA470-8E54-465E-825C-99712043E01C}. 

The folder icon will change to a Control Panel-style icon, and you will be able to jump in and change all kinds of settings.

Use Problem Steps Recorder This handy tool automatically records any mouse clicks and takes screenshots for you. If you need tech assistance with your computer, go to Run by typing Windows + R, and then type "psr." Use the tool and by the time you are finished, you can send this information, neatly compiled automatically, to the person helping you with the issue. It will make the process of finding the problem much easier for them, which means you will be able to get your system up and running faster.

Find/Delete large files wasting space. A handy tool called WinDirStat (Windows Directory Statistics) can be used to easily find which files and folders are taking up the most space on your drive. From there, you can delete them and open up a ton of storage space.

Reduce the number of programs running at startup If your PC is taking too long to boot, it’s probably because you have far too many programs running at startup. Reducing this is easy, it will make your PC launch noticeably faster and lighter upon first load. To change the items running at startup, go to Run using the hotkey Windows key + R, and type "msconfig." A small window will appear (see the screenshot below), select the Startup tab. From here you will be able to turn off many startup programs, which can shave several seconds (or minutes) off your boot time.

Cloud backup important files If you’re working on a critical paper for school, work, or any other major project, make sure you are backing up the file not just locally. You can use services like Dropbox, Google Drive, or any of the other popular cloud storage solution which will do the legwork for you on the background. Of course, you can also throw the files on a thumb drive or external HDD just to be safe but backing up to the cloud can be done seamlessly which is twice the advantage.

Sourcing Good Suppliers

How to source a best supplier for your requirements :

Here are a few points that can be considered while sourcing the best suppliers:

Accountability

The supplier who is accountable takes up the responsibility when an issue has been raised and addresses it at the earliest. 

It is mandatory to look for a supplier who is accountable and would like to maintain a sustained relationship.

Production Capabilities

The ability to source or manufacture the required product is one of the good qualities of a supplier. A good supplier should be able to consistently supply the required material within the required timelines.

How can we gauge a supplier who understands and can meet the required standards?

Visiting the site

The only way to be sure of a supplier’s production capabilities and store is only by doing a site audit and see for yourself whether the store or production site is maintained as per the standards.

Obtaining and approving a product sample

By requesting the supplier to provide the sample of the requirements to approve the product before placing further orders will give a clear picture whether the sample is of desired standard and whether it is meeting the set requirements.

Ease of communication

Effective communication prevents problems ranging from delays to product nonconformities. Hence it is important to have an effective open and direct communication with the suppliers to get the desired product. The required details has to be put forth to the supplier very clearly to avoid miscommunication.

Build Relationship

Meet the supplier’s senior management to ensure that a boardroom level relationship is maintained.

Cost Variance Analysis?

A difference between the budgeted and incurred cost is variance.

The variance analysis is a tool that helps in evaluating the performance of any organization by means of difference between the budgeted cost and actual cost.

The variance analysis comprises of the following steps

-          The difference between the budgeted and the incurred cost is calculated

-          The reasons for the difference is investigated

-          The investigation report is forwarded to the management for their information and        necessary action

-          The necessary action is taken to bring the incurred cost in closer alignment with the    budgeted cost.

When should be the analysis conducted:

-          The analysis should be conducted when the company incurs extraordinarily high          costs

-          The analysis can also be conducted in areas where costs are of a long term nature     and might not be expected to change much

Ex: A project should be completed in 9 months and the estimated cost of the project is $900,000. After a month 10% of work is completed at an expense of $100,000. The planned completion should have been 15%.

Find the project’s cost variance and Schedule variance budget

Planned Value = Planned Completion is 15% = 15%of$900,000 = $135000

Earned Value = Actual Completion is 10% = 10% of $900,000 = $90000

Cost Variance = Earned Value- Actual Cost

$90,000-$100,000=-$10,000

Scheduled Variance = Earned Value-Planed Value

$90,000-$135,000=-$45,000

Since the project cost variance is negative, this means the project is over budgeted. Since the Scheduled variance is negative, the project is behind schedule. Based on this calculation it is advised to take a corrective action.

Essential First Aid Techniques

Emergency situations are all different. If you know basic first aid you may be able to help someone and quite possibly save their life. Here are a few emergency scenarios and basic first aid instructions that could help you help someone else until emergency help arrives.

First Aid Technique for Injuries

In case a person is injured in the accident, do not move the injured person.

The injured person can be moved only in case of fire or explosion.

If there is no fire or explosion to be concerned about, do not move the person. It can make injuries worse, especially spinal injuries.

If you do have to move someone try to put them on a blanket and pull on the blanket. If you do not have a blanket, try to pull them by their shirt.

First Aid Technique for Bleeding

If an injured person looses too much blood, he might go into shock.

The best way to help the injured person who is bleeding is to apply pressure to the wound using a clean cloth and your hand. If possible, try to elevate the bleeding area above the person's heart.

Do not remove the cloth once the wound has been controlled.

First Aid Technique for Minor Burns

If the victim has a minor burn, run the burn under cold water to flush the wound until the help arrives.

If the victim has clothing stuck to the burn, do not remove it.

Do not apply any kind of soap, ointment or any home remedies to the burn.

Do not touch the burn or attempt to scrub the burn.

If the victim has an electrical burn, do not touch the victim until it is ascertained that the power source is shut off.

Once the power source is shut off, the victim can be touched to see whether he is breathing.

If the person is not breathing, do CPR until help arrives.

Driving Safety Tips

              Follow these safety tips to be a safe and responsible driver

·         Get an earlier than usual start and plan for the trip to take longer than normal

·         Always use your seatbelt and insist any passengers do so as well.

·         Don't talk on your cell phone while driving

·      Leave extra space between you and the vehicle in front of you in case of sudden stops. If the  vehicle behind is following too closely, change lanes or try slowing down so they will pass you

·       Try not to make sudden stops or direction changes, such as going across three lanes of traffic to  make that last minute exit

·         Keep your headlights on in darkness

·         Pay attention to other drivers and anticipate what they may do. Watch for cars on side streets that are trying to pull out into traffic

·         Slow down while approaching intersections.

·         At the first sign of brake lights, start slowing down. Try to avoid slamming on the brakes.

·         If you have anti-lock brakes, do not pump them. Keep constant, firm pressure on the brake pedal until the vehicle comes to a complete stop

·         If you start to skid, take your foot off the pedal and steer in the direction you want to the vehicle to go. Do not hit the brakes or accelerate.

·         If your vehicle breaks down, or is stalled or stranded, don't panic

·         Turn on the emergency flashers or set up flare

·    If you're stuck, try straightening the wheels and accelerating slowly. Don't let the tires spin endlessly; it only helps create a mess. (Consult your owner's manual for the best way to get the vehicle unstuck.)