• Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
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• v.33 no.3
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• pp.317-331
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• 2023

Objectives: Construction workers are exposed to various hazardous substances simultaneously. However, little is known about the exposure hazards in construction industry. This study was aimed at identifying the risk of exposure hazards among construction workers. Methods: The expert survey (n=29) was conducted, including construction industry health managers (n=11) and work environment monitoring experts (n=18), on exposure probability, intensity and risk of hazardous substances by construction occupations Results: The exposure hazards of 30 construction occupations were identified and summarized through a literature review and expert survey. The most prevalent hazards were in order of noise, awkward posture, heat/cold, crystalline silica, cement/concrete dust, metal fumes, and volatile organic compounds. The hazards with highest risk score(over seven points) at construction occupations were noise(formwork carpenter, concrete finisher, rebar worker, demolition worker, driller/rock blaster), hazardous rays(welder), heat/cold (earthworks, formwork carpenter, rebar worker, concrete placer, scaffolder), awkward posture(bricklayer, caulker/tile setter, rebar worker) and heavy lifting(bricklayer, rebar worker). Among construction workers, the job types with the highest risk of exposure to carcinogens, and in which occupational cancer has been reported, were in order of stonemason, concrete finisher, rock blaster, welder, insulation installer, painter, scaffolder, plant worker and earthworks in order Conclusions: Systematic research and discussion on occupational disease among construction workers and its various hazardous factors are needed to establish job exposure matrix for facilitating standard for promptly processing the workers' compensation.

• Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
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• v.29 no.4
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• pp.477-487
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• 2019

Objectives: Firefighters are known to be exposed to a variety of toxic substances, but little information is available on the exposure profile of firefighting activities. The aims of this study were to conduct exposure monitoring of toxic chemicals at fire scenes, to compare the concentrations of respective chemicals among firefighting tasks, and to assess the main factors influencing the concentrations of chemicals. Methods: Researchers performed sampling at firefighting scenes during four weeks in 2013. At the scene, we collected samples based on firefighters' own activities and examined the situation and scale of the accident. Collected samples were classified into three categories, including fire extinguishing and overhaul, and were analyzed in the laboratory according to respective analysis methods. Results: A total of fourteen fire activity events were surveyed: five fire extinguishing, six overhaul, and three fire investigations. Although no substance exceeded the ACGIH TLV, PAHs were detected in every sample. Naphthalene ranged from 0.24 to 279.13 mg/㎥ (median 49.6 mg/㎥) and benzo(a)pyrene was detected in one overhaul case at 10.85 ㎍/㎥. Benzene (0.01-12.2 ppm) was detected in every task and exceeded the ACGIH TLV. No significant difference in concentrations between tasks was shown. Conclusions: These results indicate that all firefighting tasks generated various hazardous combustion products, including possible carcinogens.

• Journal of the Korean GEO-environmental Society
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• v.22 no.11
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• pp.15-21
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• 2021

Losses of both life and property increased from damage to underground pipe such as heat transmission pipe buried underground in downtown because pipes are gradually aging. Considering the characteristics of the heat transmission pipe, which is not exposed to the outside and difficult to immediately identify problems such as damage, it is realistic to indirectly check the condition of the facility based on the historical information that is periodically collected through facility maintenance. In this study, a methodology for estimating the damage probability was developed by examining the history information of the heat transmission pipe, deriving an evaluation factor that is related to the damage probability. The contribution factor of the damage probability were reviewed by analyzing not only the guidelines for maintenance of heat transmission pipe of advanced European countries and domestic district heating companies, but also the cases of waterworks with similar characteristics. Evaluation factors were selected by considering not only the correlation with the damage probability but also the possibility of securing data. Based on 1999, when the construction technology and standards of heat transmission pipe changed, the damage probability estimation function according to the period of use was divided into the case of being buried before 1998 and the case of being buried after 1999, and presented. In addition, the damage probability was corrected by assigning weights according to the measured data for each evaluation factor such as the diameter, use, and management authority.

• KSCE Journal of Civil and Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.26 no.4D
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• pp.635-647
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• 2006

Korean construction companies first advanced to the international markets in 1960's and so far have brought more than 4,900 projects which account for 193 billion dollars approximately. With the large increase of national employment and income being followed by the achievement, Korea's construction industry has made an enormous contribution to the improvement of domestic economy for the last 40 years. However, recently the increased risk in international markets as well as the sharpening competition with foreign companies promising in terms of advanced technologies and low labor cost have been driving Korean construction away from the market shares. According to ENR (Engineering News Record, 1994~2003), it is revealed that 15.1% of top 225 global contractors are suffering from loss in international construction markets. This phenomenon is largely due to the highly uncertain characteristics of international projects, which are inherently exposed to various and complicated risky situations. Furthermore, especially for Korean construction companies, it is often the case that the failure in an international construction project cannot be offset by even a sufficient number of successful domestic achievements. Therefore, not only the selective screening among the nominated projects which have strong possibility of collapse but the systematic strategies for controlling potential risk factors are also considered indispensable in international construction portfolio management. The purpose of this study is to first analyze the causal relationships of the profit-influencing variables and the project success, and develop the profitability forecasting model in international construction projects.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Biology
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• v.26 no.4
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• pp.349-354
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• 2008

Superoxide dismutase (SOD) activities were investigated from the portions of shoots and roots in accordance with developmental stage and in response to environmental stress and antioxidants using Rhodiola-seedlings. The rates of SOD activities were revealed highly at the portion of roots and its tip of seedlings in the latter stages rather than the initial stages. SOD activities of seedlings in the initial stages treated with sodium chloride and cadmium as environmental stressors showed the decrease by 15 and 30% with respect to the control, respectively. However, in spite of stressor-treatments, the activities in the roots were increased according to the growth period showing a maximum rate of up to 45%. Also, SOD activities of the seedling treated with ascorbic acid as a antioxidant were increased by 46% of control value, but this was similar to the rate revealed in the presence of stressors. These results suggest that SOD activities in Rhodiola-seedlings may be related with the important defence-system against injurious environments.

• Korean Journal of Food Science and Technology
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• v.42 no.3
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• pp.373-376
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• 2010

The objective of this study was to present the proper probability distribution model based on the data obtained from surveys on domestic refrigerator food storage temperatures in home. Domestic refrigerator temperatures were determined as risk factors in foodborne disease outbreaks for microbial risk assessment (MRA). The temperature was measured by directly visiting 139 homes using a data logger from May to September of 2009. The overall mean temperature for all the refrigerators in the survey was $3.53{\pm}2.96^{\circ}C$, with 23.6% of the refrigerators measuring above $5^{\circ}C$. Probability distributions were also created using @RISK program based on the measured temperature data. Statistical ranking was determined by the goodness of fit (GOF, i.e., the Kolmogorov-Smirnov (KS) or Anderson-Darling (AD) test) to determine the proper probability distribution model. This result showed that the LogLogistic (-10.407, 13.616, 8.6107) distribution was found to be the most appropriate for the MRA model. The results of this study might be directly used as input variables in exposure evaluation for conducting MRA.

• Journal of fish pathology
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• v.6 no.1
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• pp.65-70
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• 1993

The delicate histological structure of gill in teleosts can be easily affected by a variety of biological, chemical or physical detrimental agents because it is directly exposed to the surrounding water. The epithelium of secondary lamella is thin to allow efficient gaseous exchange and this also renders it particularly vulnerable to various pathogens. As well as the main respiratory role, the gill has other various important functions such as acid-base balance, osmoregulation or the excretion of nitrogenous waste products. Thus destruction of epithelial integrity such as epithelial necrosis or thickening can render a fish very vulnerable to respiratory, secretory and excretory difficulties. This article was tried to describe in detail the common processes of pathological responses correlated to the normal histological structures of the gill in teleosts.

• Journal of the Korea institute for structural maintenance and inspection
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• v.16 no.6
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• pp.113-123
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• 2012

The technology developed for the decrease of applying loads and self-weight of a structure is to improve conventional Foam Cement Banking Method (FCB) by applying mixed slurry of bottom ash, cement and foams. Since the foam-mixed concrete, which is a major material of the Bottom ash-mixed Light weight concrete Banking method (BLB) developed, contains mineral admixture such as cement, the behavior shows time-dependent deformation and deterioration of durability due to environmental exposure. Thus, this study is subject to figure out the characteristics of long-termed behavior and durability of the developed method by carrying out experiments for schemed parameters, which are considered to be factors affecting mainly on concrete's characteristics from mechanical analysis. As results of tests, it was found that the developed concrete offers higher resistance than conventional foamed concrete in terms of long-termed behaviors associated with drying shrinkage and creep, and durability problems of freeze-thaw and carbonation processes, especially with addition of bottom ash.

• Journal of the Korea institute for structural maintenance and inspection
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• v.19 no.3
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• pp.64-72
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• 2015

Risk Based Inspection (RBI) Period was proposed for highway bridges in Korea. Hazard factors affecting bridge condition deterioration were found by analyzing condition data from Highway Bridge Management System (HBMS). Certain level of correlations between those factors and condition deterioration were found. They are used to evaluate hazard score. Summarizing several hazard factors, final hazard is classified as three level;high, moderate, low. Vulnerability is assessed only by the current state of bridge. Then, risk matrix is suggested for inspection periods. Inspection periods of the bridges with grade C, D, and E are maintained the same as before. But, those of grade A and B with moderate and high hazard score are elongated to maximum 6 years while the maximum inspection period is three years at present. By adjusting inspection period according to risk assessment, it was shown that 27% of average inspection manpower can be saved.

• Fire Science and Engineering
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• v.14 no.3
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• pp.27-32
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• 2000

The assessment of wildland fire hazard is the first priority to be considered in the prevention, extinction and control of wildland fire. For the standard to measure wildland fire hazard, the wildland fire Warning System is currently being used in Korea which computes the wildland fire occurrence hazard index through a stick weight to moisture conversion formula. It shows the risk of fuel substance being exposed to fire by meteorological factors. For a comprehensive assessment of wildland fire hazards by area, the major factors'hazards need to be measured and the assessment of wildland fire needs to be conducted through historical statistic examination. Therefore, the wildland (ire outbreak frequency and its seriousness of damage are analyzed through historical statistic examination to conduct the assessment of a wildland fire hazard, and then the calorific value of a forest is analyzed through differential scanning calorimeter measurement which assesses the comparative calorific hazard according to the geographical distribution of vegetation.