• Health Policy and Management
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• v.28 no.4
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• pp.411-422
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• 2018

Background: Whether there is a difference in outcomes for trauma patients transferring to the helicopter emergency medical service (HEMS) according to their previous team composition is controversial. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of trauma team-staffed-HEMS (TTS-HEMS) when transferring to a trauma center. Methods: A retrospective comparison was conducted on patients transported to a trauma center over a 6-year period by the TTS-HEMS and paramedic-staffed-HEMS (119-HEMS). Inclusion criteria were blunt trauma with age ${\geq}15years$. Patient outcomes were compared with the Trauma and Injury Severity Score (TRISS) (30-day mortality) and the Cox proportional hazard ratio of mortality (in hospital). Results: There were 321 patients of TTS-HEMS and 92 patients of 119-HEMS. The TTS-HEMS group had a higher Injury Severity Score and longer transport time but a significantly shorter time to emergency surgery. The prehospital data showed that the trauma team performed more aggressive interventions during transport. An additional 7.6 lives were saved per 100 TTS-HEMS deployments. However, the TRISS results in the 119-HEMS group were not significant. In addition, after adjusting for confounders, the hazard ratio of mortality in the 119-HEMS group was 2.83 times higher than that in the TTS-HEMS group. Conclusion: HEMS was likely to improve the survival rate of injured patients when physicians were involved in TTS-HEMS. Survival benefits in the TTS-HEMS group appeared to be related to the fact that the trauma team performed both more aggressive prehospital resuscitation and clinical decision making during transportation.

• Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
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• v.25 no.1
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• pp.45-57
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• 2015

Objectives: This study aims to compare the physicochemical characteristics, toxicological data with Occupational Exposure Limits (OELs) of chemicals under the Occupational Safety and Health Act(OSHA) regulated by the Ministry of Employment and Labor of Korea. Methods: Information on chemicals which have OELs on physicochemical characteristics and toxicological data was collected using Material Safety Data Sheet(MSDS) from Korea Occupational Safety and Health Agency(KOSHA) and the Korea Information System for Chemical Safety Management(KISChem) in 2014. Statistical analyses including correlation and simple regression were performed to compare the OELs with chemical characteristics including molecular weight, boiling point, odor threshold, vapor pressure, vapor density, solubility and octanol-water partition coefficient(OWPC) and toxicological data such as median lethal dose($LD_{50}$) and median lethal concentration($LC_{50}$). Results: A total of 656 chemicals have OELs under OSHA in Korea. The numbers of chemicals which have eight-hour time weighted average(TWA) and short term exposure limits(STEL) are 618 and 190, respectively. TWA was significantly correlated with boiling point and STEL was only correlated with vapor pressure among physicochemical characteristics. Solubility and OWPC between "skin" and "no skin" substances which indicate skin penetration were not significantly different. Both $LD_{50}$ and $LC_{50}$ were correlated with TWA, while the $LC_{50}$ was not with STEL. As health indicators, health rating and Emergency Response Planning Guidelines(ERPG) rating as recommended by the National Fire Protection Association(NFPA) and American Industrial Hygiene Association(AIHA) were associated with OELs and reflect the chemical hazards. Conclusions: We found relationships between OEL and chemical information including physicochemical characteristics and toxicological data. The study has an important meaning for understanding present regulatory OELs.

• Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
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• v.32 no.4
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• pp.302-324
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• 2022

Objectives: The objective of this study is to investigate exposure to occupational carcinogens in the nationwide electronics industries and to establish a strategy for control of occupational carcinogens in South Korea. Methods: We evaluated occupational carcinogens as defined by International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) using a nationwide work environment measurement database on the electronics industry in South Korea measured between 2013 and 2017 in accordance with the Occupational Safety and Health Act. Results: The number of occupational carcinogens found in the electronics industry in South Korea were: 20 for IARC Group 1, 14 for Group 2A, and 30 for Group 2B. The occupational carcinogens (Group 1) most frequently exposed were strong-inorganic-acid mists containing sulfuric acid (sulfuric acid), welding fumes, mineral oils (untreated or mildly treated), nickel compounds, silica dust, crystalline substances in the form of quartz or cristobalite, formaldehyde, arsenic and inorganic arsenic compounds, chromium (VI) compounds, trichloroethylene, cadmium and cadmium compounds, vinyl chloride, ethylene oxide, wood dust, beryllium and beryllium compounds, 1,3 butadiene, benzene, and others. Among them, the carcinogens (Group 1) exceeding the acceptable standard were trichloroethylene, formaldehyde, and ethylene oxide. The working environment measurement system as regulated by Occupational Safety and Health Act is not properly assessed and managed for occupational carcinogens in South Korea. A component analysis for all materials used should be set up to practically reduce occupational carcinogens. A ban on the use of occupational carcinogens and the development of alternative materials are needed. The occupational carcinogens below the acceptable standards should be carefully examined and a new standard for exposure needs to be established. Conclusions: The Occupational Safety and Health Act should be improved to identify and monitor occupational carcinogens at work sites. A strategy for occupational safety and health systems should be provided to give direction to workers' needs and right to know.

• Journal of agricultural medicine and community health
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• v.48 no.3
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• pp.178-188
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• 2023

Objective: Self perceived health status dose not only reflects an individual's perception of their overall well-being but is also known to be influenced by various aspects of life. Rural areas tend to have relatively lower quality of life compared to urban areas. Therefore, this study aims to investigate factors related to Self perceived health status among farmers. Methods: In the subjective health status questionnaire, responses of "very healthy" and "healthy" are classified as 'good', whereas "average", "unhealthy" or "very unhealthy" are classified as indicative of a 'poor' subjective health status. Logistic regression analysis was conducted to calculate odds ratios(OR), aiming to investigate factors related to self perceived health status. Results: The OR for self perceived health status as poor was statistically significant for females at 2.32(95% CI 1.47-3.67), for individuals working in greenhouses at 1.43(95% CI 1.01-1.98), for current smoker at 1.50(95% CI 1.02-2.08), and for those who experienced symptoms after pesticide exposure at 1.74(95% CI 1.13-2.67). An annual income of 50 million won or more had a statistically significant OR of 0.51(95% CI 0.28-0.91), education level of high school and above had an OR of 0.45(95% CI 0.32-0.63), and engaging in physical exercise had an OR of 0.61(95% CI 0.42-0.89). Conclusions: The factors related to self perceived health status were identified as sex, smoking, cultivation type, presence of symptoms after pesticide exposure, annual income, education level, and exercise status. The significance of this study lies in providing foundational data for the development of health management programs for farmers.

• Korean Chemical Engineering Research
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• v.61 no.1
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• pp.62-67
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• 2023

Due to the prolonged impact of COVID-19, the demand for Information Technology (IT) products is increasing, and their production facilities are expanded. Consequently, the use of harmful and dangerous chemicals are increased, the risk of fire(s) and explosion(s) is also elevated. In order to mitigate these risks, the government sets standards, such as KS C IEC 60079-10-1, and manages explosion-prone hazardous facilities where flammable substances are manufactured, used, and handled. However, using the standards of KS, it is difficult to predict the actual possibility of an explosion in a facility, because ventilation (an important factor) is not considered when setting up a hazardous work environment. In this study, the SEMI S6, Tracer Gas Test was applied to the chemical vapor deposition (CVD) facility, a major part of the display industry, to evaluate ventilation performance and to confirm the possibility of creating a less explosive environment. Based on the results, it was confirmed that the ventilation performance in the assumed scenarios met the standards stipulated in SEMI S6, along with supporting the possibility of creating a less explosive working condition. Therefore, it is recommended to use the prediction tool using engineering techniques, as well as KS standards, in such hazardous environments to prevent accidents and/or reduce economic burden following accidents.

• Korean Journal of Construction Engineering and Management
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• v.17 no.5
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• pp.108-119
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• 2016

Since the introduction of the converted accident rate in Pre-Qualification(PQ) process in 1992, the safety evaluation system has contributed to a reduction of construction accidents and development of the safety management system in public construction projects. As the comprehensive evaluation method the government plans to introduce includes the indicators 'accident rate' and 'death rate per 10,000 workers', the influences on the safety evaluation in the bidding process would be broader in public sector construction projects. However, the current safety evaluation system is operated by different estimating standards in the bidding process. At this point, a study of improvement on the safety evaluation index is required to review its current conditions and to propose its efficient operating method. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to analyze problems of the current safety evaluation system through the questionnaire survey on the qualified workers in construction safety management and to propose an improvement plan for the problems noticed. Our results suggest the standards of the unified process for the safety evaluation index, the size of construction firms needed for accident rate estimation, and the improvement plan for unreported accidents. The proposed improvement plan enables the reasonable estimation and efficient operation of the safety evaluation index, and further, it would contribute to reducing construction accidents through the activation of voluntary safety management by construction firms.

• Journal of Digital Convergence
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• v.11 no.6
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• pp.275-287
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• 2013

This study aims to derive implications on current problems in the nursing manpower management in Korea through the comparison with the nursing workforce and employmentrent in the United States and Japan. There are various issues in nursing policy, such as nursing shortage, quality of the nursing service, and the increased cost of management due to the high turnover rate of nursing staffs and it is urgent to seek various policy measures to resolve this. Although nursing shortage is a commom problem in the world, the U.S. and Japan were higher rate of employment than Korea in nursing staffs, which implicates the importance of the legislation of mandatory minimum staffing ratios, the establishment of policies such as the fees and charge policy and the nursing work environments. For quality nursing care and patient safety through the stable workforce of qualified nursing staffs, administrative mechanisms that support adequate nurse staffing and promote positive work conditions are needed, for which the improvement of legal system is required.

• Proceedings of the Korea Water Resources Association Conference
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• 2016.05a
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• pp.186-186
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• 2016

산업안전보건법에 따르면 결함수 분석기법(Fault Tree Analysis, FTA)은 주로, 설계 또는 운전단계에 있는 공정 위험성 평가 시 사고의 발생빈도와 예상사고 시나리오를 추정하는데 적용되어왔다. 따라서 일반적인 결함수 분석에서 정상 사상은 시스템 자체의 사용불능을 야기하는 가장 큰 원인을 의미한다. 그러나 상수도의 유지관리를 위해 FTA를 적용한 경우 정상 사상은 일반적인 FTA에서의 정상 사상과는 다르게 정의되어야 한다. 즉, 용수공급의 경우 관망 전체에 영향을 미치는 정상 사상이란 수원지의 오염이나, 수원지에서 직접적으로 나오는 관로에 문제가 생겼다거나 하는 사건을 의미하므로, 이러한 방식의 정상 사건 정의는 관망의 관로 및 절점에서 발생되는 문제를 분석하기 어렵게 만든다. 따라서 본 연구에서는 관망의 특정 지점에 용수공급이 원활하게 되지 않는 경우를 FTA의 정상사상으로 정의하였다. 또한, 개개의 관로 노후도 평가 점수와 FTA를 이용하여 관망의 특정 절점에 용수를 공급하기 위한 관로들의 노후도 평가 평균 점수를 산출하였다. 개발한 프로그램에서는 평균 노후도 평가 점수를 산출하기 위해서, 특정 절점 값을 입력 받고 각 파이프와 그로 인해 생기는 고립구간(세그먼트 + 비의도적 고립구간) 에 포함되는 절점들의 관계를 나타낸 자료를 이용하여 파이프에 문제가 생길 시 단수되는 절점을 역으로 검색해서 각 파이프의 노후도 평가 점수를 산술평균 하였다. 본 연구에서는 특정지점에 용수 공급이 원활하지 못 한 정상사상에 대하여 관로의 수리 또는 교체를 해야 하는 구간을 찾아 노후도 평가 점수를 산정하는 것이 목표이다. 이를 위해 특정 절점에 용수를 공급하기 위하여 지나가는 관로들에 대해서 평균 점수를 구함으로써, 절점에 용수가 원활히 공급 될 가능성을 산정하여 FTA와 관로 노후도 평가 점수를 이용하고 특정 절점에 용수를 공급하기 위하여 지나가는 관로들에 대해서 평균 점수를 산정하였다. 절점에서 용수를 공급하는 중요도에 따라 절점으로 이어지는 관로의 평균 노후도를 일정 점수 이하로 유지시키는 방법을 이용함으로써 관로의 유지관리 필요성에 대해 지표로써 사용할 수 있다.

• Journal of Convergence for Information Technology
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• v.9 no.8
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• pp.63-73
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• 2019

The purpose of this study is to examine the effects of nursing work environment and reciprocity on job embeddedness in the small and medium size hospital nurses. The data were collected from questionnaires filled out by 206 nurses. Data collection was performed from March 4 to 22, 2019. The collected data were analyzed by SPSS 25.0 program. As a result of the research, the study model accounted for 66.0% of job embeddedness. The most powerful variable affecting job embeddedness was support system of nurse, among sub - variables of nursing work environment. Therefore, nursing managers should improve the nurse's job embeddedness by creating nursing work environment that supports nurses such as salary improvement, professional development and promotion opportunities. In addition, it suggests that improvement of hospital and nursing organization system is needed to maintain cooperative relationship with nursing team or other health care professionals.

• Korean Journal of Clinical Laboratory Science
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• v.53 no.1
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• pp.11-18
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• 2021

Respiratory viruses (RVs) cause infections in hospital environments through direct contact with infected visitors. In infection control, it causes major problems of acquired infections in hospitals by respiratory viruses. The surveillance data derived from clinical laboratories are often used to properly allocate medical resources to hospitals and communities for treatment, consumables, and diagnostic product purchases in the institutions and public health sectors that provide health care. An early diagnosis is essential in infection with respiratory viruses, and methods that can be used in diagnostic methods using respiratory samples include virus culture, molecular diagnosis, and analysis. A microchip provides a new strategy for developing a more diverse and powerful technology called point-of-care testing. The importance of the respiratory system should be applied strictly to the infection control guidelines to ensure the occupational health and safety of health care workers. Evidence of clinical efficacy, including this study, is challenging the long-standing paradigm for infection propagation. Additional assistance will be needed for frequent tests to detect respiratory viruses in inpatients who have begun to show new respiratory symptoms indicating infections requiring efforts to control the infection.