• Journal of Korea Port Economic Association
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• v.34 no.4
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• pp.85-104
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• 2018

Globally, more than 90 percent of all international commerce takes place via sea freight. In terms of container cargo volume, Busan Port is the world's sixth largest port, given its geographical conditions. Regarding geographic advantages, a cargo-working operation that met customers' demand using a 24-hour operating delivery system also contributed to the growth of Busan Port as a global hub. However, research and studies on the working conditions for stevedores are lacking, even though the port industry relies heavily on human resources. Therefore, this study identifies the awareness of the working environment by cargo-working employees at Busan Port and their satisfaction level related to their working environment, such as working two shifts in a 24-hour period.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.7 no.4
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• pp.363-371
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• 2016

Background: Seafaring is an inherently stressful environment. Because working time and leisure time is spent in the same confined environment for a prolonged period of time, many stressors present in seafaring can also be conceived of as chronic. We explored the effects of duration at sea, seafaring experience, environmental stressors, and psychological capital (PsyCap) on the sleep quality and fatigue of seafarers. PsyCap is a construct that draws upon ideas from positive psychology and positive organizational behavior, and is intended to capture an individual's psychological capacities that can be developed and utilized for performance improvements. Methods: We collected survey data from a sample of seafarers working in the offshore re-supply industry (n = 402) and a sample of seafarers working on board combined passenger and cargo ships (n = 340). Results: PsyCap emerged as a robust predictor with statistically significant relations to fatigue and sleep quality in both samples. PsyCap also interacted with duration at sea in explaining fatigue in seafarers working on board the passenger and cargo ships. Seafarers on passenger and cargo ships also reported significantly higher levels of fatigue than those working in the offshore re-supply industry. Conclusion: Coupled with emerging research showing that PsyCap is trainable, our results suggest that maritime organizations could have much to gain by being cognizant of and developing routines for continually developing the PsyCap of their employees.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Marine Environment & Safety
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• v.24 no.1
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• pp.56-67
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• 2018

With the introduction of the maritime safety supervisor system in Korea following the passenger vessel Sewol accident, the safety control system for coastal vessels has been reinforced. A maritime safety supervisor performs marine accident prevention activities by offering periodical or occasional guidance and supervision. When a deficiency is found during guidance or supervision sessions, an order for improvement is issued to rectify the problem by such measures as supplementation or replacement of vessel facilities, improvement of work hours and working conditions for employees, educational and training programs for executives and employees, or the improvement of other affairs relating to maritime safety control. However the present order for navigation suspension by a maritime safety supervisor is limited solely to supplementation or replacement. For this reason, orders for navigation suspension against other facilities is impossible, even if a serious deficiency that could lead to a marine accident such as poor cargo loading conditions or unqualified crew is identified. Therefore, the order for vessel navigation suspension to secure seaworthiness should be expanded to include cargo loading/unloading operations, certificates and documentation, maritime safety management systems, and human elements including emergency drills and working conditions, in addition to the supplementation or replacement of vessel facilities that exists.