• Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
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• v.28 no.1
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• pp.18-34
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• 2018

Objectives: This study aims to identify and solve problems in the consistency, procedural justification, effectiveness, and other matters concerning approaches to occupational safety and health legislation, administrative rules, and administrative guidelines. Methods: In this study of policy on the industrial safety and health law of Korea, problems were raised based on important information on the approach to occupational safety and health legislation and administrative guidelines such as notices, ordinances, and instructions, as well as on their interpretation and operation standards. Secondly, based on the identified problems in the occupational safety and health law policy, core practical methods to present improvement directions for occupational safety health policy in Korea were sought. Results: It is absolutely necessary to actively promote the infrastructure for occupational safety and health by developing and disseminating notices, guidelines, and manuals that act as contact points between laws and the field in various ways at the administrative institution level. In addition to sanctions, efforts to systematically guide and promote complex professional matters must be supported. Efforts should be made to strengthen administrative expertise so that administrative authorities can secure professional authority and fully enforce legal policies according to the purpose of legislation. In order to ensure the effectiveness of occupational safety and health law policies, it is necessary to shift the focus of the legal policy toward confirming and guiding substantial compliance with legal standards. Conclusions: As a result of the above efforts, when reliable occupational safety and health law policy is implemented, the understanding and acceptance of the legal policy for the administrative object will be increased, and the safety and health management of the enterprise will be maximized to its full extent.

• Korean Journal of Health Education and Promotion
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• v.29 no.2
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• pp.83-91
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• 2012

Objectives: This study is to examine that drinking problems among university students were accounted for not only by student's individual characteristics but alcohol policy and environmental characteristics of the university in which students were enrolled. Method: Secondary data analysis was employed in which variables under study were derived from a raw data of a nationwide representative sample in 2009. Raw data under analysis included 3,665 students from 63 universities across Korea. Organizational and environmental characteristics of the university were collected from university administrators while individual characteristics and drinking behavior from the students in using self-administrated questionnaire. Multilevel regression analyses were employed to describe alcohol policy effects on students's drinking problems measured by AUDIT by using HLM7.0. Results: ICCs indicate that variation in drinking problem depends on alcohol policy of university. Multilevel regression models identified statistically significant factors in explaining variance of drinking problems. Group means on drinking problem are affected by indicators representing alcohol policy with level of drinking problem of student being decreased in accordance to level of availability of alcohol on campus. Conclusions: It is concluded that drinking problems among university students were associated with both individual characteristics and alcohol policy of the university they enrolled. This study supports policy belief that interventions at environmental as well as individual level are required to prevent drinking problem among university students.

• Journal of the Korea Organic Resources Recycling Association
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• v.8 no.4
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• pp.67-77
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• 2000

For successful privatization of environmental facility, a sound environmental policy is required to satisfy social motivation and economic. The primary purpose of environmental facility is not profit, but to supply a good quality service, an efficient management tool is needed to run the facility. In foreign countries, the privatization policy was originally based on the principle of complete competition achieving economic effiency. There were efficient cooperation and division of labor between civillian and public sector. First of all, the local government had independant budget. But, we found that the environmental facility have two important problems, the first is low effiency of operation and the second is comsumed to government finances as a homemade rate 50% in the technic application For a successful privatization of the environmental facility, The law of private capital introduction should be amended to promote fund raising. There are some other strategies ; overcoming of Nimbyism, research development of the privatization, field trip to the successful foreign environmental facilities. To support an efficient privatization policy, the environmental budget should be managed by cost-benefit analysis.

• Journal of Soil and Groundwater Environment
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• v.26 no.6
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• pp.36-46
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• 2021

The Soil Health Index (SHI) developed by Park et al. (2021) is used to evaluate soil health on remediated soils collected from several remediation project sites and monitored the changes of SHI during the remediation process of land farming, soil washing, and thermal desorption. In the case of land farming, the soils remediated below a legal standard didn't show any significant changes in indices of SHI except the downgrade of available phosphate from medium to a low level. The SHI scores were ranged from 52 to 56 in the contaminated soil and 54 to 57 in the remediated soil. With soil washing, bulk density changed from high to a low level, and available phosphate was lowered from medium to low level. As the SHI scores were evaluated as 58 to 63 for contaminated soil and 38 to 42 for remediated soils. For thermal desorption, soil respiration rate was reduced from high to low level and SHI was scored as 50 to 51 for contaminated soils and 43 to 47 for remediated soils. Even though any abrupt changes of the SHI in remediated soils were not identified in the soils used in this study, it is expected that soil in different conditions such as types and concentrations of contaminant and soil characteristics would result in distinguished changes of the SHI. There is a room for more studies collect diverse information on SHI across the country.

• Journal of Environmental Impact Assessment
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• v.11 no.3
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• pp.145-155
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• 2002

A substantial literatures on environmental risk perception have emerged since the late 1960s. Most these works focus on how people form risk perception, on what people believe, on difficulties in communicating information about health, safety, or environmental risks to non-experts. In this study, questionnaire surveys were conducted to sample from stakeholders(general public, environmental specialist, governmental official, non-government officials, journalist) during March and Aprils, 2000. Total number of responses was 1,803 including 773 persons of general public, 353 experts, 390 governmental officials, 111 journalists and 176 NGO members. Risk perception on 26 environmental issues were statistically analyzed to relate with the need to regulate each issues, interest and knowledge, experience of hazard, satisfaction in environmental situation, etc. This research aims to aid risk analysis and policy-making by providing a basis for understanding and anticipating group responses to environmental issues and improving the communication of risk information among general public, lay-people, technical experts, and decision-makers. This study concludes that those who are in charge of promoting and regulating health and safety of citizens should understand how people perceive about and respond to environmental risk. Without such understanding, well-intended environmental policies of governments would be ineffective.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.42 no.5
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• pp.302-313
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• 2016

Objectives: This study was conducted to assess environmental health status on a local scale using environmental health-related indicators. It demonstrated the possibility of using a structural equation model, a methodological approach to provide synthesized information. Methods: Eighteen indicators were selected from official statistical data published by local governments. Each environmental health-related indicator was classified according to the PSR (pressure-state-response) model. Aggregation methods were performed using principal component analysis and fuzzy sets. Results: The five principal components were classified through principal component analysis (PCA) and obtained eigenvalues >1.0 from the initial 18 indicators. The aggregated index was obtained by condensing the original information into two broad and simple categories through fuzzy sets. Conclusion: This could be useful in that the aggregation procedure may provide a basis for establishing environmental health policies and a decision-making process. However, the availability and quality of indicators, assessment of aggregation method bias, choice of weighted scores for indicators, and other factors should be examined in future studies.

• Korea Journal of Hospital Management
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• v.22 no.4
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• pp.16-23
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• 2017

Purposes: Despite the positive health effects of both smokers and non-smokers, the non-smoking area policy is being negatively evaluated because of the vague fears of declining restaurant sales. The purpose of this study is to analyze the changes in sales of general restaurants(including liquor stores) and other restaurants that are considered to have the most applications of smoking cessation policy among the smoking facilities, and to examine the economic impact of the designation and expansion policies of non-smoking areas. Methodology: This study used the wholesale and retail trade survey data of the Korea National Statistical Office from 2011 to 2014 and analyzed 31,577 restaurants excluding missing values. For statistical analysis, t-test, ANOVA and Difference-in-differences(DID) models were used and the interaction term of area and year was entered. Findings: As the non-smoking area policy had been designated and expanded from December 2012 to December 31 2013, high restaurant sales in 2012 declined sharply in 2013. However, despite the expanding of the no-smoking area from January 1 2014 through December 31 2014, restaurant sales slightly recovered in 2014. In the case of other restaurants, there is no significant change in sales since the start of the policy in 2013. Practical Implications: The decline in restaurant sales due to the designation and expansion of non-smoking areas is temporary and can not be sustained over the long term. This result can be used to positively suggest negative perceptions of the designation and expansion policy of non-smoking areas. Also, this result can contribute to health promotion and smoking cessation policies by protecting non-smokers from the risk of secondhand smoking exposure and inducing smokers to decrease smoking rate and smoking amount.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.45 no.6
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• pp.605-612
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• 2019

Objectives: This study aims to examine receptor-perceived characteristics of environmental and health damage in areas surrounded by industrial workplaces using environmental complaints collected by local governments in Korea. Methods: The environmental complaint data related to workplaces was collected by local governments at each municipality between the years 2015 and 2017. We analyzed the complaint data from the Busan area by the type of business (industry classification), the content of complaints (odor, smoke, noise, and certain health damage), and the frequency of complaints. Results: Among the workplaces examined, industry categories related to retail and service received the highest frequency of complaints related to noise. On the other hand, complaints of dust and odors were raised in higher frequency against manufacturing industries, indicating that air pollution was the main driver of such complaints. Most of the complaints regarding health effects from industries also contained other complaints, such as odor, noise, and dust. Our results indicate that environmental discomfort can lead to more serious health damage, and should be dealt with more seriously. Further management plans for mitigating discomforts such as noise are necessary. Conclusion: This study can be used as background data for identifying the policy priorities related to vulnerable areas polluted by industry and will contribute to improving the environmental health of residents in identified areas.

• Health Policy and Management
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• v.28 no.1
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• pp.15-22
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• 2018

Background: Health is affected by various local factors. This study aims to investigate the age-standardized mortality variation of Seoul as well as the characteristics of the factors related to the mortality variation. Methods: The Korea Community Health Survey data, Seoul Survey data, Seoul statistics, and e-regional indicators of the National Statistical Office were used. To investigate the basic boroughs standardized mortality variation in Seoul, external quotient, coefficient of variation (CV), and systematic component of variation (SCV) values were suggested; correlation analysis and multiple regression analysis were conducted to investigate the characteristics related to standardized mortality rate. Results: The highest and the lowest standardized mortality rate of Seoul by boroughs had as much as 1.4 times difference; a low level of variation was shown in CV by 8.2; and was shown in SCV by 79. As a result of the multiple regression analysis of the factors that affect standardized mortality variation, the higher the rate of householders with college or higher, the lower the standardized mortality rate, and the higher the high-risk drinking rate, the higher the standardized mortality rate. Of the two, the rate of householder with a degree equivalent or higher than college was shown to have the biggest impact, followed by high-risk drinking rate. Conclusion: We found a variation in age-standardized mortality rate of boroughs in Seoul. The results suggest that policy makers should take into account socioeconomic environmental characteristics of community in developing community-based health promotion rather than focusing on lifestyle changes of residents.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.36 no.4
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• pp.359-366
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• 2003

Objectives : This study was conducted to review the diffusion process and factors affecting the adoption of the Health Center Information System (HIS). Methods : Data were collected from POSDATA (private company), MOHW, other Ministries and local governments. To specify the date of adoption, supplementary information was collected from 40 health centers. The following three kinds of factors were analyzed. Internal factors included type, size, and innovativeness of health centers. Community factors were composed of population sire, economic status, and level of education. Organizational environmental factors consisted of information score of the municipalities, financial support of the from central government, and the neighborhoodness of innovator health centers. Results : All health centers in the metropolitan cities of Seoul, Gwangju and Jeju adopted the HIS. The laggards were those in the metropolitan cities of Busan (18.8%), Incheon (20.0%) and Daejun (20.0%), and cities with population more than 300,000 (54.8%) and counties with health center hospitals (47.1%). Financially supported rural health centers adopted the HIS more rapidly than those not supported. The factors identified as being statistically significant (p<0.05), from a univariate analysis by Kaplan-Meier method, were: (1) internal factors of the type, size and innovativeness of health centers; (2) community factors of population size and economic status; (3) organizational environmental factors of the central government financial support and the neighborhoodness of innovator health centers. A multivariate analysis, using a Cox proportional hazard method, proved the innovativeness of health centers, central government financial support and the neighborhoodness of innovator health centers, were statistically significant (p<0.05). Conclusions : The innovativeness of health centers, financial support from central government and the neighborhoodness of innovator health centers, rather than community factors related to regional socioeconomic status, affected ffe adoption of the HIS in health centers. Further in-depth studies, modifying the MOHW's strategy to propagate the HIS to the laggard health confers, are recommended.