• Journal of the Ergonomics Society of Korea
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• v.30 no.4
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• pp.473-480
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• 2011

Objective: This paper presents the results of a literature review undertaken to analyze the types and risk factors of unsafe posture in accordance with the crops and the working position and to introduce various ergonomic intervention approaches. Background: There is clear and consistent evidence that agricultural work has been rated as one of the dangerous occupations in the world. A considerable number of adverse health conditions, including musculoskeletal disorders(MSDs) are related to agricultural work. Method: An agricultural work requires squatting, kneeling, and bending(stooping) postures for significant periods of the work day which due to a wide variety of activities such as planting, cultivating and harvesting various agricultural products. Thus, each of these postures is analyzed in detail to recommend the improvement methods. Results: Various unsafe postures in agricultural works are revealed and analyzed. It is proven that ergonomics intervention has the potential benefits to reduce MSDs among agricultural workers. Two types of ergonomic intervention methods were discussed to improve unsafe working postures, engineering controls and administrative controls. Conclusion & Application: As a concluding remark, this article can be used as a reference manual for the agricultural workers and also used to raise the research community's awareness to the risk of unsafe working postures for workers in agriculture.

• Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
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• v.10 no.2
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• pp.40-52
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• 2000

The aim of this study was to evaluate the prevailing ergonomic conditions regarding low back injury in an assembly factory, In this study, analytic biomechanical model and NIOSH guidelines were applied to evaluate risk levels of low back injury for automobile assembly jobs. Total of 246 workers were analysed. There were 10 jobs with greater back compressive forces than 350kg at L5/S1. Also there were 44 jobs over Action Limit in terms of 1981 NIOSH guidelines. This could in part be explained by the ergonomic conditions of the companys analysed as not hazardous, with a relatively low duration of 'combined' extreme work posture. However, more ergonomic intervention could be done based on those results.

• Journal of the Ergonomics Society of Korea
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• v.26 no.3
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• pp.45-52
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• 2007

Shipbuilding workers are potentially exposed to ergonomic hazards in the manufacturing process. The purpose of this study is to describe the impact of an ergonomic intervention and the implementation effect of ergonomics program at a shipbuilding company. This study portrays an implementation procedure of ergonomics program over a period of two years concerning ergonomic hazard analysis and improvement, along with medical management. After implementation of the ergonomics program, the productivity improved, and the rate of accidental incidents decreased, also the loss of workdays decreased largely. The implementation effect of ergonomics program presented in this study can be used to provide baseline information for the prevention of musculoskeletal disorders in the shipbuilding industry.

• Journal of agricultural medicine and community health
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• v.44 no.3
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• pp.138-143
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• 2019

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to assess the ergonomic risk factors in beekeeping, and to evaluate the effectiveness of assistive device hive lift. Methods: This study included 30 subjects of beekeeper in Pocheon, Korea. We assessed the ergonomic risk of main task in beekeeping with NLE, OWAS and evaluate the effectiveness of hive lift. We also surveyed prevalence of musculoskeletal symptoms among the subjects based on the Korea Working Condition Survey. Results: Moving to different floral origin, internal inspection of beehives, feeding syrup is the most burdensome to musculoskeletal system (NLE LI value=2~3. OWAS action category=4). The prevalence of musculoskeletal symptoms (lower and upper extremities) among the subjects was over 80 %. The introduction of assistive devices in the three hazardous tasks has dramatically reduced the risk by removing manual lifting hives (OWAS action category<1). Conclusions: Beekeeping is a heavy workload on the musculoskeletal system because it has a lot of manual lifting task. As a result of applying the hive lift, the burden could be reduced.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.7 no.3
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• pp.256-256
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• 2016

• Physical Therapy Korea
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• v.19 no.4
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• pp.61-69
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• 2012

The purpose of this study was to identify the effects of tensor fasciae latae-iliotibial band (TFL-ITB) self-stretching exercise on the lumbopelvic movement patterns during active prone hip lateral rotation (HLR) in subjects with lumbar extension rotation syndrome accompanying TFL-ITB shortness. Eleven subjects (9 male and 2 female) were recruited for the two-week study. A three dimensional ultrasonic motion analysis system was used to measure the lumbopelvic movement patterns. The TFL-ITB length was measured using the modified Ober's test and was expressed as the hip horizontal adduction angle. The subjects were instructed how to perform TFL-ITB self-stretching exercise program at home. A paired t-test was performed to determine the significant difference in the angle of lumbopelvic rotation, movement onset time of lumbopelvic rotation, TFL-ITB length, and LBP intensity before and after the two-week period of performing the TFL-ITB self-stretching exercise. The results showed that after the intervention, the lumbopelvic rotation angle decreased significantly (p<.05), the movement onset time reduced significantly (p<.05), and LBP intensity decreased slightly but not significantly (p=.07). The hip horizontal adduction angle increased significantly (p<.05) after the intervention. These findings indicate that TFL-ITB stretching exercise increased TFL-ITB length, decreased lumbopelvic rotation angle, and delayed the movement onset time of lumbopelvic rotation after two-weeks. In conclusion, the TFL-ITB self-stretching exercise performed over a period of two weeks may be an effective approach for patients with lumbar extension rotation syndrome accompanying TFL-ITB shortness.

• Proceedings of the Korean Institute of Information and Commucation Sciences Conference
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• 2017.05a
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• pp.179-182
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• 2017

Cerebral nervous system intervention procedures have been reported frequently due to radiation exposure such as skin baldness, hair loss, and redness due to prolonged procedures. Therefore, the bismuth shield designed to reduce the radiation exposure of the target organ located in the anterior part of the human body sensitive to skin and radiation sensitivity during CT (computed tomography) scan is applied to the cerebral vascular system intervention by ergonomic design, To reduce the radiation dose of sensitive scalp, we propose a study.

• Journal of the Ergonomics Society of Korea
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.57-63
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• 2005

Ergonomic intervention techniques were adopted to assess and control potential risk factors of work-related musculoskeletal disorders(WMSDs) in the automated light assembly manufacturing system. Ten different kinds of assembly workstations implemented with a conveyor system and twelve female workers were observed and evaluated with careful video film analysis. Several close examinations using sets of checklists established by qualified safety and health organizations, such as NIOSH, OSHA, and ANSI, were conducted and every workers and staffs in the site participated in the self-report questionnaires and off-line interviews. Typical risk factors and symptoms of the upper extremity musculoskeletal disorders were found and categorized into specific parts of body. To reduce risk factors of WMSDs and improve system productivity new revised workstation standards, physical dimensions, were suggested accordant with anthropometric characteristics of workers and a heuristic decision strategy of rotating shift work schedules according to work contents has proposed to mitigate cumulative physical stress. Finally, ergonomic programs of entire company to prevent WMSDs were structured.

• Journal of the Ergonomics Society of Korea
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• v.30 no.4
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• pp.525-534
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• 2011

This paper describes the current status of musculoskeletal disorders(MSDs) and its ergonomic risk factors, including the preventive intervention in terms of the working conditions and health promotion among agricultural workers. Korean agricultural workers have been exposed to the poor working condition. They have suffered from a variety of work-related injury and diseases more than the general population or the other occupational group. MSDs are one of the most prevalent problems threatening the agricultural worker's health and quality of life. Low back pain, osteoarthritis of hip and knee joint and carpal tunnel syndrome are well known MSDs that was found easily and frequently among agricultural workers. MSDs are worsened by poor ergonomic working conditions such as heavy weight lifting, repetitive movement and awkward posture which involves squatting with long sitting work on the ground, long working hours and heavy workload which are inherent in the greater part of agricultural works. Even though Korean agricultural workers are very weak population in terms of occupational safety and health, no many studies were conducted in the past and no many social and institutional supports were provided sufficiently. We need more interests and efforts in agricultural fields to improve its working condition and to promote health status of agricultural workers.

• Physical Therapy Korea
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.42-51
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• 2009

The purpose of this study was to develop a checklist of risk factors for quantitative assessment of musculoskeletal complaints in shipbuilding workers. A key point was to develop comprehensive a checklist including the worker's physical ability, as ergonomic and workload factors. ln the first, through correlation analysis between musculoskeletal complaints and physical abilities in shipbuilding workers, risk factors related to physical abilities were selected. In the second, after the development of a checklist was composed of physical, ergonomic and workload factors, factor analysis was used to test the validity of the developed checklist. Each factors selected finally showed that physical factors were hand grip strength, spinal curvature, and flexibility (sit to reach), ergonomic factors were posture, total exposed time, duration, and force of working, and workload factors were physical and psychological workload perceived by worker. The results showed that musculoskeletal complaints was associated with physical abilities (p<.05). The developed checklist had a reliability of .761 (Cronbach=.761) and a validity and explanation of 54.9%. The criterion of management was classified in 4 stages by relative weights of each factor. It is suggested that active intervention is needed to reduce musculoskeletal complaints in workers with more than a 14.31 score.