• Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
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• v.7 no.2
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• pp.289-297
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• 1997

Work-related low back pain(below LBP) is one of the major cause of morbidity, disability, limitation of activity and economic loss. Therefore the work-related LBP is one of the major issue in the field of industrial safety and health. This study was performed for detecting the risk factors and proposing the effective control programs of work-related LBP. The subjects were male workers employed at the welding and metal factory. The data was collected by self-reported questionnaire, interview and checking abdomen muscular and grasping power for two days on October, 1993. The contents of questionnaire were as follow: the experience of LBP, general characteristics, physical characteristics, employment status, type of work and working environment. The number of cases was 104 with a history of work-related LBP, so the prevalence of work-related LBP was 35.0%, and the number of controls was 140 without any history of LBP. As a result, marital status, educational level, abdomen muscular power, tenure, category of job, satisfaction of job, working posture, satisfaction for table and chair and lifting materials showed a statistical significance between the case and control groups. 284 Lifting jobs were quantified by NIOSH lifting equation method and ergonomic computer modelling methods. There were no significant differences in the action limit and disc compression force between group with LBP and without LBP. But in the lifting frequency and cumulative disc compression force there were significant differences. Therefore work-related LBP should be prevented by the ergonomic and environmental control.

• Journal of the Ergonomics Society of Korea
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• v.31 no.6
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• pp.773-783
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• 2012

Objective: The aim of this study is to identify foot shapes of Korean male farmers by classifying their foot types using 3D scan data and analyzing the characteristics of each type. Background: The increasing demands for anthropometric information for the design of machinery and personal protective equipment to prevent occupational injuries has necessitated an understanding of the anthropometric differences to be found among occupations. Static stooped posture and squatting posture are so common in Korean farmers that anthropometric deformation in foot especially seems to occur easily. Method: 366 Korean male farmers volunteered for this study from 16 different farming villages nationwide from 2009 to 2011. Subjects were categorized into 4 age groups from 40s to 70s. Their right feet were measured by using 3D foot scanner, the anthropometric dimensions were composed of 40 items. Results: The 8 major factors affecting the foot shapes were extracted. From these factors the foot shape of Korean male farmers was classified into 3 Foot types. Foot type 1 showed severe deformation in toe 1, type 2 had a narrow shape and type 3 had a wider width for its length. Conclusion: There were some differences in foot shape and types between farmers and the public. The most characteristic foot type in Korean male farmers was type 3. Application: The results of identifying foot shapes of Korean male farmers might provide the useful information for designing ergonomic farm work shoes.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.17-23
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• 2024

Background: The present study aimed to analyze several aspects of the working conditions and health status of platform workers in the Republic of Korea, such as ergonomic and emotional hazards. We also compared the health status of the platform workers with that of the general population. Methods: A total of 1,000 platform workers participated in this survey from August 7 to August 17, 2022. The participants included 400 designated drivers, 400 food-delivery drivers, and 200 housekeeping managers. A face-to-face survey with a structured questionnaire was conducted by researchers who had received specific instructions. The focus of the survey extended to the work environment, encompassing factors such as workplace violence, as well as physical, chemical, and ergonomic hazards. Health-related data for the previous year were also collected, covering a range of issues such as hearing problems, skin problems, musculoskeletal symptoms, headaches, injuries, mental health issues, and digestive problems. Subsequently, we compared the health symptom data of the responders with those of the general population in the Republic of Korea. Results: Platform workers, including designated drivers, food-delivery drivers, and housekeeping managers, existed in the blind spot of social insurance, facing frequent exposure to physical and chemical hazards, ergonomic risk factors, and direct or indirect violence. The prevalence of health problems, including musculoskeletal symptoms, general fatigue, and depressive symptoms, in each occupational group was statistically higher than that in the general population after standardization for age and gender. Conclusion: The results revealed unfavorable working environment and inferior occupational health of platform workers compared with those of the general population.

• Physical Therapy Korea
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.74-82
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• 2011

The purpose of this study was to compare the anaerobic threshold (AT) between subjects with and without non-specific chronic low back pain (NCLBP). The patient group included 15 women with NCLBP. The normal group included 15 women without NCLBP who were age-, height-, weight-, and activity level-matched. The subjects performed a Balke treadmill protocol which was symptom-limited progressive loading test. Their heart rate (HR), ventilatory gas and metabolic equivalents (METs) were measured using the automatic breath gas analyzing system. After the test, each subjects' ratings of perceived exertion (RPE) were evaluated. The visual analog scale (VAS) was assessed pre- and post-test. The independent t-test and Wilcoxon's signed-rank test were used for analysis of the data. Time, HR, the volume of oxygen consumption ($VO_2$), relative $VO_2$, and METs at the AT level of the patient group were significantly lower than those of the healthy group (p<.05). However, there were no significant differences in RPE, VAS, and breathing frequency at the AT level (p>.05). The findings of this study indicate that patients with NCLBP had a lower aerobic fitness than healthy subjects. Thus, implementation of rehabilitation program to increase aerobic fitness may be considered in patietns with NCLBP, and further studies are required to determine the etiological factors of decreased aerobic fitness.

• Proceedings of the KSR Conference
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• 2011.05a
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• pp.874-881
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• 2011

Driver's cab shall be designed ergonomically to provide the comfort for a driver to gather the information from the equipments and to operate the equipments effectively. The typical three design factors effected on the comfort are the access of driver's cab, freedom of movement inside the cabs and visibility condition. All control equipments shall be arranged so that those which are most often used or are of critical importance are the most convenient to the driver. The layout of driver's cab shall maximize the use of available space to be rugged and easily maintained. The visibility for the running direction along the track shall be secured. The visibility condition apply the seating position of the driver. Not only the environment condition(temperature, humidity, rattle, etc) but also the construction of driver's cab can be ergonomic design factor.

• Proceedings of the ESK Conference
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• 1995.10a
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• pp.109-113
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• 1995

This study was designed to investigate the effects of work postures and anthropometry on the musculoskeletal discomfort of the telephone operators involved in VDT tasks. The level of musculoskeletal discomfort were evaluated for 279 VDT operators from three different workplaces. The work postures and the anthropometric data were evaluated for 70 VDT operators out of the total of 279 operators. Multiple regression analysis was utilized to examine the relation- ship between the measured ergonomic variables and the level of the musculoskeletal discomfort. It is evident from the result of the study that the ergonomic factors have great influences on the level of the musculoskeletal discomfort.

• Korean Institute of Interior Design Journal
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• v.16 no.2 s.61
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• pp.314-321
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• 2007

The statistical method of human sensibility ergonomics is widely used for analyzing interior design because it has standard processes and it can help to get quantifiable results. However applying this method demands repeated intense work and great time and effort is required. In this study, a tool applying Web and virtual reality techniques for statistical human sensibility ergonomic interior design analysis is proposed and the key parts of the tool including database and interface are implemented. The database contains the sensibility adjective table and the physical interior design factor table for analyzing the relationship between human sense and physical design factors. Interface of the tool is implemented using Web technologies, so testers can evaluate interior design samples via standard Web browsers. The 3D control which is an important component of the interface is also implemented. Employing the suggested tool can reduce effort and time for evaluating human sense in Interior design field.

• Journal of the Ergonomics Society of Korea
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• v.13 no.2
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• pp.13-24
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• 1994

The objectives of this study are twofold : (1) to investigate musculoskeletal discomfort for sedentary workers in offices ane (2) to revise the Korean Standard for the design of office chairs in order to reduce or eliminate the physical discomfort or the office workers. Two hundred seventy-one office workers from nineteen different companies companies were selected to evaluate the musculoskeletal discomfort and indibidual features of chair design. A statistical analysis of the survey rebealed that the office currently being used had two major deficiencies such as insufficient adjustability and inappropriate design specifications in ergonomic sense. A stepwise regression analysis showed that the deficiencies on the musculoskeletal discomfort of the workers. Based on the ergonomic design pronciples, was debeloped to revise the Korean Standard for the design specifications of office chairs. An application of the methodology was made amend the design specifications of the four factors such as seat pan height, seat pan width, and seat pan inclunation. Their effects were evident in the musculoskeletal discomfort of the workers.

• Korean Journal of Occupational Health Nursing
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• v.29 no.1
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• pp.1-7
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• 2020

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of work environment on health problems of nurses. Methods: The subjects of the study were 395 nurses who were wage workers among KWCS (Korean Working Conditions Survey) respondents in 2014. The work environments were measured by the KWCS questionnaire. Results: 48.5% of the 395 nurses had health problems. The prevalence of musculoskeletal diseases (34.7%) was the highest among all health problems. The ergonomic work environment was significantly related to musculoskeletal disorders, headache and eye strain, and fatigue. In addition, the increase in work-individual interface area was significantly related to fatigue. Conclusion: The work environment of nurses affects health problems. It is therefore important to develop strategies that improve the health problems of nurses by reducing ergonomic and psycho-social risk factors.

• Journal of the Korea Furniture Society
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• v.12 no.2
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• pp.73-80
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• 2001

The purpose of human factor study is to help the people in good conditions, and to increase the efficiency of physical productivity and mental creativity Also for the furniture design field, the applications of human scale dimensions are considered as the very important aspects. For the design of the office systems furniture, designer must consider the onveniences of variable users as much as possible. To design the office systems for the various work environment, it is necessary to analyze the human scale dimensions according to the furniture items and the user behaviors. In these days, many countries are interested about the workplace ergonomic regulations to reduce a class of injuries called ‘Musculoskeletal Disorders(MSDs)’ by controlling risk factors. In this study, I intend to research and to analyze the features of human scale dimensions and the user behaviors of office environment, and propose some office furniture design tips.