• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.35 no.6
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• pp.538-541
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• 2009

Humans have a long history of asbestos use. There are reports from the Roman era, of asbestos victims among the slaves who worked in asbestos mines. The fact that asbestos can induce lung cancer and mesothelioma was verified epidemiologically in the 1960s. Asbestos related diseases are predominantly occupational in nature but can be caused by environmental exposure. Environmental mesothelioma is mainly associated with tremolite asbestos and this information comes from many countries including Turkey, Greece, Corsica, New Caledonia and Cyprus. In 1993, the first case of mesothelioma in Korea was reported in an asbestos textile worker. Recently, some asbestos disease victims who lived near an asbestos factory have their cases before the courts. A series of recent asbestos-related events in Korea, for example, the shocking revelation of asbestos containing talc in baby powders have caused the general public to become aware of the health risks of asbestos exposure. Asbestos related diseases are characterized by a long latency period, especially, mesothelioma which has no threshold of safety. Hence the best strategy for preventing asbestos related diseases is to decrease asbestos exposure levels to as low as possible.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.27 no.3 s.47
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• pp.531-545
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• 1994

In a TV component manufacturing factory, 102 male workers aged $20{\sim}39$ years old were participated in testing for physical fitness. At the same time, worker's periodic health examination was done. Test battery for physical fitness include grip strength, trunk flexion, standing long jump, side step, single leg balance with eye close, push ups and Harvard step test. As a result of testing for physical fitness, synthetically, there is no difference between manufacturing workers and officers. By bioelectrical impedance test, it means a declining tendency to all 7 factors in the obese workers, and so, it is important for obese workers not only to promote physical fitness but also to promote health. Excluding grip strength and single leg balance with eye close, 5 fitness factors are negatively associated with degree of diastolic Blood pressure, but it is statistically not significant. And levels of sGOT & sGPT have no association with physical fitness factors.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.43 no.3
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• pp.265-273
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• 2010

Objectives: Due to the economic crisis and globalization, many workers have been suffering from severe occupational stress due to job insecurity and struggles related to downsizing and restructuring. This study aims to assess the stress levels among workers involved in fierce labor disputes and massive layoffs and to evaluate their specific needs and satisfaction with counseling services set up to help workers cope with severely stressful situations? Methods: The authors provided crisis intervention to workers in traumatic situations to compare the differential level of stress responses and needs among the workers remaining employed in a large auto factory, those laid off by it, and those laid off by other companies in the same region (Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province). We measured stress levels using the worker's stress response inventory (WSRI) and heart rate variability (HRV), and assessed workers' satisfaction with the counseling services. Results: 502 workers participated in the program. Fifty-seven percent of them consulted with occupational problems. The mean WSRI score of the workers remaining employed in the automobile factory was higher than that of the unemployed (employed: $39.8{\pm}19.9$ unemployed: $29.3{\pm}18.8$). Ninety-five percent of workers responded that they were satisfied or very satisfied with the counseling services. Conclusions: This study suggests the urgent need for the establishment of a national crisis intervention program dedicated to supporting workers in severely stressful situations.

• Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
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• v.3 no.2
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• pp.152-165
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• 1993

This study was performed at eleven small-sized plating factories located in Seoul, Incheon, Ansan, and Taejeon from July 21 to October 6, 1992. The major objectives of this study were to evaluate worker exposure to hexavalent chromium and local exhaust ventilation (L.E.V.) systems at the chromium plating operations. The most suitable L.E.V. systems for chromium plating tanks were designed as examples for recommendation to the industry. The results are summarized as follows. The range of chromium plating operations investigated included decorative, hard, and black chromium plating on several kinds of parts. Most of plating tanks were not equipped with proper control methods against emission of hexavalent chromium mists and workers were not wearing appropriate personal protectives. The ariborne hexavalent chromium concentrations showed an approximate lognormal distribution. The geometric means of both personal and area samples were within the Korean and ACGIH standards, $50{\mu}g/m^3$. However, in comparison with the NIOSH criterion, $1{\mu}g/m^3$, the geometric means of personal samples at two factories and the geometric means of area samples at two factories exceeded it. The geometric means of personal and area samples of high exposure groups (above the NIOSH criterion) were 7 and 27 times higher than those of low exposure groups (below the NIOSH criterion), respectively. The L.E.V. systems of high exposure groups were improperly designed, and the factory with the highest exposure level had no L.E.V. systems at all on chemical etching process. Whereas at factories of low exposure groups, mist control methods such as mist suppressants, tank cover, and/or auxillary L.E.V. systems were added to L.E.V systems. The evaluation of L.E.V. systems showed that there was no chromium plating operation satisfying the ACGIH criteria for capture velocity, slot velocity, and exhaust rate simultaneously. To increase performance of L.E.V. systems, it must be designed to minimize the impact of boundary layer separation. Push-pull ventilation hood and downward plenum ventilation hood were suggested for the Korean industry.

• Research in Community and Public Health Nursing
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• v.4 no.1
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• pp.77-83
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• 1993

This study was carried out to idedtify Worker's general health diagnosis and specific health diagnosis state and provide the basic data about occupational health nursing services in Kyung Sang Nam Do. Data was obtained from 36 industry in Chang-won, Jin-joo, Geo-jeoi, Chung-moo area during Dec. 20. 1992-Feb. 18. 1993 through questionaire survey. Data was analyzed into frequency, percentage, average, standard deviation and score sum The main findings are as follows : 1) 83.3% of subject was manufactures. The factory which have over 1000 Worker's are 41.7% and 500-999 are 36.1%. 2) Health managers are composed of 5 man power. Doctors occupied in 44.4% of factories, average age of them are 43.9 years, average careers are 4.0 years. Nurses occupied in all factories and their average ages are 27.6, average careers are 3.0 years. Industrial hygienist occupied in 33.3% of factories, environmental hygienist occupied 69.4% of industries, and nurse aids occupied in 19.4%. 3) 99.9% of workers are received general health diagonosis. And 10.8% of workers are received elaborate health diagnosis. Among them 30.9% are C class and 23.4% are D class. Among D class, 50% of workers are treated as work time shortening, work replacement, being under treatment. Total specific health diagnosis' subject are 19.3% of workers but 79.9% of them are received specific health diagnosis. Among them 18.6% are needed follow up treatement. Only 44.9% of them are received follow up treatement. 4) 69.4% of industries have their referral hospital and 97.2% have their clinics. Among Occupational health services, health diagnosis are carried out first. of all and the next, environmental management, industrial diagnosis, health education are carried out.

• Proceedings of the Korean Institute of Information and Commucation Sciences Conference
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• 2022.05a
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• pp.150-153
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• 2022

This paper reports a technique that automatically extracts object shapes through Dense-Net, and subsequently, detects the objects using Mask R-CNN in a manufacturing site, in which workers and objects are mixed. It is based on the customized factory dataset by targeting workers, machines, tools, control boxes, and products as the objects. Mask R-CNN supports multi-object recognition as a well-known object recognition method, while Dense-Net effectively extracts a feature from multiple and overlapping objects. After immediate implementation using the two technologies, the object is naturally extracted from a still image of the manufacturing site to describe image. Afterwards, the result is planned to be used to detect workers' abnormal behavior by adding a label on the objects.

• Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.85-91
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• 2001

Background : It goes without saying that cumulative trauma disorders is spreading to various types of occupation in many advanced countries including America, and it forms considerable rate of total occupational disorders already. and as the result of it, the seriousness of worker health problem and economic loss owing to production loss, recuperation expense, etc. are on the increasing trend through whole society. In case of Korea, the related measures as well as accurate fact-finding survey data on cumulative trauma disorders aren't prepared in detail, so it implies forward problem would be serious. Purpose : The purpose of this study is to draw the risk factor of cumulative trauma disorders in production factory, to forecast the rate of occurrence of cumulative trauma disorders on the basis of subjective symptoms, and to present forward realistic and effective prevention measures by showing the risk of cumulative trauma disorders, objecting the production factory of a domestic riding automobile assembly shop, by estimating in the aspect of human-engineering through the analysis of risk factor being a cause of cumulative trauma disorders. Methods : For this study, I investigated work type and on-duty hours, breathing time, and subjective symptoms of cumulative trauma disorders through questionnaire, objecting the workers in press. car body, coating, and outfit factory. Results : As a result of research, 81.2% of workers were in the physical burden due to present working, and the highest prevalence by part of body is an waist. The higher a rule score, The higher the number of workers complaind for working intensity, and the higher age work duration, tool used time, the higher prevalence of subjective symptoms by part of body. The number of workers complaind subjective symptom for treatment is the highest in drugstore.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.25 no.1 s.37
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• pp.26-33
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• 1992

The carpal tunnel syndrome is one of the most common peripheral nerve entrapment syndromes. The typical symptoms are pain, numbness and paresthesia in the median nerve territory of the hand. Recently, it is widely recognized that occupational factor is regarded as the important cause of the carpal tunnel syndrome. Clinical study is performed in the 42 female workers who is repetitively working at packing department in a rayon manufacturing factory from November 1991 till March 1992. The study included a questionnaire, physical examinations, and the neurophysiological test. The summary of the results obtained was as follows : 1. Among 42 packing workers, 9 workers(21.4%) were diagnosed as carpal tunnel syndrome by electromyography. The affected side was bilateral in 4 workers(9.5%), right in 4 workers(9.5%), and left in one worker(2.4%). 2. Among 42 subjects, 28 workers(66.7%) complained the clinical symptoms related to carpal tunnel syndrome, 11 workers(26.2%) showed positive Phalen sign, and 7 workers(16.7%) showed positive Tinel sign. 3. Researchers regard electromyographic finding as the gold standard for diagnosis of carpal tunnel syndrome. The sensitivity and specificity of the clinical symptoms to diagnose the carpal tunnel syndrome were 0.89, 0.39 respectively. If the carpal tunnel syndrome is diagnosed by the combination of the positive findings of the symptoms and the physical examinations, either Tinel or Phalen sign, the sensitivity and specificity were 0.67 and 0.76 respectively. Considering above results, though this small number of workers is not adequate for epidemiologic conclusions, carpal tunnel syndrome seems to be an important occupational disorder among packing workers in a rayon manufacturing factory.

• Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
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• v.27 no.4
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• pp.302-312
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• 2017

Objectives: In this study, an evaluation of the working environment of furnace workers was performed and the work-relatedness of the occupational diseases were examined Methods: In this study, two electric furnaces at a single casting business site producing manganese-based iron alloy were selected, and occupational exposures to hazardous substances were evaluated for furnace workers and furnace worker assistants. Results: As a result, total dust concentration were $0.407{\sim}3.001mg/m^3$ and respirable dust concentration were $0.196{\sim}0.584mg/m^3$. The highest concentration of crystalline silica was $0.079mg/m^3$ In the case of Masato and Sosuckwhoi crystalline silica, they contained 90.85% and 4.17% respectively. Manganese concentration was the highest at a $0.205mg/m^3$ maximum. The average of black carbon is $11.56{\mu}g/m^3$ and the maximum concentration is $604.23{\mu}g/m^3$. PAHs concentration was the highest at a $78.301{\mu}g/m^3$ of naphthalene. The concentration of carbon monoxide was 18.82 ppm(total average 3.89 ppm) during pouring, and the maximum is 131 ppm. The formaldehyde concentration was 0.003 to 0.007 ppm. Conclusions: It seems that conditions in the past were worse, since casting has recently been performed only twice per day for about 20 minutes, reducing the amount of pouring, and local exhaust systems have been installed one-by-one. In addition, it was judged that the past exposure levels were higher considering the points measured on the back-side due to the risk of damage to the individual samples. It was found that operators could be exposed to high concentrations of crystalline silica, and that they were also exposed to high concentrations of metal(fume) and carbon monoxide during pouring. Therefore, there is a risk that occupational diseases such as lung cancer and COPD may occur with long-term work in such a process.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.44 no.1
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• pp.74-81
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• 2011

The purpose of this study was to investigate the sanitation management of school foodstuffs and the sanitation knowledge of delivery company workers. A questionnaire that identified employee's food safety sanitation management, knowledge, and practices was developed based on a review of the literature. The subjects consisted of 201 delivery company workers from 38 delivery companies in the Daegu and Gyeongbuk area. The workers were 30-39 years of age (41.3%) with 1-3 years of working experience (30.8%). Approximately 62% of the respondents were educated and had 1-2 years of food safety experience, 52.7% of the respondents delivered foodstuffs to two schools in the morning. The total score for delivery company worker sanitation knowledge was 3.75/7.00, which was low. The total mean sanitary performance score for factory workers was 4.58/5.00. They indicated that the most difficult part of the operation is delivering on time. Temperature management was another difficulty. In order to secure the best quality of school food to be supplied safely, the thorough sanitation education must be conducted to the school dieticians and delivery company managers.