• Title/Summary/Keyword: Health Worker

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Systematizing Information Use to Address Determinants of Health Worker Health in South Africa: A Cross-sectional Mixed Method Study

  • Muzimkhulu Zungu;Annalee Yassi ;Jonathan Ramodike;Kuku Voyi;Karen Lockhart;David Jones;Spo Kgalamono;Nkululeko Thunzi;Jerry Spiegel
    • Safety and Health at Work
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    • v.14 no.4
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    • pp.368-374
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    • 2023
  • Background: Recognizing that access to safe and healthy working conditions is a human right, the World Health Organization (WHO) calls for specific occupational safety and health (OSH) programs for health workers (HWs). The WHO health systems' building blocks, and the International Labour Organization (ILO), highlight the importance of information as part of effective systems. This study examined how OSH stakeholders access, use, and value an occupational health information system (OHIS). Methods: A cross-sectional survey of OSH stakeholders was conducted as part of a larger quasi experimental study in four teaching hospitals. The study hospitals and participants were purposefully selected and data collected using a modified questionnaire with both closed and open-ended questions. Quantitative analysis was conducted and themes identified for qualitative analysis. Ethics approval was provided by the University of Pretoria and University of British Columbia. Results: There were 71 participants comprised of hospital managers, health and safety representatives, trade unions representatives and OSH professionals. At least 42% reported poor accessibility and poor timeliness of OHIS for decision-making. Only 50% had access to computers and 27% reported poor computer skills. When existing, OHIS was poorly organized and needed upgrades, with 85% reporting the need for significant reforms. Only 45% reported use of OHIS for decision-making in their OSH role. Conclusion: Given the gap in access and utilization of information needed to protect worker's rights to a safe and healthy workplace, more attention is warranted to OHIS development and use as well as education and training in South Africa and beyond.

Working Environment and Risk Assessment of Gasoline in Workplace (Gasoline 취급 사업장의 작업환경 측정 및 위해성 평가)

  • Kim, Hyeon-Yeong
    • Journal of the Korean Institute of Gas
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    • v.18 no.4
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    • pp.1-7
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    • 2014
  • To protect the workers' health, we evaluated the hazards of gasoline which the large amounts of use and lack of information, and perform the risk assessment through the measurement of working environment. It is estimated the reproductive toxicity, and has germ cell mutagenicity class 1B, also IARC 2B, ACGIH A3 with carcinogenicity. With working environment, it is measured as below the TLV-TWA $900mg/m^3$. It is also calculated $0.3mg/m^3$ as carcinogenicity RfC (worker), $2.7mg/m^3$ as chronic inhalation toxicity RfC (worker), $2.7mg/m^3$ as developmental toxicity RfC (worker). From all of these results, it is calculated that the risks are 459, 51 and 51 as carcinogenicity, chronic inhalation toxicity and developmental toxicity, respectively. It is concluded that the risk of gasoline is evaluated over 1.

Stress Experiences by Trainees of Mental Health Social Worker (정신보건사회복지사 수련생의 스트레스 경험)

  • Shim, Kyung-Soon
    • The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
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    • v.13 no.5
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    • pp.311-321
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    • 2013
  • This study is a qualitative research whose purpose was to analyze the experiences of training stress that trainees of mental health social worker were undergoing from the perspective of those trainees, ultimately providing them with a more effective way of clinical education. For this purpose, the study made a survey of 9 trainees who were getting through the training course of mental health social work provided by a relevant training agency. Data collection were focus group-based and conducted 1 to 2 times over about 2 hours. This researcher analyzed statements from the participants and, out of them, 85 were determined as meaningful. From these meaningful responses, the researcher constructed 32 meanings. And then, those meanings were classified according to their similarities and grouped into 9 themes, and finally categorized into 4 themes. More specifically, what were stressful to the subjects that they were experiencing in the training course of mental health social work could be largely categorized into 4 themes, or 'lots of trouble in interpersonal relations', 'too much tightness in training schedule', 'little consideration of them by the training agency', and 'poor organization of the training course'. Considering these findings, this study provided practical implications for the training of mental health social work.

Development and Its Characterization of a Worker's Safety Activity Detection Apparatus using Smart Phone (스마트폰을 활용한 근로자 안전활동 감지장치 개발 및 특성)

  • Choi, Sang-Won
    • Journal of the Korean Society of Safety
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    • v.30 no.3
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    • pp.20-25
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    • 2015
  • It is predicted the mass retirement of the post-war generation and the lack of young people according to reduces the recruitment. Therefore, industry fields are concerned by the low level of occupational safety and health from issued problem in a variety of industries; the charge of expanding business range/multi-functional, black box of technology, difficulty of systematic training, relative decrease in the skill of workers, loss of know-how in the field of information followed restricted site information. In response to these problems, it is necessary to establish the long-termly and actively based on for the adoption of a safety and health management techniques utilizing IT, which is digital assistant(tablet PC, PDA, etc.), RFID/USN/ICT, database systems, and etc. In this study, we developed and evaluated a worker's safety sensing apparatus using smart phone. The apparatus may be useful to prevent accidents in the construction industry as well as confined space work.

Worker Exposure to Asbestos Fibers in Asbestos Slate Manufacturing and Asbestos Textile Industries (석면슬레이트 제조 및 석면방직사업장 근로자의 석면분진폭로)

  • 박두용;백남원
    • Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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    • v.14 no.2
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    • pp.13-27
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    • 1988
  • Two asbestos slate manufacturing and seven asbestos textile plants in Korea were surveyed from May 20 to July 2, 1987. The purposes of this study were to evaluate 1) worker exposure to asbestos, 2) compliance to the standards and 3) the efficiency of existing local exhaust systems. Sixty-two personal samples and eighty-three area samples were collected and analyzed using "NIOSH 7400" method. Results of this study were as follows. 1. The asbesots exposure concentrations in asbestos textile plants were 1.3 - 14.3 fibers/cc(geometric mean(GM), 4.4 fibers/cc). 2. Worker exposure level to asbestos fiber in asbestos slate manufacturing industry was 0.21 fibers/cc during wet processing, which is below the Korean Standard of 2 fibers/cc. 3. Most local exhaust systems installed in asbestos textile plants were inadequately designed. 4. Ninety-six percent of the 145 samples exceeded the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) Permissible Exposure Limit (PEL) of 0.2 fibers/cc and forty-nine percent of the samples exceeded the Korean Standatd of 2 fibers/cc.

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The Determinants of Job Satisfaction and Work Condition of Married Women -Focus on the Comparison of Salaried with Self-employed- (기혼취업여성의 취업특성과 직업만족도 영향요인 - 자영업자와 봉급생활자의 비교를 중심으로 -)

  • 홍성희
    • Journal of the Korean Home Economics Association
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    • v.38 no.10
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    • pp.143-156
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    • 2000
  • The purpose of this study were to compare the job satisfaction of married salaried women with that of self-employed, and to identify the determinants of job satisfaction of both of them. The sample consisted of 176 salaried women and 123 self-employed from data of 1998 Korea Household Panel Study, and analyzed into Frequencies, Percentile, t-test, $\varkappa$$^2$-test, and Multiple Regression. The findings showed that self-employed had larger proportion of home-based worker, worked more hours, and had more earnings than the salaried, and that the job satisfaction of salaried worker were higher than that of self-employed. The determinants of job satisfaction of total working women were educational level, perception of present economic status, health status, number of eamers, weekly working hours, and their income. In case of salaried worker, educational level, health status, number of earners, weekly working hours, and their income had effect on their job satisfaction, while the factors contributing job satisfaction of self-employed were health status, region, weekly working hours, and income.

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A Study on Occupational Safety and Health among Child Care Workers : An Empirical Investigation (돌봄 서비스 종사자의 안전보건 실태와 개선방안 고찰 : 어린이집 보육교사를 중심으로)

  • Lee, Jaehee;Joo, Sun Tae;Lim, Jin Seok
    • Journal of the Korea Safety Management & Science
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    • v.23 no.1
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    • pp.1-8
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    • 2021
  • The purpose of this study is to investigated occupational accidents of child care worker. We surveyed 392 childcare worker to investigate their experience of occupational accidents. Fifteen percent of the respondents from occupational accdients survey for child care workers reported that they had experienced more than one occupational accident, but mostly did not claim Occupational Safety and Health Insurance. We suggested policy tasks to improve system for protecting child care workers.

Mystery Shopping and Well-Being of Service Workers in South Korea

  • Shin, Heeju
    • Safety and Health at Work
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    • v.10 no.4
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    • pp.476-481
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    • 2019
  • Background: Mystery shopping is a method in which a company monitors quality of service and employee conduct and compliance with regulations using an evaluator posing as a customer. It is a typical tool of customer-centered bureaucratic control insofar as it provides overall and standardized evaluation of intangible elements of customer service as well as physical elements of service environments. The purpose of this study is to examine how mystery shopping is related to the health status of service workers in South Korea. Methods: Data from semistructured interviews with 15 workers were collected from January to April 2019 to obtain information on service worker experiences with mystery shopping. Data were analyzed using the constant comparison method. Results: Mystery shopping limits worker autonomy and stiffens the workplace environment by standardizing and monitoring labor processes for service workers. In addition, mystery shopping heightens work stress through increased labor intensity. Five mechanisms by which mystery shopping affects service worker health are identified and comprise (1) multifaceted and multilayered surveillance, (2) evaluator subjectivity and irrational requirements, (3) standardized rules combined with high pressure to achieve sales, (4) self-esteem degradation because of evaluator results, and (5) musculoskeletal disorders because of strict adherence to labor processes based on evaluator results. Conclusion: Mystery shopping as an evaluation method should be reconsidered not only in terms of health problems but also in terms of organizational efficiency and issues of human rights.

The Complex Characterization Analysis of the Risk Awareness Affecting an Accident Experience of Quick Service Workers (퀵서비스 종사자의 사고 경험에 영향을 미치는 안전의식의 복합적 특성 분석)

  • Rhee, Kyung Yong;Ahn, Sang Hyun;Kim, Ki Sik
    • Journal of the Korea Safety Management & Science
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    • v.15 no.4
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    • pp.145-152
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    • 2013
  • The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of risk awareness on injury experience in quick delivery service workers. Risk awareness has complicate characteristics such as its level of worker and worker's decision about the level of other's risk perception. Data were collected by interview survey with structured questionnaire about injury experience, risk perception, work characteristics, and socio-demographic characteristics of quick delivery service workers by cross sectional survey design in 2012. The sample size was 120 respondent of quick delivery service workers. Statistical method for this study was hierarchical logistic regression method with 3 different models using socio-demographic characteristics and work characteristics and risk perception, etc. The difference between the level of risk perception of quick delivery service and other's was statistically significant effect on the experience of injury. Especially the higher the level of risk perception of quick delivery service workers is than other's, the lower the injury experience of quick delivery service worker is. The limitation of this study can be found in survey design. The future study for investigation of mechanism of the combined effect of risk perception of quick delivery service workers and others on injury experience.