• Journal of the Ergonomics Society of Korea
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• v.32 no.4
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• pp.397-403
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• 2013

Objective: This article aims to report the results of ergonomic evaluation of some university laboratories. Background: Laboratory researchers are at risk for musculoskeletal injuries during routine laboratory procedures. However, little attention has paid to the working conditions of laboratory researchers, especially in Korea. Method: A checklist and questionnaire was developed and used to analyze the work conditions of 27 laboratories of chemistry, biology and pharmacy. Results: It was found that glove box, clean bench, and computer workstation are better than microscopy, and fume hood tasks, from ergonomic point of view. Conclusion: No domestic guideline is available for ergonomic intervention of laboratories. Further attention and studies are anticipated to improve the working conditions of laboratories.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.86-92
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• 2022

Background: A laboratory where chemicals are handled can be considered a hazardous environment, and hence, prudent practices should be strictly enforced. If not, deadly accidents and incidents could occur due to a lack of safety practices and poor safety culture. The purpose of this study is to analyze the existing safety culture and propose potential recommendations to enhance the level of safety education in the chemical laboratories in the Western Province of Sri Lanka. Methods: A survey questionnaire was administered among the laboratory supervisors of the chemical laboratories in the Western Province of Sri Lanka in 2019. Results: Even though 80 surveys were distributed among prospective participants, only 46 surveys were submitted, which is 58% of the response rate. Most of the individuals who participated in the survey were females below 35 years old, and approximately 96% of the participants had at least one year of working experience in the same laboratory setting. The majority considered safety as an important factor that requires further improvements with third-party safety inspections; however, 54% of the respondents mentioned that those inspections were conducted by the employees from their laboratory. Conclusion: From the study, it has been discovered that employees have knowledge of safety culture to a certain extent. A significant percentage (83%) of participants believed that further safety measures are required for a safer laboratory. However, the study revealed that the attitudes of some employees should be changed to have a better safety culture. Hence the authors would like to suggest having annual training sessions and well-formulated safety policies to improve the safety culture.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Safety
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• v.27 no.2
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• pp.127-133
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• 2012

This paper shows survey result on safety management status of laboratories in Korea. In Korea, many studies and reports on laboratory safety have been published since the ministry of education, science and technology (MEST) enforced the Act on Establishing a Safe Environment of Laboratories (Lab Safety Act) in 2006. The MEST has surveyed status of safety management in institutions subject to Lab Safety Act in 2008 and 2010. According to the survey result, safety management status of universities and colleges has been improved on several factors such as establishment of safety manual and implementation of safety inspection; while the number of safety managers of universities and colleges have increased. However, the difficulties in performing duties of safety managers has increased because the number of exclusive safety managers has decreased. This paper identifies the similarities and differences between Occupational Safety and Health Act and Lab Safety Act on assignment and duties of safety managers; therefore, this paper suggests a standard to determine the number of safety managers and decide whether or not their duties should be exclusive. Besides current standard that is based on the number of researchers, the number of individual laboratories should be considered. The new method would be helpful to determine the number of exclusive safety managers because the amount of safety managers' duties generally do not depend on only the number of people who may be exposed to any risk but also the number of facilities that may be cause of any accident.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.2 no.3
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• pp.229-235
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• 2011

Objectives: In this study, we summarized the External Quality Assessment Scheme (EQAS) for the biological monitoring of occupational exposure to toxic chemicals which started in 1995 and continued until a $31^{st}$ round robin in the spring of 2010. The program was performed twice per year until 2009, and this was changed to once a year since 2010. The objective of the program is to ensure the reliability of the data related to biological monitoring from analytical laboratories. Methods: One hundred and eighteen laboratories participated in the $31^{st}$ round robin. The program offers 5 items for inorganic analysis: lead in blood, cadmium in blood, manganese in blood, cadmium in urine, and mercury in urine. It also offers 10 items for organic analysis, including hippuric acid, methylhippuric acid, mandelic acid, phenylglyoxylic acid, N-methylformamide, N-methylacetamide, trichloroacetic acid, total trichloro-compounds, trans,trans-muconic acid, and 2,5-hexanedione in urine. Target values were determined by statistical analysis using consensus values. All the data, such as chromatograms and calibration curves, were reviewed by the committee. Results: The proficiency rate was below 70% prior to the first round robin and improved to over 90% for common items, such as PbB and HA, while those for other items still remained in the range of 60-90% and need to be improved up to 90%. Conclusion: The EQAS has taken a primary role in improving the reliability of analytical data. A total quality assurance scheme is suggested, including the validation of technical documentation for the whole analytical procedure.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.45 no.1
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• pp.1-7
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• 2012

Using three Austrian case studies, the variegated applications of molecular typing in today's public health laboratories are discussed to help illustrate preventive management strategies relying on DNA subtyping. DNA macrorestriction analysis by pulsed field gel electrophoresis has become the gold standard for subtyping of food borne pathogens like listeria, salmonella, campylobacter and Bacillus cereus. Using a Salmonella Mbandaka outbreak from the year 2010 as example, it is shown how the comparison of patterns from human isolates, food isolates, animal isolates and feed isolates can allow to identify and confirm a source of disease. An epidemiological connection between the simultaneous occurrence of tuberculosis in cattle and deer with cases of human tuberculosis due to Mycobacterium caprae in 2010 was excluded using mycobacterial interspersed repetitive units variable-number tandem repeats subtyping. Also in 2010, multilocus sequence typing with nonselective housekeeping genes, the so-called sequence based typing protocol, was used to elucidate connections between an environmental source (a hospital drinking water system) and a case of legionellosis. During the last decades, molecular typing has evolved to become a routine tool in the daily work of public health laboratories. The challenge is now no longer to simply type microorganisms, but to type them in a way that allows for data exchange between public health laboratories all over the world.

• 대한예방의학회:학술대회논문집
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• 1995.10a
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• pp.307-308
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• 1995

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.41 no.5
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• pp.358-367
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• 2015

Objectives: This study was performed to evaluate the analytical method for PAH metabolites in human urine using enzyme hydrolysis and solid-phase extraction coupled with LC-(ESI)-MS/MS technique. Methods: We employed HPLC tandem mass spectrometry techniques with appropriate pre-treatment for analysis of 16 OH-PAHs in human urine. Samples were hydrolysis by ${\beta}$-flucuronidase/Aryl sulfatase, and target compounds were extracted by solid-phase extraction with a strata-x cartridge. Cross-validation was performed between Eulji University and Green Cross laboratories with 200 human urine samples. Results: The accuracies were between 90.3% and 118.8%, and precisions (relative standard deviations) were lower than 10%. The linearity obtained was satisfying for the 16 OH-PAH compounds, with a coefficient of determination ($r^2$) higher than 0.99. The results of cross-validation at the two organizations were compared by ICC (interclass correlation coefficient) values. The cross-validation results were excellent or good for all compounds. Conclusion: An analytical method was validated for low nanogram levels of 16 OH-PAHs in human urine. Also, satisfying results were obtained for method validation such as accuracy, precision and ICC of cross-validation.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.11 no.2
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• pp.193-198
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• 2020

Background: Medical laboratory workers are frequently exposed to a wide range of chemicals. This exposure can have adverse effects on their health. Furthermore, a knowledge lack of the chemical risk increases the likelihood of exposure. The chemical risk assessment reduces the risk of exposure to hazardous chemicals and therefore, guarantees health and safety of the workers. Method: The chemical risk assessment was conducted using a modified INRS method, according to the new CLP Regulation, of 11 unit laboratories in a Moroccan medical laboratory. Observation of each workstation and analysis of safety data sheets are key tools in this study. Results: A total of 144 substances and reagents that could affect the health of the analytical technicians were identified. Among these products, 17% are concerned by the low priority risk score, with 55% concerned by the average priority risk score and 28% concerned by the high priority risk score. This study also enabled to better identify the chemical agents that have restrictive occupational exposure limit value and controls were conducted to this effect. On the basis of the results obtained, several corrective and preventive measures have been proposed and implemented. Conclusion: Risk assessment is essential to ensure the health and safety of workers and to meet regulatory requirements. It enables to identify all the risky manipulations and to adopt appropriate preventive measures. However, it is not a one-time activity but it must be continuous in order to master the changes and thus ensure the best safety of all.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.2 no.1
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• pp.34-38
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• 2011

Objectives: The antimicrobial activity of silver nanoparticles has resulted in their widespread use in many consumer products. Yet, despite their many advantages, it is also important to determine whether silver nanoparticles may represent a hazard to the environment and human health. Methods: Thus, to evaluate the genotoxic potential of silver nanoparticles, in vivo genotoxicity testing (OECD 474, in vivo micronuclei test) was conducted after exposing male and female Sprague-Dawley rats to silver nanoparticles by inhalation for 90 days according to OECD test guideline 413 (Subchronic Inhalation Toxicity: 90 Day Study) with a good laboratory practice system. The rats were exposed to silver nanoparticles (18 nm diameter) at concentrations of $0.7\;{\times}\;10^6$ particles/$cm^3$ (low dose), $1.4\;{\times}\;10^6$ particles/$cm^3$ (middle dose), and $2.9\;{\times}\;10^6$ particles/$cm^3$ (high dose) for 6 hr/day in an inhalation chamber for 90 days. The rats were killed 24 hr after the last administration, then the femurs were removed and the bone marrow collected and evaluated for micronucleus induction. Results: There were no statistically significant differences in the micronucleated polychromatic erythrocytes or in the ratio of polychromatic erythrocytes among the total erythrocytes after silver nanoparticle exposure when compared with the control. Conclusion: The present results suggest that exposure to silver nanoparticles by inhalation for 90 days does not induce genetic toxicity in male and female rat bone marrow in vivo.

• Journal of the Korea Safety Management & Science
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• v.10 no.4
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• pp.39-46
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• 2008

In this study, with the objects of 173 institutions of university and research institutions, investigation was carried out through visit investigation ar d questionnaire investigation. Frequency and severity of occurrences was acquired mainly through universities and research institutions which have reported occurrences of accidents to the Ministry of Education, Science, and Technology. Quantitative danger evaluation was conducted through frequency and strength of occurrences. Case study was carried out by selecting bio science laboratory of university and as the result of this study, degree of danger among the inspection objects of bio science laboratories, laboratory work place was evaluated as the most dangerous with the scores of 155.00 and as the result of average danger level, compression gas cylinder was evaluated as the most dangerous with the scores of 6.4000.