• Journal of The Korea Institute of Healthcare Architecture
• /
• v.25 no.3
• /
• pp.15-23
• /
• 2019

Purpose: As the medical laboratories in general hospitals have made an efforts on quality management and employee health, they recognized the need of design guideline for clinical laboratory. As laboratories are prohibited to patients, their environments are becoming more congested and deteriorated as time goes by. So, this study investigates the current status of facility and equipment of laboratory medicine focusing on less than three hundred patient bed hospitals, and searches the improving matters. Methods: Questionnaires to technologist captains and field surveys to medical laboratories in korean hospitals have been conducted for the data collection. 18 answers have been analysed statistically by MS Excel program. Results: The result of this study can be summarized into followings. Clinical laboratory functions are all hematology, clinical chemistry, immunology, transfusion and urine microscopy, and except for three including microbiology for infection and bio safety level. Average man power of lab are 12.3 man including lab director and captain. Patient bed number, space area and total specimen numbers are not correlated with each other, but specimen numbers and employee number are correlated with. Work space distances are usually good, but exit distances are not adequate for escape owing to obstacles. Specimen delivery system by courier, test method by automatic analyzer, access floor for exposed plumbing and electricities are more practical. Open lab layed out in the center and lab support layed peripheral in space diagram. Lab space configuration by SD method showed that lab support area and employee support area are dissatisfied. Implications: Specialized hospital and yearly total specimen numbers are related to the space area and organization for laboratory planning and design.

• The Journal of Korean Society for School & Community Health Education
• /
• v.9 no.2
• /
• pp.15-31
• /
• 2008

Objective: This study is a quasi-experimental study by nonequivalent control group pretest-posttest design, performed in order to identify whether the program developed on the basis of Ajzen(1988, 1991)'s theory of planned behavior (TPB) for predicting the safety behavior of students of department of dental technology affects intention toward safety behavior and general behavior. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to identify whether the safety education in laboratories in which knowledge is reinforced on the basis of the TPB theory affects safety behavior. Methodology: The theoretical framework of this study was established on the basis of the TPB by Ajzen(1988, 1991). This study was performed between May 20 and December 5, 2006, and the subjects included 101 in the experimental group and 98 in the control group, a total of 199. The experimental group was educated through six 50-minute sessions (twice a week) for three weeks. The experimental group was pretested, educated, and then asked to answer the pro-questionnaire after finishing the sixth session, but the control group was free from intervention. The research tool in this study was developed by the authors with reference to the process of tool development used in Schifter and Ajzen (1985) based on Ajzen and Fishbein(1980)'s tool development guide. Results: The data were analyzed through SPSS 14.0 version. The reliability test of attitude, subjective norm, perceived norm, intention, and behavior toward safety behavior as TPB variables was calculated of Cronbach's alpha coefficient, and general characteristics and the homogeneity test of the experimental and the control groups were analyzed through t test and $X^2$ test. According to the results of the analysis, the experiment group may be higher than the control group after the safety education in the scores of attitude, the subjective norm, the perceived norm, and the intention toward safety behavior as TPB independent variables showed no significant difference, but there was significant difference in the behavior and the knowledge. Meanwhile, according to the results of the pretest and posttest, eleven items in the experimental group and two items in the control group showed significant difference in the behaviors, and twelve in the former and four in the latter were significantly different in the knowledge. Conclusion: The safety education program developed on the basis of TPB was identified to enhance safety behavior and knowledge. Therefore, the safety education program used in this study for students of department of dental technology may be utilized as database for safety education in the department of dental technology.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
• /
• v.17 no.4
• /
• pp.348-352
• /
• 2009

Over the last decade, the incidence of overweight and obesity has nearly doubled in many countries and is considered a pandemic. Obesity was identified as a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease as the same level as smoking and diabetes. Visceral fat is considered one of the key contributors to outcome and certain ethnic groups such as Asians seem to be more affected than others. Weight reduction through lifestyle changes was found to be impactful to improve overall health, but weight loss and maintenance thereof is limited and difficult to sustain. Surgical intervention demonstrated a greater weight loss in the severely obese and was associated with improved all-cause mortality. Despite numerous pharmacological targets and a high medical need, only few drugs have been successfully developed. Earlier studies with amphetamine-derived compounds showed significant weight loss but their critical safety profiles led to market withdrawals and disappointment. More recent compounds; orlistat - a lipase inhibitor, rimonabant - a cannaboid-1-receptor antagonist, and sibutramine - a combined serotonin/norepinephrine re-uptake inhibitor, all demonstrated similar significant efficacy; however, they carry specific safety profiles making them unsuitable for every patient. The main limitation of pharmacotherapy is the absence of clear benefit-risk assessments through outcome studies. Such a study - the SCOUT trial - was designed to compare sibutramine versus placebo and the effect on morbidity and mortality in nearly 10,000 obese patients with additional risk factors. Such studies could provide new scientific evidence for obesity treatment and may support future pharmacological approaches.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
• /
• v.41 no.2
• /
• pp.102-115
• /
• 2015

Objectives: A learning organization was designed and implemented on the basis of the selection criteria and essential elements of knowledge translation theory. Methods: The learning organization was designed on the basis of biosafety harmonization criteria and risk management strategy and was implemented as the learning organization for biosafety management by the National Institute of Health, Korea Centers for Disease Control & Prevention. The effect of knowledge translation in the research institutions by evidence-based policy was verified. Results: The result of applying the knowledge translation theory involving all stakeholders showed a positive reaction in establishing and implementing biosafety management strategy and embodied risk assessment criteria and evoked sympathy with the necessity of learning and using of expert knowledge about risk assessment and risk management. All stakeholders initiated voluntarily action toward new human-network construction and communication between similar organizations. The learning organization's capability expanded the base of knowledge translation. Conclusion: These results showed that a learning organization could enhance the autonomous safety management system by diffusion of knowledge translation.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Safety
• /
• v.38 no.1
• /
• pp.25-33
• /
• 2023

In this study, we determined the failure rate and fire status of electric motors widely used in domestic and industrial devices and analyzed the associated fire risks by identifying the electrical and temperature characteristics of electric motors under the normal and restrained operation modes in industrial sites and laboratories. A 2.2kW motor used for driving a conveyor during the vulcanization process in a rubber product manufacturing plant was employed as the study object and was exposed to a high- temperature environment as this motor is widely used in industrial sites. The current amplitude was 4.45-4.50 A during normal operation and 38.2-41.5 A during restrained operation due to the pinching of products and semi-finished products (i.e., 8.5 times higher than that during normal operation). The leakage current amplitude was 0.33 mA during both operation modes. The temperature of the workplace in summer was 42.38℃, indicating a poor environment for the installed motor. In the laboratory, the current and temperature of the coil inside a 3.7kW motor were measured under the restrained operation mode as performing measurements of the coil inside the motor in industrial sites is challenging. The current amplitude during normal operation was 3.5 A, whereas that during restrained operation for 30 s was 51.7-58.6 A, which is 14.8-16.7 times higher than that of normal operation. Moreover, the temperature of the motor coil increased from 22.9℃ to 101℃. Based on the experimental data, we derived the temperature increase formula according to the restrained operation time by performing a regression analysis and verified the time at which the temperature exceeded the stipulated limit for the insulation grade. The findings presented in this paper can be utilized to establish fire-prevention measures and perform safety management of motors of the same type or with a similar capacity.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
• /
• v.44 no.3
• /
• pp.283-292
• /
• 2018

Objectives: This study was conducted to identify hazardous factors that reflect the characteristics of the academy and to provide basic data of environmental safety standard. Methods: Heavy metals, volatile organic compounds, formaldehyde, pesticides and phthalates were measured in 20 academies, which were supplementary, music, art and physical education institutes. Results: In case of heavy metals, the 12 locations were detected for lead (Pb) over the standard value, and 15 locations were exceeded for the total heavy metal. In six locations, the concentrations of volatile organic compounds were exceeded the standard value of $400{\mu}g/m^3$, and two locations for formaldehyde were exceeded the standard value of $100{\mu}g/m^3$. The most commonly detected agents in the air dust were chlorpyrifos and diazinon. The concentrations of DEHP, DINP, and DBP were detected and exceeded in several academies, The risk assessment results showed that HCHO as carcinogen had a safety level of 10-7 to 10-6, and DEHP and DINP as non-carcinogens had a safety level as assessed to be under than 0.1. Conclusions: Through the investigation of long-term environmental and health effects related laws on academies, indoor air quality management might be needed because there were cases of exceeding standard.

• Journal of the Korea Safety Management & Science
• /
• v.18 no.4
• /
• pp.99-105
• /
• 2016

This study was conducted to develop a dummy in an environment similar to the human body, to prepare a standard for evaluation and to present the process of the production in order to evaluate the performance of the robot that can detect the persons needing rescue in a confined space, who are difficult for fire-fighting officials to rescue in case of fire and disaster. As a result, a standard for evaluation was developed and standardized into four parts 'Normal,' 'Risk Stage 1,' 'Risk Stage 2' and 'Risk Stage 3'based on the number of breath cycles, carbon dioxide concentration, core temperature and criteria for hearing to recognize the voice. In addition, in order to produce a dummy, fever, breathing capacity and voice output function were compared and analyzed. This study has significance that it built up basic data of the method of producing the actual dummy, by presenting characteristics and controlling methods using the waterproof insulation heating coil for the function, solenoid valve for the consecutive output of breathing capacity and USB program sound board for voice output.

• Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
• /
• v.22 no.3
• /
• pp.235-243
• /
• 2012

Objectives: The purpose of this study is the work environment management method through risk assessment and investigation of the work place that deals with Ammonium nitrate, based on information in and outside the country. Methods: This study suggests method of work environment management through risk assessment and investigation of the work place that deals with Ammonium nitrate, and finds out cases of Ammonium nitrate causing hazard, danger and health risk, based on literature investigation. Results: Rats exposed repeatedly to $LD_{50}$ 2,217 mg/kg(rat), $LC_{50}$ 88.8 mg/L(rat, skin) which cause high level of skin irritation, reported 1 $mg/m^3$ of NOAEL, while LOAEL was less than 100 mg/kg for the rats orally administered with the $LD_{50}$ 2,217 mg/kg(rat), $LC_{50}$ 88.8 mg/L(rat, skin), for 13 weeks. Domestically 31,640 ton/y of ammonium nitrate has been used in 22 workplace and the result of workplace assessment was 0.0171-0.9983 $mg/m^3$. ADD was 8.77-59.63 ${\mu}g/kg-day$ according to the exposure scenario. In other words the result of the risk assessment goes beyond the 'standard 1'. Conclusions: Ammonium nitrate creates a high level of irritation and toxicity when coming in breathe it or contact with skin, and is classified as category3 of GHS and specific target organ toxicant (irritating respiratory system). Exposure level at work places needs to be maintained under $1mg/m^3$, to prevent workers from being damaged.

• Journal of Radiation Protection and Research
• /
• v.47 no.1
• /
• pp.1-7
• /
• 2022

Background: In Japan, new regulations that revise the dose limit for the lens of the eye (hereafter the lens), operational quantities, and measurement positions for the lens dose were enforced in April 2021. Based on the international safety standards, national guidelines, the results of the Radiation Safety Research Promotion Fund of the Nuclear Regulation Authority, and other studies, the Working Group of Radiation Protection Standardization Committee, the Japan Health Physics Society (JHPS) developed a guideline for radiation dose monitoring for the lens. Materials and Methods: The Working Group of the JHPS discussed the criteria of non-uniform exposure and the management criteria set not to exceed the dose limit for the lens. Results and Discussion: In July 2020, the JHPS guideline was published. The guideline consists of three parts: main text, explanations, and 26 examples. In the questions, the corresponding answers were prepared, and specific examples were provided to enable similar cases to be addressed. Conclusion: With the development of the guideline on radiation dose monitoring of the lens, radiation managers and workers will be able to smoothly comply with revised regulations and optimize radiation protection.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
• /
• v.46 no.4
• /
• pp.490-500
• /
• 2017

This study was performed to evaluate repeated dose oral toxicity upon administration of the test substance 1,2-benzisothiazolin-3-one for 90 days and to determine NOAEL (no observed adverse effect level) and target organs in Sprague-Dawley rats. Single, 2-week repeated, and 13-week repeated oral dose toxicity studies were conducted in Sprague-Dawley rats. The dose levels of groups were 1,250, 2,500, and 5,000 mg/kg/d. All dose groups were compared with the vehicle control group. The animals were observed for clinical signs and weekly body weight. Urinalysis, hematology, and serum biochemistry analyses were conducted. Subsequently, animals were sacrificed and subjected to histopathological examination. For the result, NOAEL of ethanol extract from unripe fruit of bitter melon had an optimal dose of 5,000 mg/kg/d and acceptable daily intake up to 3,000 mg/man. There was no target organ detected. Therefore, bitter melon, which contains a variety of bioactive substances, could be widely used as a health functional food ingredient.