• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.12 no.2
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• pp.261-267
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• 2021

Background: The series of serious industrial accidents in recent years at contractors to large companies has highlighted risk outsourcing as a real and urgent problem. This study aims to review the difference in the degree of risk exposure and the occurrence of industrial accidents depending on the type of company relations. Among in-house contractors, the focus will be on those handling hazardous chemicals that include companies for which outsourcing requires approval. Methods: This study uses the 9th wave of the Industrial Safety and Health Survey (2018). For determining the degree of risk exposure, the occurrence of industrial accidents, and industrial accident rate, multivariate, logistic, and fractional logit, regression analyses were used, respectively. Results: First, In-house contractors' degree of risk exposure is higher than that of the client companies. In particular, this gap is even greater for companies dealing with chemicals. Second, among only those that handle hazardous chemicals, in-house contractors do show a significantly higher rate of industrial accident occurrence. Third, In-house contractors have a significantly higher rate of industrial accidents from diseases than client companies. Conclusion: The analysis supports the intent of the legal amendment that strengthens the protection of in-house contracted workers who handle hazardous chemicals. Second, the results of this study suggest that safety and health management must go beyond legal compliance and ensure that it has substance and effectiveness. Last, there should be policy consideration is necessary to reduce attempts to hide industrial accidents.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.13 no.3
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• pp.336-342
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• 2022

Background: This study aims to identify the safety and health risk perceptions toward the coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic based on gender in Korean university students who work and study during the pandemic. Methods: A nationwide convenient sampling method was implemented to eliminate any regional characteristics in 757 university students, including those who studied while working. The participants answered the online questionnaire for one week. The collected data were analyzed using the R version 3.4.1 program. Results: The results comparing the safety and health risk perceptions toward COVID-19 based on the gender of the subjects who work while studying, "I often use the Internet to obtain information on COVID-19 infection control" are females appeared to use the internet more often (t = -2.18, p = 0.031) than males. "Compared to pre-COVID-19, I am currently feeling safe after the outbreak" is females felt less safe (t = 3.43, p < 0.001). Although COVID-19 infection control awareness is high among Korean university students and officials, males reported higher scores over females in all the questions, which was statistically significant. Conclusion: There should be prioritized psychological measures for prevention against COVID-19 for vulnerable groups with high mental health risks. A network must be established to protect the mental health of such groups, and candidates who require intervention must be actively identified and supported. Therefore, there must be efforts to deliver accurate information based on scientific evidence of the infectious disease, and the actions should be supported through such active communication.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.3 no.3
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• pp.155-165
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• 2012

Reflecting the current international trends toward proactive risk assessment and control at work with practical procedures, participatory action-oriented approaches are gaining importance in various sectors. The roles of these approaches in promoting the safety and health at work are discussed based on their recent experiences in preventing work-related risks and improving the quality of work life, particularly in small-scale workplaces. The emphasis placed on the primary prevention at the initiative of workers and managers is commonly notable. Participatory steps, built on local good practices, can lead to many workplace improvements when the focus is on locally feasible low-cost options in multiple aspects. The design and use of locally adjusted action toolkits play a key role in facilitating these improvements in each local situation. The effectiveness of participatory approaches relying on these toolkits is demonstrated by their spread to many sectors and by various intervention studies. In the local context, networks of trainers are essential in sustaining the improvement activities. With the adequate support of networks of trainers trained in the use of these toolkits, participatory approaches will continue to be the key factor for proactive risk management in various work settings.

• Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
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• v.10 no.2
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• pp.150-164
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• 2000

This study was conducted at occupational health laboratories in Seoul and Gyunggi district area from December, 1999 to January, 2000. The main purpose of this study was to survey the actual condition of safety and health by questionnaire and checklist and to assess the performance of fume hoods and the airborne exposures to chemicals in the laboratories. The chemicals in the cabinet were not classified by hazardous properties and the compressed gases were not stored safely. The prevalences of laboratories having first aid kits, fire extinguishers, and safety showers were found to be 18%, 55%, and 9%, respectively. Most laboratory workers were not educated for safety and health. Also, there was no performance evaluation for hazards and risks. The fume hoods in laboratories had not been annually inspected by checklist and the face velocity had been checked more than one time in the previous year for only 18% of them. Five percent of fume hoods had the face velocity more than 4.0 m/sec and 17% had no capture performance. Detected organic solvents were methylenechloride, acetone, ethylbenzene, isopropanol, xylene, methylisobutylketone, trichloroethylene, and toluene. The concentrations of organic solvents were much less than the occupational exposure limits proposed by the Ministry of Labor in Korea. This study showed that the actual condition of safety and health was not appropriate for laboratory workers. It is recommended that laboratory workers should be educated for the treatment and storage of hazardous chemicals and compressed gases to improve the working environment of the occupational safety and health laboratories.

• Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.104-113
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• 2005

A variety of ergonomic assessment methods of lifting tasks known as a major cause of work-related lower back pain have been used. But there is a limited information in choosing the most appropriate assessment method for a particular job and in finding out strengths and weakness of the methods. The purpose of this study was to assess and compare the ergonomic risks of lifting tasks in a marine diesel engine production industry by three lifting ergonomic assessment tools widely used: the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health(NIOSH) Revised Lifting Equation(NLE), the Washington Administrative Code 296-62-0517(WAC), and the Snook Tables. Lifting index(weight of load/Recommended Weight Limit) of NLE($LI_{NLE}$) was above 1 at 34 tasks(75.6%) of a total number of 45 lifting tasks. LI of WAC($LI_{WAC}$) was above 1 at 11 tasks(24.4 %). LI of Snook Table($LI_{Snook}$) was above 1 at 29 tasks(64.4%). Thus, LI was high in orders of $LI_{NLE}$ > $LI_{Snook}$ > $LI_{WAC}$. There were significantly high correlations among three Lls(p<0.01). The correlation coefficients between $LI_{NLE}$and the other three Lls($LI_{WAC}$ and $LI_{Snook}$) were r=0.93 and r=0.88, respectively. The linear regression equations were y = 0.444x + 0.11(r=0.93) between $LI_{NLE}$ and $LI_{WAC}$, y = 0.93x + 0.008(r=0.88) between LI(NLE) and $LI_{Snook}$. The LI values by WAC was significantly lower than those by the other tools. The compared features, strength and limitation among these tools were described in this paper.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.43 no.5
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• pp.349-359
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• 2017

The objective of this study is to review the safety and health information displayed on containers of humidifier disinfectants (HD). We summarized not only general characteristics related to the marketing and manufacturing of HD, such as the duration sold and the name of the company, but also the safety and health information, such as identification of disinfectants, recommended use volume, and precautions. All of this information was reviewed by HD brand. We collected safety and health information from 31 HD brands. We found that companies that sold and manufactured HD brands differ. Two companies were found to sell their HD without permission after 2011 when the health effects caused by HD were widely known. The name of the disinfectants were not identified on the container of HD. The recommended volumes were found not to be based on toxicological evidence and set without consideration of the level of susceptibility of users. Most companies displayed phrases such "this HD is safe for humans, even children" on the front of the container. No inhalation and skin toxicity precautions were provided. In conclusion, most HD did not properly display information related to safety and health to protect the health of HD users. There has been no official investigation to evaluate the risks posed by HD, such as the sales volume by HD, identification of chemical disinfectants, or their concentration, nor have there been actions to control the chemical quality of HD. In addition, government actions to punish the malicious practices of companies that manufactured and sold HD were found to inappropriate.

• Journal of Korean Public Health Nursing
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• v.36 no.1
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• pp.47-58
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• 2022

Purpose: This study was undertaken to present an effective plan for the development of an educational program and a strategy to promote patient safety management activities for nursing students by identifying factors that affect these activities based on the theory of planned behavior. Methods: A self-report questionnaire was distributed to 300 nursing students who had clinical practice experience at three nursing colleges in Daejeon, Gyeongbuk, and Jeonbuk. The significance of the model fit, and the path effect was confirmed by confirmatory factor analysis. Results: The hypothetical model for patient safety management activities was appropriate. Among the 5 pathways, 4 were significant. It was found that behavioral intention had a direct influence on patient safety management activities, and perceived behavioral control and attitude had an influence on behavioral intention. Conclusion: To strengthen the perceived behavioral control of nursing students' patient safety management activities, it is necessary to analyze and remove obstacles and provide education that reflects the characteristics of the subject's health problems. In addition, through self-directed learning involving simulation practice, nursing students should be exposed to patient safety accidents, so that they can recognize the risks early and solve problems through critical thinking while bringing about the necessary changes in their attitude.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.109-117
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• 2020

Background: Ammonia and hydrogen sulfide are harmful gases generated during aerobic/anaerobic bacterial decomposition of livestock manure. We evaluated ammonia and hydrogen sulfide concentrations generated from workplaces at livestock farms and determined environmental factors influencing the gas concentrations. Methods: Five commercial swine farms and five poultry farms were selected for monitoring. Real-time monitors were used to measure the ammonia and hydrogen sulfide concentrations and environmental conditions during the manure-handling processes. Monitoring was conducted in the manure storage facility and composting facility. Information on the farm conditions was also collected through interview and walk-through survey. Results: The ammonia concentrations were significantly higher at the swine composting facilities (9.5-43.2 ppm) than at other manure-handling facilities at the swine and poultry farms, and high concentrations of hydrogen sulfide were identified during the manure agitation and mixing process at the swine manure storage facilities (6.9-19.5 ppm). At the poultry manure-handling facilities, the ammonia concentration was higher during the manure-handling processes (2.6-57.9 ppm), and very low hydrogen sulfide concentrations (0-3.4 ppm) were detected. The air temperature and relative humidity, volume of the facility, duration of manure storage, and the number of animals influenced the gas concentrations. Conclusion: A high level of hazardous gases was generated during manure handling, and some levels increased up to risk levels that can threaten workers' health and safety. Some of the farm operational factors were also found to influence the gas levels. By controlling and improving these factors, it would be possible to protect workers' safety and health from occupational risks.

• Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
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• v.32 no.4
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• pp.393-401
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• 2022

Objectives: OHSMS, which was introduced by Serious Accident Punishment Act as a means for safety and health management at work place, but it is not effective according to recent statistical data. Therefore, I intend to compare the OHSMS regulations of SAPA based on ISO 45001, the international standard of OHSMS, and examine the differences and problems. Methods: The OHSMS regulation of Serious Accident Punishment Act was compared and analyzed using the content standard of ISO 45001, the international standard of OHSMS. The construction and operation aspects and differences in key concept definitions of OHSMS were analyzed in depth. Results: ISO 45001 aims to provide OHSMS with an autonomous framework to manage risks and opportunities in safety and health management, whereas Serious Accident Punishment Act aims for safety and health management through an interest and effort in safety and health management on the premise of legal responsibilities of corporations and CEO. As a result, comparing to ISO 45001 in construction and operation aspects and differences in key concept definitions of OHSMS, the OHSMS of Serious Accident Punishment Act do not cover the entire business in concept definition and construction. Conclusions: In order for Serious Accident Punishment Act to achieve its original purpose of preventing serious accidents through systemic safety and health management, it is necessary to correctly understand the contents of ISO 45001 and to revise the OHSMS regulations in a direction that can ensure predictability and feasibility.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.87-95
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• 2024

Background: This study focuses on assessing occupational risk for the health hazards encountered during maintenance works (MW) in semiconductor fabrication (FAB) facilities. Objectives: The objectives of this study include: 1) identifying the primary health hazards during MW in semiconductor FAB facilities; 2) reviewing the methods used in evaluating the likelihood and severity of health hazards through occupational health risk assessment (OHRA); and 3) suggesting variables for the categorization of likelihood of exposures to health hazards and the severity of health effects associated with MW in FAB facilities. Methods: A literature review was undertaken on OHRA methodology and health hazards resulting from MW in FAB facilities. Based on this review, approaches for categorizing the exposure to health hazards and the severity of health effects related to MW were recommended. Results: Maintenance workers in FAB facilities face exposure to hazards such as debris, machinery entanglement, and airborne particles laden with various chemical components. The level of engineering and administrative control measures is suggested to assess the likelihood of simultaneous chemical and dust exposure. Qualitative key factors for mixed exposure estimation during MW include the presence of safe operational protocols, the use of air-jet machines, the presence and effectiveness of local exhaust ventilation system, chamber post-purge and cooling, and proper respirator use. Using the risk (R) and hazard (H) codes of the Globally Harmonized System alongside carcinogenic, mutagenic, or reprotoxic classifications aid in categorizing health effect severity for OHRA. Conclusion: Further research is needed to apply our proposed variables in OHRA for MW in FAB facilities and subsequently validate the findings.