• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.112-116
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• 2022

Background/Aims: The Gachon Regional Occupational Cohort Study (GROCS) is a large-scale longitudinal study of occupational safety and health data (covering Work Environment Monitoring, Workers' Health Surveillance, and Occupational Health Service) conducted by the Gachon University Gil Medical Center (GUGMC) in Incheon, Republic of Korea. We conducted GROCS to identify the health effects of workers' occupational risks, behavior, socioeconomic status, and life style. Methods: The GROCS includes data from Work Environment Monitoring, Workers' Health Surveillance, and Occupational Health Service. The baseline year for all data collection was 2018. Work Environment Monitoring was conducted in 240 companies located in Incheon. General Health Examination and Special Health Examination were performed on 32,725 and 9,504 workers, respectively. Occupational Health Services were provided to 16,883 workers in 171 companies. These data have been collected and operated at an external data management institution and were provided as a retrospective cohort after removing personal identification information. Results: In 2018, the total number of companies was 2,854, among which which 488 special Health Examination, 171 Work Environment Monitoring, and 240 Occupational Health Service. The proportion of companies undergoing Special Health Examination was 17.1%, the proportion of companies undergoing Work Environment Monitoring was 8.4%, and the proportion of Companies undergoing Occupational Health Service was 6.0%. Conclusion: GROCS expects researchers to utilize its useful and reliable resource for occupational health and surveillance with for academic or political purposes to lead to improved workers' health and working environment.

• International Journal of Advanced Culture Technology
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• v.7 no.4
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• pp.104-110
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• 2019

Since 1986, domestic sewage treatment plants have installed and operated biogas plants that produce biogas (digested gas) using food, livestock manure and sewage sludge as part of the use of alternative energy for energy independence. Despite concerns about safety accidents and risks of large-scale accidents due to the continuous expansion of biogas plants, the Ministry of Environment has managed and supervised biogas plants to be environmental plants, focusing on environmental management. There is a lack of safety awareness of workers' processes. Only recently has the process safety management (PSM) system been implemented in biogas plants, but workers' perceptions of process safety have changed. As there is a difference in the degree of safety process management and safety awareness among workers, it is necessary to establish clear and systematic safety management standards. Therefore, The purpose of this study is to examine whether the application of the plant safety management (PSM) system to biogas plants is effective for workers' safety awareness in order to ensure safe operation of biogas plants and prevent workers' safety accidents in advance.

• Journal of the Korea Safety Management & Science
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.39-48
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• 2021

In the past, measures for the reduction of industrial accidents has led the safety and health policy of construction sites by the guidance, supervision and the regulation according to 「Occupation Safety and Health Act」 handled by Ministry of Employment and Labor (MOEL). Nowadays companies realize that due to the factors such as diversification of employment types, outsourcing of hazardous work, new construction method and complicated types of construction, etc., there is a limit on safety management for construction sites as far as it is passively led by the governmental safety management policy and regulation. In this study, in order to practice the autonomous safety management escaping from the government-led safety management, improvement plans are proposed and applied by analyzing the basic cause of the all kinds of fall accidents that could possibly occur in the apartment construction sites and by verifying the hazardous factors and risks by fields.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Safety
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• v.36 no.3
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• pp.24-30
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• 2021

Heat is generated during the synthesis and mixing process of chemical compounds due to a change in activation energy during the reaction. A runaway reaction occurs when sufficient heat is not removed during the heat control process within a reactor, rapidly increasing the temperature, reaction speed, and rate of heat generation inside the reactor. A risk assessment was executed using an RC-1 (Reaction Calorimeter) during Friedel-Crafts acylation. Friedel-Crafts acylation runs the risk of rapid heat generation during Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient (API) manufacturing; it was used to confirm the risk of a runaway reaction at each synthesis stage and during the mixing process. This study used experimental data to develop a safety efficiency improvement plan to control the risks of runaway and other exothermic reactions, which was implemented at the production site of a chemical plant.

• Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
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• v.17 no.3
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• pp.192-202
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• 2007

Objectives: The objectives of this research are to examine the missions, organization, and programs of the environmental, health and safety(EHS) offices of the major research universities in the U.S.A., particularly the case of Massachusetts Institute of Technology(MIT) EHS Office, and to suggest ways to address the EHS issues of the universities and research institutes in South Korea. Methods: The top 30 research universities in the U.S.A. were selected by the total amounts of research funds they annually received. The web sites of the 30 universities were searched to identify the names of the departments that address environment, health, and/or safety related issues, the missions of those departments, the major programs of those departments, and the number of staff in those departments. Also, a case study was conducted for the Environment Health and Safety Management System and the Environment, Health and Safety Office of the MIT, using literature and web searches and a meeting with the Director of the MIT Environment, Health and Safety Office. Results: All the top 30 research universities in the U.S.A. had designated departments that dealt with EHS issues. Most of them were by the name of or similar to environmental, health and safety. The mission statements of those departments were mostly about improving the safety and health of their community members, improving the environment, and complying to EHS regulations. Most of those departments had an environmental management program, industrial hygiene program, radiation protection program, safety program, and biosafety program as their major programs. The components of the environment, health and safety management system(EHS-MS) of the MIT were examined in detail. In contrast, not many universities in South Korea had designated departments that dealt specifically with EHS issues. Also, the number of fulltime staff for EHS was only 1-2 in most of the Korean universities and their work duties included only general safety, while neglecting other health/environment related issues. Conclusions: Well organized and functioning environmental, health and safety offices were present in all of the top 30 research universities in the U.S.A., whereas similar organizations of the universities in South Korea were virtually non-existent and/or had very limited EHS activities. Therefore, in order to reduce potential risks of accidents and health problems in the Korean universities and research institutions, well established and functioning EHS-MSs and EHS offices are warranted. The case of the EHS-MS and EHS Office in the MIT demonstrate a successful case to follow.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.12 no.4
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• pp.536-543
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• 2021

Background: Sickness absenteeism is an area of concern in nursing and is more concerning given the recent impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on healthcare. This study is one of two meta-analyses that examined sickness absenteeism in nursing. In this study, we examined demographic, lifestyle, and physical health predictors. Methods: We reviewed five databases (CINAHL, ProQuest Allied, ProQuest database theses, PsycINFO, and PubMed) for our search. We registered the systematic review (CRD de-identified) and followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses. Additionally, we used the Population/Intervention/Comparison/Outcome Tool to improve our searches. Results: Following quality testing, 17 articles were used for quantitative synthesis. Female employees were at higher risks of sickness absenteeism than their male counterparts (OR = 1.73; 95% CI: 1.33-2.25). Nursing staff who rated their health as poor had a greater likelihood of experiencing sickness absence (OR = 1.38; 95% CI: 1.19-1.60). Also, previous sick leave predicted future leaves (OR = 3.35; 95% CI: 1.37-8.19). Moreover, experiencing musculoskeletal pain (OR = 2.41 95% CI: 1.77-3.27) increased the likelihood of sickness absence with greater odds when it is a back pain (OR = 3.05; 95% CI: 1.66-5.62). Increased age, physical activity, and sleep were not associated with sick leave. Conclusion: Several variables were statistically associated with the occurrence of sickness absenteeism. One primary concern is the limited research in this area despite alarming rates of sick leave in healthcare. More research is required to identify predictors of sickness absence, and thereby, implement preventative measures.

• Journal of Environmental Impact Assessment
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• v.13 no.5
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• pp.243-250
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• 2004

Recently, concerns about health risks exposed to electromagnetic fields have been brought in the safety of electric power lines. A number of governmental and international organizations have advised to avoid the magnetic field exposure to the schools and residential areas. Some epidemiologic studies showed that electromagnetic fields should not exceed the exposure limits of 2-3mG to the people living near high-voltage transmission lines. In this study, the principles, ranges and survey methods of the assessment for powerfrequency electromagnetic fields were reviewed from the relevant research papers and documents. The ranges of electromagnetic fields were determined from 50m to 100m and have been defined according to the properties of each electric power lines and a new methodology was suggested in this study. It would be necessary to develop and improve specific assessment methods for various high-voltage transmission lines projects.

• Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
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• v.33 no.4
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• pp.419-426
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• 2023

Objectives: This study aims to develop an Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) guide for the safe cleaning of contaminated machinery, equipment, and parts used in the electronics manufacturing process. Methods: A literature review, field investigations, and discussions were conducted. An initial draft of an OSH guide was developed and reviewed by experts with significant experience in maintenance work in the electronics manufacturing process in order to refine the guide. Results: Workers involved in cleaning processes with chemicals, solvents, and abrasive blasting can face exposure to a wide range of chemicals, abrasives, and noise. Identifying potential risks associated with each cleaning technique was an essential first step toward enhancing safety measures. The OSH guide comprises approximately eleven to twelve sections spanning 20-25 pages. It includes engineering and administrative protocols systematically organized to address the necessary actions before, during, and after cleaning tasks, depending on the technique. It is recommended that airline respirator masks be used in conjunction with an air purification system to ensure adherence to air quality standard "D" for atmosphere level. The use of an oil-free air compressor is advised, preferably a stationary model that does not rely on fuel sources like diesel. Conclusions: This OSH guide is designed to protect workers involved in maintenance activity in the electronics industry and aligns with global standards, such as those from the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and Semiconductor Equipment and Material International, ensuring a higher level of safety and compliance.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Safety
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• v.32 no.3
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• pp.90-98
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• 2017

The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of employment type(direct employment, dispatch and service supplier) on risk factor exposure, health and satisfaction. The data of the 4th wave of Korean Working Conditions Survey (KWCS) conducted by Korea Occupational Safety and Health Agency (KOSHA) in South Korea was used. Business support service industry and manufacturing industry were selected as appropriate industries for analysis. In the final analysis, 5,865 in the manufacturing industry and 1,361 in the service support industry were included. Various variables related risk, safety, satisfaction and health such as risk factor exposure, MSDs exposure, work environment satisfaction, injury probability, dangerous work, workload, physical health problem, perceived health, positive emotions, stress, participation for decision making and experience of accident/disease were analyzed and company size and age was controled. An ANCOVA was conducted to identify significant mean differences of risk, safety, satisfaction and health related variables among direct employed workers, dispatch and service supplier workers. The results showed that all the variables except stress showed a significant difference depending on employment type in the service supply industry. In the manufacturing industry, there were significant difference in the risk factor exposure, MSDs exposure, work environment satisfaction, workload, physical health problem, perceived health, and participation depending on employment type. These results indicated that the risks are unloaded to subcontract and outsourcing company workers. Based on these results, the implications of this study and suggestions for future research were discussed.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.51 no.7
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• pp.1758-1764
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• 2019

As the safety level of nuclear power plants (NPPs) relates to the safety of individuals, society, and the environment, it is important to establish NPP safety goals. In Korea, two quantitative health objectives and one large release frequency (LRF) criterion were formally set as quantitative safety goals for NPPs by the Nuclear Safety and Security Commission in 2016. The risks of prompt and cancer fatalities from NPPs should be less than 0.1% of the overall risk, and the frequency of nuclear accidents releasing more than 100 TBq of Cs-137 should not exceed 1E-06 per reactor year. This paper reviews the hierarchical structure of safety goals in Korea, its relationship with those of other countries, and the relationships among safety goals and subsidiary criteria like core damage frequency and large early release frequency. By analyzing the effect of the release of 100 TBq of Cs-137 via consequence analysis codes in eight different accident scenarios, it was shown that meeting the LRF criterion results in negligible prompt fatalities in the surrounding area. Hence, the LRF criterion dominates the safety goals for Korean NPPs. Safety goals must be consistent with national policy, international standards, and the goals of other counties.