• Title/Summary/Keyword: Health and safety risks

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A Case Study of Developing E-Learning Contents of Agricultural Safety and Health based on Risk Assessment (위험성 평가에 기반한 농작업 안전관리 E-Learning 체험 프로그램 개발 사례 연구)

  • Kim, J.H.;Lee, K.S.;Kim, D.M.;Lee, K.S.;Kong, Y.K.;Jung, M.C.;Lee, Inseok
    • Journal of the Korean Society of Safety
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    • v.29 no.4
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    • pp.140-146
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    • 2014
  • This paper presents a case study to develop e-learning contents of agricultural safety based on the assessment of risks of 4 selected crops and stock farming: rice, potatoes, apples, tomatoes and stock raising. The aged farmers, who are main workforce of current Korean agriculture and relatively more vulnerable to various risks of agricultural work compared to younger workers, were considered as the main users of the contents in developing them. The safety guidelines were presented as simple as possible and the interfaces were designed to be simple and easy to use so that the older users can use it without much difficulty. In making the scenarios of the contents, risk assessments were carried out for each crop and stock farming with the focus being on occupational diseases rather than accidental injuries. To make the contents more attractive to the farmers, the functions requiring active responses from the users, such as answering simple questions, were included in the contents. Usability evaluation by experts of ergonomics and agricultural tasks were carried out in modifying the draft version, whereas formal usability test was not included in the case study. Though there are some limitations in the developed contents in the aspects of evaluation of usability and effectiveness, this case study shows the structured procedure of developing e-learning safety contents based on the risk assessments on agricultural tasks. The developed e-learning contents are expected to be used practically and easily in educating and training older farmers about safety and health of agricultural tasks.

Emerging Zoonoses: the "One Health Approach"

  • Rabozzi, Giulia;Bonizzi, Luigi;Crespi, Eleonora;Somaruga, Chiara;Sokooti, Maryam;Tabibi, Ramin;Vellere, Francesca;Brambilla, Gabri;Colosio, Claudio
    • Safety and Health at Work
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    • v.3 no.1
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    • pp.77-83
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    • 2012
  • Zoonoses represent a public health risk recently pointed out by the spreading of previously unknown human infectious diseases emerging from animal reservoirs such as severe acute respiratory syndrome and avian influenza caused by H5N1-virus. These outbreaks have shown that animal breeding activities can pose a significant public health risk. Until now, the risk of zoonoses has probably been underestimated, particularly in occupational settings. The emergence or re-emergence of bacterial (Mycobacterium bovis and Brucella spp) or viral (hepatitis E virus) infections shows that zoonoses should be considered as emerging risks in agricultural and animal breeding and should be addressed by specific preventive interventions. Close cooperation and interaction between veterinarians, occupational health physicians and public health operators is necessary, for a worldwide strategy to expand interdisciplinary collaborations and communications in all aspects of health care for humans, animals and the environment. This is what the One Health Approach was intended to be.

How to build an AI Safety Management Chatbot Service based on IoT Construction Health Monitoring (IoT 건축시공 건전성 모니터링 기반 AI 안전관리 챗봇서비스 구축방안)

  • Hwi Jin Kang;Sung Jo Choi;Sang Jun Han;Jae Hyun Kim;Seung Ho Lee
    • Journal of the Society of Disaster Information
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    • v.20 no.1
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    • pp.106-116
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    • 2024
  • Purpose: This paper conducts IoT and CCTV-based safety monitoring to analyze accidents and potential risks occurring at construction sites, and detect and analyze risks such as falls and collisions or abnormalities and to establish a system for early warning using devices like a walkie-talkie and chatbot service. Method: A safety management service model is presented through smart construction technology case studies at the construction site and review a relevant literature analysis. Result: According to 'Construction Accident Statistics,' in 2021, there were 26,888 casualties in the construction industry, accounting for 26.3% of all reported accidents. Fatalities in construction-related accidents amounted to 417 individuals, representing 50.5% of all industrial accident-related deaths. This study suggests implementing AI chatbot services for construction site safety management utilizing IoT-based health monitoring technologies in smart construction practices. Construction sites where stakeholders such as workers participate were demonstrated by implementing an artificial intelligence chatbot system by selecting major risk areas within the workplace, such as scaffolding processes, openings, and access to hazardous machinery. Conclusion: The possibility of commercialization was confirmed by receiving more than 90 points in the satisfaction survey of participating workers regarding the empirical results of the artificial intelligence chatbot service at construction sites.

Assessment of Ergonomic Risk Factors of Manual Material Handling in the Ship Diesel Engine Assembling Processes (모 선박용 디젤엔진 제조업체 들기작업의 인간공학 위험요인 평가)

  • Kim, Boo Wook;Kim, Sun Ja;Shin, Yong Chul;Kim, Hyun Dong;Woo, Ji Hoon;Kang, Dong mug;Lee, Hyun seok
    • Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
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    • v.15 no.3
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    • pp.153-159
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    • 2005
  • The purpose of this study was to assess the ergonomic risks of lifting tasks in a marine diesel engine manufacturing industry using the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health(NIOSH) Revised Lifting Equation(NLE). Average Lifting Index(LI=Weight of Load/Recommended Weight Limit) of a total number of 45 lifting tasks was $1.6{\pm}0.7$. The LIs were above 1 at 34 tasks(75.6%), and above 2 at 11 tasks(24.4%). Parts management showed the highest average LI value (LI=2.3) in all departments, which resulted from high frequency and heave load of lifting. The common and significant ergonomic risk factors in the processes were the heavy weight of diesel engine parts and the long horizontal distance. In addition, some lifting tasks had such potential risk factors as the long vertical distance, the high frequency of lifts or the long work duration.

A Study on MORT Application for Safety in the Industrial Robot Operation (산업용 로봇작업시 안전을 위한 MORT기법적용에 관한 연구)

  • 이윤원;이동경;신용백
    • Journal of the Korea Safety Management & Science
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    • v.4 no.3
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    • pp.13-23
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    • 2002
  • The use of industrial robots has been one of the most important innovations in production technology in recent years. It is true that robotic techniques, as applied to hazardous operation in industry, have reduced the risk of injury and occupational disease among workers. However, new types of occupational safety and health risks, associated with unpredictable motion patterns and erratic idle times and serious injuries and deaths have occurred due to operator misperception of these robot design and performance characteristics. This paper provides an overview of ergonomic and safety issues which are important in the design of robotic workspaces. Particularly, this study uses MORT(Management oversight and risk tree analysis)as the system's safety technique applied to robotics.

A Case Study of Risk Assessments and Safety Measures in a PCB Manufacturing Process (인쇄회로기판 제조 공정에서 위험성평가와 안전조치 적용 사례 연구)

  • Lee, Young Man;Lee, Inseok
    • Journal of the Korean Society of Safety
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    • v.37 no.4
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    • pp.120-128
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    • 2022
  • Printed circuit boards (PCBs) are a basic component in the electronics industry and are widely used in nearly all electronic products, such as mobile phones, tablet computers, and digital cameras, as well as in electric equipment. PCB manufacturing involves the use of many chemicals and chemical processes and therefore has more risks than other manufacturing sectors. This study aims to identify the causes of possible accidents during PCB manufacturing through risk assessment, develop and implement safety measures, and evaluate the effectiveness of these measures. Note that the safety measures developed to mitigate the risks of a certain process were also implemented for other similar processes. The risk assessments conducted over seven years, from 2015 to 2021, at a PCB manufacturing company identified 361 hazardous processes. Between 2016 and 2019, 41-56 hazardous processes were identified per year; such processes decreased to fewer than 20 per year after 2020. Application of the risk assessment results to the improvement of the hazardous processes with the similar characteristics seems to be effective in decreasing the risks. Equipment-related factors such as lack of appropriate maintenance, low work standards, and defective protection devices were responsible for 59.8% of all possible accidents. Because PCB manufacturing involves many chemicals, skin contact with hazardous substances, electric shock, fire, and explosion were the most common types of possible accidents (81.7%). In total, 505 safety measures were implemented, including 157 related to purchase and improvement of equipment and devices for safety (31.1%), 147 related to the installation/modification of fire prevention facilities (29.1%), and 69 related to the use of standard electrical appliances (13.7%). Risk assessment conducted after implementing the safety measures showed that these measures significantly decreased risk; 247 processes (68.4%) had a risk level of 3, corresponding to "very low," and 114 processes (31.6%) showed a risk level of 4, corresponding to "low." In particular, risk assessment of 104 processes with risk scores of 12 and 10 other processes with risk score of 16 showed that the risk decreased to 4 after implementing the safety measures. Thus, implementing these measures in similar manufacturing sectors that involve chemical processes can mitigate risk.

Malignant Tumors of the Female Reproductive System

  • Weiderpass, Elisabete;Labreche, France
    • Safety and Health at Work
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    • v.3 no.3
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    • pp.166-180
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    • 2012
  • This review summarizes the epidemiology of cancer of the female reproductive system and associated lifestyle factors. It also assesses the available evidence for occupational factors associated with these cancers. Cervical, endometrial, and ovarian cancers are relatively common, and cause significant cancer morbidity and mortality worldwide, whereas vulvar, vaginal, fallopian tube cancers, and choriocarcinomas are very rare. As several lifestyle factors are known to play a major role in the etiology of these cancers, very few published studies have investigated possible relationships with occupational factors. Some occupational exposures have been associated with increased risks of these cancers, but apart from the available evidence on the relationships between asbestos fibers and ovarian cancer, and tetrachloroethylene and cervical cancer, the data is rather scarce. Given the multifactorial nature of cancers of the female reproductive system, it is of the utmost importance to conduct occupational studies that will gather detailed data on potential individual confounding factors, in particular reproductive history and other factors that influence the body's hormonal environment, together with information on socio-economic status and lifestyle factors, including physical activity from multiple sources. Studies on the mechanisms of carcinogenesis in the female reproductive organs are also needed in order to elucidate the possible role of chemical exposures in the development of these cancers.

A Brief Review of the Legal Definition of Chemical Accident under the Current Chemical Substances Control Act (화학물질관리법상 화학사고 정의에 관한 소고)

  • Jihoon Park;Seon-Oh Park;Hyojin Park;Hye-Ok Kwon
    • Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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    • v.49 no.4
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    • pp.179-182
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    • 2023
  • The Chemical Substances Control Act has been legislated to counter the risks posed by chemical substances to public health and the environment, but a number of small- and large-scaled incidents related to hazardous chemicals continue to occur every year. The Korean Ministry of Environment takes legal responsibility for prevention, preparedness, and response to nationwide chemical accidents under the Chemical Substances Control Act. The determination of chemical accidents that occur during hazardous chemical handling processes is based on the Article 2 (Definitions) of the law and the administrative criteria for judgement of chemical accidents. However, there are certain ambiguities in the scientific basis for determining chemical accidents under the current regulations. Whether or not a chemical accident has a direct influence on penalties and administrative measures for a workplace where an accident occurred, it is necessary to find reasonable criteria for determining chemical accident based on legal and scientific evidence.

Psychosocial Work Conditions During the COVID-19 Pandemic and Their Influences on Mental Health Risk and Intention to Leave Among Public Health Workers: A Cross-sectional and Follow-up Study in Taiwan

  • Ming-Wei Lin;Yi-Ting Wang;Yawen Cheng
    • Safety and Health at Work
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    • v.14 no.4
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    • pp.438-444
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    • 2023
  • Background: To examine the influences of psychosocial work conditions on mental health risk and intention to leave the public sector among workers of public health agencies in Taiwan. Methods: We surveyed 492 public health workers in March 2022 during the COVID-19 pandemic. Information on job demands, job control, workplace justice, experiences of workplace violence and its type and origin, and mental health status (assessed by the 5-item Brief Symptom Rating Scale, BSRS-5) was obtained. Of them, 192 participated in a follow-up survey conducted in May 2023 that assessed mental health status, employment changes, and intention to leave. Results: In the initial survey, 32.93% of participants reported poor mental health status, defined by having a score of BSRS-5 ≧ 10, and 48.17% experienced some form of workplace violence over the past year. Notably, high psychosocial job demands (OR = 3.64, 95% CI = 1.93-6.87), low workplace justice (OR = 2.58, 95% CI = 1.45-4.58), and workplace violence (OR = 2.38, 95% CI = 1.51-3.77) were significantly associated with increased risk of mental disorders. Among those who participated in the followup survey, 22.40% had persistent poor mental health, and 30.73% considered leaving or have left the public sector. Longitudinal analyses indicated that job demands predicted persistent mental disorders and intention to leave the public sector, and the experience of workplace violence added additional mental health risks. Conclusion: The public health workforce is crucial for effective and resilient public health systems. Our findings that public health workers were at high mental health risk and had a high intention to leave the job warrant attention and policy interventions.

A Study on the Safety and Health Consciousness for the Working Environment of Fire Fighter (소방공무원 근무환경에 대한 안전보건 의식 연구)

  • Lee, Jong-Ho;Kim, Yo-Han
    • Journal of the Korean Society of Safety
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    • v.30 no.1
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    • pp.137-143
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    • 2015
  • Fire fighter are exposed to the situations which are hard to predict due to continuous and accidental changes which hinder their fire fighting activity. As these threats of safety accident act as fear factors, they are doing insecure fire fighting activities. Therefore, as unclear and abnormal risks of working environment such as the riskiness of expansion of disaster, instability, obstacles of activities, abnormality, urgency, etc. increase, safety accidents are caused. This study analyzes the actual condition of safety and health and awareness of fire fighter who are exposed safety accidents during their fire fighting activities and utilize such result as the basis data to secure safety of fire fighter, keep efficient safety control and prevent accidents. The results of analysis are as follows. As rescue works among all fire-fighting works shows the highest emotional stabilization and the highest post-traumatic stress disorder is shown in fire sergeant level positions, and fire fighters whose working period is 10-15 years, reinforcing safety training to long-term workers is necessary. As the result of survey regarding safety awareness, the highest awareness level was shown in fire sergeant level positions, and fire fighters whose working period is over 20 years, and when it comes to operation of fire fighting equipments, fire-fighting workers and workers having 1-4 years of working period showed high safety awareness. The more serious injury in a fire fighter experienced as the first injury after working as a fire-fighter, the more cause-and-effect relationship was shown between personal physical condition and work, and it is shown as obstacles of fire fighting activities and affects to post-traumatic stress disorder. Moreover, as after-work off duty activities also affect to official disaster, systematic improvement of working environment is required. Occupational medical work compatibility evaluation considering the distinct characteristics of works to secure fire-fighter' health care together with fire-fighting capability is shown to be necessary.