• 한국전문물리치료학회지
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• 제24권2호
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• pp.76-91
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• 2017

Background: Agricultural work is physically demanding and is associated with a high frequency of musculoskeletal disorders. It is challenging to comprehensively understand the present status of work-related diseases and injuries among farmers in underdeveloped countries. Objects: This study aimed to elucidate the current status of work-related musculoskeletal disorders in local farmers in Tigray, Ethiopia, and identify the agricultural factors associated work-related musculoskeletal pain (AFWMP) and healthy living and healthy behavior factors associated work-related musculoskeletal pain (HFWMP). Methods: The Institute for Poverty Alleviation and International Development at Yonsei University conducted a survey of 126 households in Tigray, Ethiopia in 2014. A total of 116 individuals (73 men, 43 women) representing each household answered the questionnaires. Results: 1) Work-related musculoskeletal pain (WMSP) most commonly occurred when performing heavy lifting and most frequently occurred in the lower back. 2) Age, self-perceived labor intensity, and months of farming work were significantly higher in the pain group than those in the non-pain group. 3) Overall work-related musculoskeletal pain intensity (WPI) showed positive and negative correlations with years of farming experience and self-perceived health status, respectively. 4) In binary logistic regression, the occurrence of WMSP showed significant associations with self-perceived labor intensity. 5) On multiple linear regression analysis, age, months of farming work, and self-perceived health status had a significant impact on overall WPI. Conclusion: The WMSP of farmers in Tigray, Ethiopia was related to the characteristics of farm working and health status. Furthermore, HFWMP and AFWMP were the chief factors affecting the occurrence of WMSP in farmers in Tigray. Therefore, both HFWMP and AFWMP should be considered for clinical health assessments of farmers with WMSP in underdeveloped African countries.

• 제어로봇시스템학회논문지
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• 제22권12호
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• pp.1011-1020
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• 2016

This paper introduces a tactilely transparent soft glove composed of soft materials and flexible structures. Although it is hard to achieve a high grasping force with conventional grip-assist gloves made from soft material, the proposed glove can exert a high force by using a novel structure. This structure has a triangular shape composed of flexible structural frames, soft fabric, and belts. It can produce grip-assist moment compliantly without harmful force or misalignment with the human fingers. The whole finger part that comes into contact with objects is made of thin and soft fabric in order to facilitate sensation transference. The proposed tactilely transparent soft glove enables the user to manipulate various objects owing to both the softness and high grasping force; it helps lifting heavy weight objects as well as permitting delicate tactile feeling on the palm and fingers. The proposed concept was applied to a two-finger grip-assist device for validation. In addition, the experimental results regarding grasping objects, fingertip force, and grasping force are presented.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• 제7권1호
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• pp.32-37
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• 2016

Background: Previous research has shown that paramedics are exposed to risks in the form of injuries to the musculoskeletal system. In addition, there are studies showing that they are also at increased risk of cardiovascular disease, cancer, and psychiatric diseases, which can partly be explained by their constant exposure to stress. The aim of this study is to evaluate whether the use of shoulder straps decreases physical effort in the form of decreased heart rate and cortisol concentration. Methods: A stretcher with a dummy was carried by 20 participants for 400 m on two occasions, one with and one without the shoulder straps. Heart rate was monitored continuously and cortisol samples were taken at intervals of 0 minutes, 15 minutes, 30 minutes, 45 minutes, and 60 minutes. Each participant was her or his own control. Results: A significant decrease in heart rate and cortisol concentration was seen when shoulder straps were used. The median values for men (with shoulder straps) at 0 minutes was 78 bpm/21.1 nmol/L (heart rate/cortisol concentration), at 15 minutes was 85 bpm/16.9 nmol/L, and at 60 minutes was 76 bpm/15.7 nmol/L; for men without shoulder straps, these values were 78 bpm/21.9 nmol/L, 93 bpm/21.9 nmol/L, and 73 bpm/20.5 nmol/L. For women, the values were 85 bpm/23.3 nmol/L, 92 bpm/20.8 nmol/L, and 70 bpm/18.4 nmol/L and 84 bpm/32.4 nmol/L, 100 bpm/32.5 nmol/L, and 75 bpm/25.2 nmol/L, respectively. Conclusion: The use of shoulder straps decreases measurable physical stress and should therefore be implemented when heavy equipment or a stretcher needs to be carried. An easy way to ensure that staff use these or similar lifting aids is to provide them with personalized, well-adapted shoulder straps. Another better option would be to routinely sewn these straps into the staff's personal alarm jackets so they are always in place and ready to be used.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• 제9권1호
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• pp.75-78
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• 2018

Background: To identify work sectors with high risk for work-related musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) in Korean men and women. Methods: We analyzed nationwide data to identify ergonomic risk factors in Korean employees. In particular, we analyzed data on exposure to five ergonomic risk factors (painful/tiring postures, lifting/moving heavy materials, standing/walking, repetitive hand/arm movements, and hand/arm vibration) according to employment sector, sex, and age, using the 2014 Fourth Korean Working Conditions Survey. We also used workers' compensation data on work-related MSDs in 2010, which is available by sex. Results: The different work sectors had different gender distributions. "Manufacturing" (27.7%) and "construction" (11.3%) were dominated by males, whereas "human health and social work activities" (12.4%), "hotel and restaurants" (11.7%), and "education" (10.4%) were dominated by females. However, "wholesale and retail trade" and "public administration and defense" employed large numbers of males and females. Furthermore, the work sectors with a greater proportion of work-related MSDs and with multiple ergonomic risk factors were different for men and women. For men, "construction" and "manufacturing" had the highest risk for work-related MSDs; for women, "hotel and restaurants" had the highest risk for work-related MSDs. Conclusion: Ergonomic interventions for workers should consider gender and should focus on work sectors with high risk for MSDs, with multiple ergonomic risk factors, and with the largest number of workers.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• 제11권4호
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• pp.485-490
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• 2020

Background: Meniscal tears are among the major risk factors for knee osteoarthritis progression. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between meniscal tears and work-related factors in the farming occupation. Methods: The participants included 486 farmers (238 men and 248 women), aged 40-69 years, who were among the 550 farmers registered in the Korea Farmer's Knee Cohort (KFKC). Data such as those on gender, age, body mass index (BMI), mechanical axis, cumulative heavy-lifting working time (CLWT), cumulative squatting working time (CSWT), and previous knee injury history were collected from the questionnaire, along with whole leg radiographic findings. Two radiologists assessed the magnetic resonance images of both knees to confirm the presence of meniscal tears. The factors related to meniscal tears were analyzed by multiple logistic regression. Results: A total of 54.5% of the farmers (48.7% of men and 60.1% of women) had meniscal tears. These tears were associated with gender, age, and BMI. We also identified an association between meniscal tears and CSWT, an especially important factor in farming [10,000-19,999 working hours, odds ratio = 2.16, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.14-4.07, ≥20,000 working hours, odds ratio = 2.35, 1.45-3.80]. However, mechanical axis, knee injury history, and CLWT were not significantly related to meniscal tears. Conclusion: This study's findings show that squatting for long periods, as an occupational factor, is related to meniscal tears.

• 한국해양공학회지
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• 제33권5호
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• pp.486-494
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• 2019

Recently, the interest in marine leisure activities has been growing rapidly with the work-life balance trend. In response to this demand, the Korean government is supporting fostering and revitalizing the relevant industries and facilities. In particular, a marina has been making efforts to change itself into a resort with multiple amenities instead of a simple mooring facility. However, the facilities in a marina for the transport of marine leisure equipment mostly consist of cranes and boat-lifts using ropes, which can result in incidents such as damage and accidents during lifting or movement. This paper proposes the equipment and support system for the safe transportation of marine leisure ships. Aluminum transport equipment was designed by performing a structural analysis to achieve a lighter weight than the existing steel products. In addition, a safety support system with alarms for tilting or obstacles and a slope monitoring system was developed to enhance the safety during operation and transportation. The safety support system developed in this study was implemented and installed in the transport system, and verified through commissioning on land.

• 한국안전학회지
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• 제37권4호
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• pp.58-62
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• 2022

Metro subway construction is a field that requires a great deal of professional manpower. The aging of professionals has a negative impact on both productivity and health, owing to poor working environments, heavy lifting, underground work, and other factors. To address this issue, the government is progressively revising and enforcing health management law and regulation in the construction industry. Thus, the job stress and work ability of many professional subway construction workers, who are rapidly aging, are being analyzed to ensure their safety and improve their health. In this study, the Macpa stress index of Busan Metro Subway construction workers from Sasang to Hadan line was measured by using a Macpa measurement machine, and a work ability survey was conducted by using the questionnaire that was developed by the FIOH. The independent variables were age, years of service, job position, employment type, and occupation. While, the dependent variables were the Macpa stress index and work ability. The Kruskal-Wallis test was used because it was difficult to assume that the statistics of this study represented a normal distribution. The results showed that age, job position, and employment type affected Macpa stress index and revealed that as the age of the workers increased, their stress levels increased as well. Additionally, job position and employment type affected the work ability of the metro subway construction workers. In terms of job position, the technical engineers were under a lot of stress, and whereas the managers had the best work ability. The technical engineers were more stressed than the other workers because of a poor working environment. In terms of employment type, daily workers were under more stress and lower work ability than others.

• 한국컴퓨터정보학회논문지
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• 제26권4호
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• pp.39-46
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• 2021

본 논문에서는 혼합현실에서 산업 현장에서 필요한 동작 인식 방법에 대한 방법을 제안한다. 산업 현장에서는 몸통 움직임부터 팔 동작에 이르기까지 상체 전역의 동작(잡고, 들어올리고, 나르는 작업)이 필요하다. 본 논문에서는 무거운 모션 캡처 장비를 사용하지 않으면서 키넥트와 같은 비전 기반이 아닌 센서와 웨어러블 디바이스로 구성된 방법을 사용하고 있다. 몸통 동작과 어깨 동작은 2개의 IMU 센서를 사용하고 있으며, 팔 동작은 마이오 암 밴드를 사용하였다. 총 4개로부터 들어오는 실시간 데이터를 퓨전하여 상체 전 영역에 대한 모션 인식이 가능하도록 하였다. 실험 방법으로서는 실제 옷에 센서를 부착하였고 동기화 작업을 통해 물체 조작을 하였다. 그 결과 동기화 방법을 사용한 방식은 큰 동작과 작은 동작에 있어서 오류가 없었다. 마지막으로 성능 평가를 통해 홀로렌즈 상에서 한손 조작일 경우 평균적으로 50 프레임, 양 손 조작일 경우 60 프레임을 보이는 결과를 나타 내였다.

• 대한토목학회논문집
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• 제30권3A호
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• pp.277-286
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• 2010

케이블을 이용하여 장경간을 필요로 하는 교량의 시공은 일반적으로 불완전 한 구조계인 교량의 선단에 데릭 혹은 무한궤도 크레인을 설치하여 수상 및 육상으로 이송되는 교량 상판을 리프팅하여 시공하게 된다. 이와 같은 경우 일차적으로 과도한 크레인의 자중으로 인하여 불완전한 구조계에 결함을 발생시킬 수 있으며, 또한 하부 수송으로 인한 추가 비용 및 공기를 소요하게 된다. 본 연구에서는 이러한 기존 시공방법을 개선하고자 개발된 교량 일 측에 편중 가능하고, 가동 붐을 설치하여 후방 이송 자재를 시공 지점으로 운반, 가설이 가능한 데릭 크레인의 시공 단계를 정의하여 수치해석을 수행하였다. 데릭 크레인의 하중 재하 점을 고정부 4점으로 단순화하였으며, 가동 붐의 수직/수평 회전 범위를 고려하여 반력을 산정하였다. 또한 크레인의 '휴지' 및 '작업 중'의 단계로 나누어 가동 붐 및 강형, PC Slab에 의하여 발생하는 휨 모멘트를 시공단계에 반영하였다. 본 연구에 고려된 데릭 크레인은 접속교를 통한 육상 작업으로 시공 기간 및 비용을 줄일 수 있으며, 크레인 자체의 작은 중량으로 시공 중 재하 하중 감소를 꾀할 수 있다.

• 한국산업보건학회지
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• 제33권3호
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• pp.317-331
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• 2023

Objectives: Construction workers are exposed to various hazardous substances simultaneously. However, little is known about the exposure hazards in construction industry. This study was aimed at identifying the risk of exposure hazards among construction workers. Methods: The expert survey (n=29) was conducted, including construction industry health managers (n=11) and work environment monitoring experts (n=18), on exposure probability, intensity and risk of hazardous substances by construction occupations Results: The exposure hazards of 30 construction occupations were identified and summarized through a literature review and expert survey. The most prevalent hazards were in order of noise, awkward posture, heat/cold, crystalline silica, cement/concrete dust, metal fumes, and volatile organic compounds. The hazards with highest risk score(over seven points) at construction occupations were noise(formwork carpenter, concrete finisher, rebar worker, demolition worker, driller/rock blaster), hazardous rays(welder), heat/cold (earthworks, formwork carpenter, rebar worker, concrete placer, scaffolder), awkward posture(bricklayer, caulker/tile setter, rebar worker) and heavy lifting(bricklayer, rebar worker). Among construction workers, the job types with the highest risk of exposure to carcinogens, and in which occupational cancer has been reported, were in order of stonemason, concrete finisher, rock blaster, welder, insulation installer, painter, scaffolder, plant worker and earthworks in order Conclusions: Systematic research and discussion on occupational disease among construction workers and its various hazardous factors are needed to establish job exposure matrix for facilitating standard for promptly processing the workers' compensation.