• Research in Community and Public Health Nursing
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• v.4 no.2
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• pp.100-108
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• 1993

The purpose of this study was to identify the workers the Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice of industrial health care services. The study was conducted from Dec 10, 1992 to Jan 20, 1993. The data was collected from 849 workers in 56 companies in Busan City. The data was analyzed by using the mean, S.D>, T-test, ANOVA. The tool for measuring the degree of Knowledge, Attitude and Practice of industrial health care of workers was developed by community health nursing academy and the reliability an of the tool was 0.82810. The results were as follows : 1. The general characteristics of workers : Distribution of workers consisted of laborer(55.0%), office workers(45.0%), in an age range from 25-39(55.0%), male employees were(69.7%), married employees were(62.4%), the educational level with the highest percentage was high school graduates(54.2%). The present work force had a career for 7 years or more with an income of 300-700 thousand won monthly(43.2). 2. The degree of Knowledge Attitude and Practice about industrial health care services of workers : The total score of the Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice was 49.09 points out of a possible 80(mean Score=2.46) 1) The total score of the Knowledge was 15.73 points out of 24. (Mean score=2.62) The following are the Knowledge scores: The necessity examination of occupational disease was(3.34) The knowledge of occupational disease was (3.12) The knowledge of health education was(1.29) 2) b. The total score of the Attitude was 26.01 point out of 44(mean score=2.36) The following are the Attitude scores: The necessity of health education for health examination was (3.14). The importance of health examination was(3.08) The necessity of measurement for working environment was(2.99). The satisfaction of the content in the periodic health examination was low(1.81). 3) The total score of the Practice was 7.35 points out of 12(mean score=2.45) The following are the orders of Practice scores: The participation in health examination was higher than in health education(1.33). 3. The general characteristics and the degree of knowledge, Attitude, and Practice of workers of industrial health care. 1) The level of worker's knowledge was significantly related by working part(t=2.54 P=0.000), marital status(F=4.35 P=0.029), educational level(F=3.91 and P=0.020), monthly income(F=2.98 P=0.029) 2) There were no significant difference between the general characteristics and the attitude of workers. 3) The practice was significantly related with working part(T=2.52 P=0.012), sex(T=2.28 P=0.23), marital status(F=4.25 P=0.012), monthly income (F=2.76 P=0.034) 4) The total score had a significant difference with working part(T=2.39 P=0.017), sex (T=3.84 P=0.000), marital status (F=3.18 P=0.032). Educational level (F=3.20 P=0.033), and monthly income(F=3.05 P=0.022).

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.18 no.2
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• pp.3-18
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• 1992

This research was carried out on 1,017 production workers for four months from May to August, 1991, to search more effective management method of their health by grasping their knowledge and attitude on industrial health. The results of this study can be summarized as follows: 1. As for general characteristics, 74.2% were male and 25.8% were female among the 1,017 workers. The two largest age groups were 30~39, 38.7%. As for education level, graduation from high school was 58.6%, 61.2% were married, 35.9% owned their house, and workers who worked more than 1 year less than 5 years was 52.9%, workers who worked 8 hours a day was 46.7%, the largest group income level was 60~69 thousand won 21.2%, and the degree of satisfaction with work was ordinary, 45.6%. 2. The degree of recognition concerning occupational diseases was 92.5% at a very high rate. Causes of occupational diseases under the present work field were in order of noise, dust, heavy metal. The largest group of the counterplan for prevention was an improvement of working environment, 62.0%. 3. The major cause that threatens worker's health was poor working environment, 31.4%. As the best method for workers' health management, working environment management was pointed. 4. As for health examination result, the response that it is of use to health management was 53.8%. As for examination method and result, 42.7% responded that they are formal. The practice period was more than once every six months as the largest group, and the highest desire for improvement was that they wants an exact information of the result. 5. 49.3% of the respondents know about the measurement of working environment an the response that the measurement is necessary to improve working environment was 57.9%, and that the results from the measurement were reflected on improvement an management 57.5%. Appropriate period to take a measurement was more than once per six months, 40.2% and per three months, 29.1%. 6. As for safety and halth instruction, 34.5% were educated for both, 38.2% for only safety education and just 4.6% for only health education. 51.9% responded that they had never been educated out of work place. The period of its practice was more than once a month, 39.5% and every three months, 21.3%. 7. The importance of safety and health showed that the one is equal to the other, 59.8%, that the one is more important, 29.6%, and that other is more important, 7.6%. 67.7% said the necessity of a safety and health manager. 8. In spite of more or less health obstacle of work environment, 14.9% of the respondents wanted to overwork to gain an allowance for over-time work, 39.9% didn't, and 40.2% according to condition and state. 9. As the most important cause of industrial accident, 40.2% indicated unsafe behavior. As for the individual protective instrument, 66.1% of all the respondents said they have worn it to protect industrial diseases. 10. As for the degree of understanding of the contents in Industrial Safety and Health Law and Industrial Law of Accident Insurance, an affirmative response was respectively 49.3% and 50.8% and the sources of safety-health information were televisions and radios, 28.0%. Therefore, it is necessary that we do positive working environmental improvement, continuous management and health education's inforcement to increase their health and prevent occupational diseases.

• Journal of Venture Innovation
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• v.5 no.3
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• pp.57-70
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• 2022

In modern industrial capitalism, the relationship between the provision of work and the receipt of wages has become an important principle governing society. According to the labor contract, the wages provided by entrusting the right to dispose of one's labor to the employer are directly compensated, and human life should be guaranteed and reproduced with proper rest. The establishment of labor relations under free contracts represents a problem in protecting workers, and accordingly, the maximum of working hours is set as a minimum right for workers, and the standard for minimum rest is set and assigned. The reduction of working hours is very important in terms of the quality of life of workers, but it is also an important issue in efficient corporate activities. As of 2020, Korea has 1,908 hours of annual working hours, the third lowest among OECD 37 countries in the happiness index surveyed by the Sustainable Development Solution Network(SDSN), an agency under the United Nations. Accordingly, the necessity of reducing working hours has been recognized, and the maximum working hours per week has been limited to 52 hours since 2018. In this situation, various working hours are legally excluded as a way to maintain the company's value-added creation and meet the diverse needs of workers, and Korea's Labor Standards Act restricts flexible working hours within three months, flexible working hours exceeding three months, selective working hours, and extended working hours. However, in the discussion on the application of the revised flexible working hours system in 2021 and the expansion of the settlement unit period recently discussed, there is a problem with the flexible working hours system, which needs to be improved. Therefore, this paper aims to examine the problems of the flexible working hours system and improvement measures. The flexible working hours system is a system that does not violate working hours even if the legal working hours are exceeded on a specific day or week according to a predetermined standard, and does not have to pay additional wages for excessive overtime work. It is mainly useful as a form of shift work in manufacturing, sales service, continuous business or electricity, gas, water, and transportation for long-term operations. It is also used as a way to shorten working hours, such as expanding holidays through short working days. However, if the settlement unit period is expanded, it is disadvantageous to workers as the additional wages that workers can receive will not be received. Therefore, First, in order to expand the settlement unit period currently under discussion, additional wages should be paid for the period expanded from the current standard. Second, it is necessary to improve the application of the flexible working hours system to individual workers to have sufficient consultation with individual workers in a written agreement with the worker representative, Third, clarify the allowable time for extended work during the settlement unit period, and Fourth, limit the daily working hours or apply to continuous rest. In addition, since the written agreement of the worker representative is an important issue in the application of the flexible working hours system, it is necessary to secure the representation of the worker representative.

• Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
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• v.4 no.2
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• pp.224-239
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• 1994

In this study we examined several subjective symptoms in an exposed group and an unexposed group to perchloroethylene. The exposed group consists to 30 workers employed in 23 dry-cleaning establishments located in Chung Cheung Do, whereas the unexposed group consists of 42 officers employed in a certain university. This study was conducted from October, 1993 to March, 1994. Also we investigated personal exposure levels and area concentration of PCE, and performed hematological and biochemical examination in blood and urine samples from the exposed group. The results are : 1. The exposed group highly complains several subjective symptoms, particularly in neuropsychiatry, eye, respiratory system and digestive system, compared with the unexposed group. But complaint rates in the exposed group are not related with PCE exposure levels. 2. PCE exposure levels for all dry-cleaning establishment varied widely, from 0.18 to 37.58ppm. The mean exposure level for centers of chain was 16.85ppm, and for local laundries was 8.83ppm, while for self-service establishment it was 3.07ppm. Eighty three percent of the workers were exposed less than the half-level(25.0ppm) of the Korea 50.0ppm standard for eight-hour PCE exposure. Seventeen percent of them exceeded the half-level of the Korea TLV. 3. Statistical correlation exists between the work load(number of operation cycles of equipment and the mass of processed textiles) and the personal exposure levels to be observed. 4. In hematological examination the values of WBC, RBC, Hgb, Hct, MCV, MCH, MCHC and PLT in the exposed group were within normal ranges. In biochemical examination(GOT, GPT, ALP, U-A and LDH) most of the items were within normal ranges. From this surveys conducted on 23 dry-cleaning establishments, the complaint rates of the exposed group to PCE in several subjective symptoms were higher than those of the unexposed group, and PCE exposure levels in all dry-cleaning establishment were below the Koera standard 50.0ppm. In hematological and biochemical examination the significant abnormalities by occupational exposure to PCE were not observed. However, the workers employed in dry-cleaning establishments are always faced with risk, becauses they are also exposed to several organic solvents used to remove stains. Therefore, various measures to improve occupational environment in dry-cleaning establishment should be considered.

• Journal of dental hygiene science
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• v.18 no.6
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• pp.389-397
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• 2018

The purpose of this study was to examine the self-rated oral health status of industrial workers and influential factors for their work loss caused by dental care in an effort to prepare some information on policy setting about the promotion of the oral health of industrial workers and on the prevention of their oral diseases. The married industrial workers experienced work loss due to dental care more commonly than did the unmarried workers ($x^2=5.10$, p<0.05). In addition, the workers who found themselves to be in worse health experienced significantly more work loss ($x^2=29.69$, p<0.001). The workers who received treatment for oral diseases experienced significantly more work loss than those who did not receive treatment ($x^2=14.60$, p<0.001). In addition, the workers who had oral symptoms requiring treatment experienced more work loss than the others who not ($x^2=11.08$, p<0.01). The experience of not receiving treatment for a perceived oral disease was more dominant among the workers who found themselves to have an oral disease but did not receive treatment than among those who received treatment (p<0.001). Regarding factors affecting the work loss of the industrial workers caused by dental care, the workers whose monthly mean income was larger and who found themselves to be in worse health had significantly more experience of absenting themselves from the office or of leaving work early (p<0.001).

• Journal of Korean Public Health Nursing
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• v.4 no.2
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• pp.59-77
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• 1990

The purpose of this study was to provide the basic data for the effective health management of the industrial workers, by classifying factors influencing their perceived symptoms to examine their health status and identifying the inter' relationship of their perceived symptom with their working department. the environment of working area and their general characteristics. The study was undertaken from October 1 to November 30. 1989. The subjects were 999 workers who had worked in Industrial Corps located in Chungbuk Province. The results of this study were as follows: I . Worker's perceived symptoms were classified according to the following eight factors; 1) musculo - skeletal symptoms of shoulder, neck, back and arm 2) optical symptoms 3) symptoms in head(such as headache and dull) 4) musculo - skeletal symptoms of leg and lower back 5) gastro - intestinal symptoms 6) mental symptoms. 7) neural symptoms 8) lung and heart symptoms II . The degrees of workers' perception of perceived symptoms; Mean score of perceived symptoms:7.0 The rank of degrees of perceived symptoms: The highest:musculo - skeletal symptoms of shoulder, neck, back, and arm The second:optical symptoms The third:musculo - skeletal symptoms of leg and lower back The fourth:mental symptoms the fifth:gastro-intestinal symptoms m . Analysis of the inter-relationship of perceived symptoms with working department, environment of working area and general characteristics; 1) sexuality The difference of degrees of perceived symptoms was significant;femanle was higher than male(P<0.000). 2) level of education The difference of degrees of perceived symptoms according to the level of education was significant; The higher the level of education, the higher the degree. 3) working department The working department played a significant part in the degrees of perceived symptoms of workers; Workers of assembling department:musculo-skeletal symptoms both of shoulder. neck, back and arm and of leg and lower back(P<0.000). Workers of inspection department:optical symptoms(P<0.05). Office workers:mental symptoms(P<0.05). 4) kinds of job The difference of the degrees of perceived symptoms according to kinds of job was significant; Workers dealing with chemical materials and workers dealing with job with high tension:gastro-intestinal symptoms and symptoms in head. Workers dealing with weighty things or working a long time with the same posture:musculo-skeletal symptoms both of shoulder, neck, back and arm and of lower back(P<0.000). 5) working posture The difference of the degrees of perceived symptoms related with working posture was significant; Sitting:optical symptoms(P<0.0000) and symptoms in head(P<0.005) Standing:musculo-skeletal symptoms of leg and lower back(P<0.0000). 6) satisfaction with their own duty The more dissatisfien they were. the higher became the degrees of their perceived symptoms(P<0.0001). 7) satisfaction with their working condition The more dissatisfied with their working condition they were, the higher became the degrees of their perceived symptoms(P<0.001). 8) environment of working area The environment of working area played a significant part in the degrees of perceived symptoms of workers; Workers exposed to most of the factors of the environment of working area were higher than those not exposed in the degrees of musculoskeletal symptoms. Workers in the noisy environment:optican symptoms(P<0.000), symptoms in head(P<0.005). Workers in the damp environment:optical symptoms(P<0.005) and lung and heart symptoms(P <0.01). Workers with illumination problem:optical symptoms(P<0.000), mental symptoms(P<0.005) and neural symptoms(P<0.01). Workers with ventilation problem:optical symptoms and lung and heart symptoms(P<0.001)

• Journal of the Korean association of regional geographers
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• v.14 no.1
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• pp.40-53
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• 2008

A case study has been conducted on the changes in the identity and agency of international marriage migrant women who experienced a shift from a immigrant worker to a foreign spouse and a Korean citizen. The life histories of the eight female migrants living in Gumi area, a representative inland industrial complex in Korea, have been investigated by in-depth interview. The aim is to examine how the female migrants reconstruct and interpret their lives. The results reveal that the identy of a female migrant is flexible depending on her social positionality. The identities established from the past experiences in their native countries have been changed by their situations and conditions in Korea. The female immigrants recognize that their problems have been an important issue both in government policy and mass media. However, the female migrants express a strong revolt against the fact that they are considered as underclass victims or innocent people from underdeveloped countries. This implies their ambivalence toward international marriage that they selected subjectively. There is a finding to show a new possibility; the Transnational Marriage & Family Support Center supported by Government may provide a good ground for the female migrants to be a active group agent. The results illustrate that the international marriage migrant women could not be classified into a single group as wives. Called for are diverse researches reflecting the complex situations of migrant women.

• Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
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• v.20 no.4
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• pp.225-235
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• 2010

This study was aimed to assess the status of working environment, health care management status and cause of exposure in manufactories using dimethylformamide (DMF). For the purpose, airborne concentration of DMF in the workplaces and N-methylformamide (NMF) in worker's urine were measured with job type and process. In addition, management of local exhaust ventilation system (LEV) and personal protective equipment (PPE) was evaluated at 35 work places (107 workers) located in Busan and Gimhae area. Mean DMF concentrations in work places by job type and process were of high level measured in printing and record media reproduction (5.23 ppm) and flaking process (2.48 ppm). Workers in adhesive job were measured a large amount of urine NMF (21.59 mg/${\ell}$). 98.1% of DMF handling workers were provided respirators, but 67.3% of those workers used them. The main reasons for not using respirators were inconvenience and difficulty of breathing. Airborne concentrations of DMF were higher in the workplaces in which LEVs were working abnormally, but there was not statistically significant. In addition, the urine NMF levels were correlated with management of LEV within the workers who did not use the respirators (p<0.048). These results implied that LEV should be installed and maintained properly to protect the workers from the exposure to DMF. Management of PPE should be also necessary to protect the workers from chemical hazards.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.44 no.5
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• pp.460-467
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• 2018

Objectives: The objectives of this study are to estimate the inhalation exposure level of benzene for workers using Tier 1 exposure models ECETOC TRA (European Center for Ecotoxicology and Toxicology of Chemicals Target Risk Assessment) and Stoffenmanager, and to investigate their reliability for exposure assessment in K-REACH. Methods: Two exposure scenarios, 'manufacture of benzene' and 'use as solvents,' were developed for assessment of workers' exposure to benzene. The Process Category (PROC) for ECETOC TRA was collected from the European Chemical Agency (ECHA) registration dossier, and the Activity for Stoffenmanager was converted from PROC using translation of exposure models (TREXMO). The information related to exposure, such as working duration, Respiratory Protective Equipment (RPE), Local Exhaust Ventilation (LEV), and Risk Management Measure (RMM) were classified into high, medium, and low exposure conditions. The risk was determined by the ratio of the estimated exposure and occupational exposure limits of benzene. Results: Under high exposure conditions, the worker exposure level calculated from all PROCs and Activities exceeded the risk level, with the exception of PROC 1 and Activity 1. In the medium exposure condition, PROC 8a, 8b, and 9 and Activity 3, 7, and 8 all exceeded the risk, whereas in the low condition, all PROCs and Activities were determined to be safe. As a result, action corresponding with the low exposure condition is required to reduce the risk of exposure among workers in workplaces where benzene is manufactured or used as a solvent. In addition, the predicted exposure levels derived from the exposure models were lower than measured levels. The exposure levels estimated from Stoffenmanager were more conservative than those from ECETOC TRA. Conclusions: This study demonstrates the feasibility of exposure models for exposure assessment through the example of occupational inhalation exposure assessment for benzene. For more active utilization of exposure models in K-REACH, the exact application of collected information and accurate interpretation of obtained results are necessary.

• Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.85-91
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• 2001

Background : It goes without saying that cumulative trauma disorders is spreading to various types of occupation in many advanced countries including America, and it forms considerable rate of total occupational disorders already. and as the result of it, the seriousness of worker health problem and economic loss owing to production loss, recuperation expense, etc. are on the increasing trend through whole society. In case of Korea, the related measures as well as accurate fact-finding survey data on cumulative trauma disorders aren't prepared in detail, so it implies forward problem would be serious. Purpose : The purpose of this study is to draw the risk factor of cumulative trauma disorders in production factory, to forecast the rate of occurrence of cumulative trauma disorders on the basis of subjective symptoms, and to present forward realistic and effective prevention measures by showing the risk of cumulative trauma disorders, objecting the production factory of a domestic riding automobile assembly shop, by estimating in the aspect of human-engineering through the analysis of risk factor being a cause of cumulative trauma disorders. Methods : For this study, I investigated work type and on-duty hours, breathing time, and subjective symptoms of cumulative trauma disorders through questionnaire, objecting the workers in press. car body, coating, and outfit factory. Results : As a result of research, 81.2% of workers were in the physical burden due to present working, and the highest prevalence by part of body is an waist. The higher a rule score, The higher the number of workers complaind for working intensity, and the higher age work duration, tool used time, the higher prevalence of subjective symptoms by part of body. The number of workers complaind subjective symptom for treatment is the highest in drugstore.