• Journal of the Society of Disaster Information
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• v.19 no.4
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• pp.806-814
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• 2023

Purpose: According to the Occupational Safety and Health Act of the Ministry of Employment and Labor, in order to prevent industrial accidents, the right to stop work must be exercised in the event of an imminent danger. This study conducted a fact-finding survey on whether employers fulfilled the right to suspend work in the workplace when an imminent danger, such as a typhoon, was encountered. Method: For two days from August 9 to October, when the impact of Typhoon Khanun No. 6 was significant, it was confirmed by wire whether or not the work suspension was carried out at the workplace, and the subjects of the survey were 1,649 construction sites, 830 manufacturing sites, and 278 other industries, for a total of 2,757 sites. Result: As a result of the fact-finding survey, 56% (1,555 locations) on August 9th and 77% (2,142 locations) on August 10th carried out full or partial work suspension. In particular, on August 10, when the typhoon landed, 40% of all workplaces completely stopped work. Conclusion: Through this study, it was confirmed that the right to suspend work by employers is being used in actual workplaces. In the future, when there is an imminent danger, in addition to the right to suspend work, flexible and telecommuting, working hour adjustments, etc. must be actively used to ensure the safety of workers and protect their lives.

• Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
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• v.34 no.1
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• pp.85-97
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• 2024

Objectives: This study was intended to investigate the revision status of the occupational exposure standards for aluminum at home and abroad; to investigate worker exposure at domestic aluminum manufacturing and handling workplaces; to conduct social and economic evaluation for the revision of domestic aluminum exposure limits. Methods: We investigated the current status of occupational exposure limits for aluminum at home and abroad, and analyzed supporting data. An exposure survey was conducted targeting domestic aluminum manufacturing and handling workplaces. Based on these, revised aluminum occupational exposure limits were proposed. Results: The major aluminum exposure limits at home and abroad show a notable difference. The toxicity of aluminum, which was revealed through animal experiments and epidemiological investigations. The average concentration of aluminum in the air at 12 workplaces was 0.016 mg/m³, and the maximum was 0.0776 mg/m³. When total dust and respiratory dust were measured side by side and simultaneously for the same process, 12.1% of the total mass concentration of aluminum dust was respiratory dust. As a result of measuring and comparing the size distribution of dust with an optical particle counter in real time, 48.1% of the total dust in the form of welding fume and pyro-powder was respiratory dust. Based on the literature review and workplace survey, three proposals for changing the aluminum exposure limit were proposed. Proposal (1): For all types, 10 mg/m³ is unified as the exposure limit except for soluble salts and alkyls. Proposal (2): 1(R) mg/m³ as the exposure limit for all forms except soluble salts and alkyl. Proposal (3): 1(R) mg/m³ for pyro-powder and welding fume, and 10 mg/m³ for metal dust, aluminum oxide, and insoluble compounds as exposure standards. A pyro-powder was defined as dry aluminum powder of 200 mesh size (74 ㎛) or smaller (larger size classified as metal dust). Reason for setting: In the workplace survey, the ratio of respiratory dust to total dust was analyzed to be about 1:10, so it was judged that the domestic standard and the ACGIH standard were compatible. Conclusions: In all scenarios according to the revision of the exposure standard, the B/C ratio was greater than 1 or only benefits existed, so it was evaluated as sufficiently reasonable as a result of the socio-economic evaluation.

• Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
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• v.34 no.1
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• pp.77-84
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• 2024

Objectives: Interventions promoting physical exercise and healthy habits in workplaces have been shown to be effective in reducing risk factors for metabolic syndrome. This study was conducted to examine the effects of an individualized conditioning exercise program of IT company office workers with or at higher risk of metabolic syndrome. Methods: A total of 444 IT company office workers with or at higher risk of metabolic syndrome participated in a 3-month conditioning exercise program. Body composition data using bioelectrical impedance analysis and cardiopulmonary data using cardiopulmonary exercise testing from 53 individuals (mean age: 34.8 ± 7.1 years, sex : 21% female, height : 170.4 ± 6.8 cm, weight : 75.2±12.2 kg, body mass index : 25.8±3.3 kg/m²) who have successfully completed pre-test, intervention, and post-test were analyzed. The 12 weeks intervention encompassed: (1) health counseling (2) supervised exercise(endurance-based, aerobic exercise, or circuit training once a week for 50 minutes at heart rate reserve(HRR) of 77-95%) (3) self-directed exercise and biweekly health screening checks. Results: The results indicated a significant decrease in body weight, body fat mass and body mass index, respectively. Moreover, VO₂peak, AT VO₂ and AT Time significantly improved, respectively. Resting blood pressure(SBP/DBP) showed positive changes but were not statistically significant. We observed the correlation between characteristics of participants and rate of changes in cardiopulmonary outcomes of participants, there are no significant correlation. These results indicate positive changes in body composition and cardiorespiratory fitness parameters following individualized conditioning exercise program. Conclusions: Individualized workplace exercise program for preventing metabolic syndrome can lead to improvements in body composition and cardiorespiratory fitness.

• Journal of the Korea Institute of Building Construction
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• v.24 no.1
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• pp.97-108
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• 2024

This research delves into the escalating concerns of accidents and fatalities in the construction industry over the recent five-year period, focusing on the development of a Safety Perception Model to augment safety measures. Given the rising percentage of elderly workers and the concurrent drop in productivity within the sector, there is a pronounced need for leveraging Fourth Industrial Revolution technologies to bolster safety protocols. The study comprises an in-depth analysis of statistical data regarding construction-related fatalities, aiming to shed light on prevailing safety challenges. Central to this investigation is the formulation of a Safety Perception Model tailored for small-scale construction projects. This model facilitates the quantification of safety risks by evaluating safety grades across construction sites. Utilizing the DWM1000 module, among an array of wireless communication technologies, the model enables the real-time tracking of worker locations and the assessment of safety levels on-site. Furthermore, the deployment of a safety management system allows for the evaluation of risk levels associated with individual workers. Aggregating these data points, the Safety Climate Index(SCLI) is calculated to depict the daily, weekly, and monthly safety climate of the site, thereby offering insights into the effectiveness of implemented safety measures and identifying areas for continuous improvement. This study is anticipated to significantly contribute to the systematic enhancement of safety and the prevention of accidents on construction sites, fostering an environment of improved productivity and strengthened safety culture through the application of the Safety Perception Model.

• Journal of the Computational Structural Engineering Institute of Korea
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• v.37 no.2
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• pp.77-84
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• 2024

In the fourth industrial-revolution era, the construction industry is transitioning from traditional methods to digital processes. This shift has been challenging owing to the industry's employment of diverse processes and extensive human resources, leading to a gradual adoption of digital technologies through trial and error. One critical area of focus is the safety management at construction sites, which is undergoing significant research and efforts towards digitization and automation. Despite these initiatives, recent statistics indicate a persistent occurrence of accidents and fatalities in construction sites. To address this issue, this study utilizes large-scale language-model artificial intelligence to analyze big data from a construction safety-management information network. The findings are integrated into on-site models, which incorporate real-time updates from detailed design models and are enriched with location information and spatial characteristics, for enhanced safety management. This research aims to develop a big-data-driven safety-management platform to bolster facility and worker safety by digitizing construction-site safety data. This platform can help prevent construction accidents and provide effective education for safety practices.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.17 no.8
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• pp.442-448
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• 2016

This study was conducted to determine the appropriateness of systemic radiation exposure control for students in clinical practice by comparing radiation exposure in radiography employees at different stations of a hospital with that of students conducting clinical practice using identical stations. Overall, 121 students who conducted clinical practice in the department of radiology area of C university hospital from July 2014 to August 2014 and 62 workers working in the same medical facility (47 in the department of radiology, 8 in the department of radiation oncology, 7 in the department of nuclear medicine) were investigated. The radiation exposure experienced by students was measured for 8 weeks, which is the duration of the clinical practice. Additionally, radiation exposure of workers were classified into 4 groups, department of radiology, department of radiation oncology, and department of nuclear medicine was compared. Dose was measured with OSLD and differences among groups were identified by ANOVA followed by Duncan's multiple range test. Among employees, those in the department of radiology, oncology and nuclear medicine were exposed depth doses of $0.127{\pm}0.331mSv$, $0.01{\pm}0.003mSv$, and $0.431{\pm}0.205mSv$, respectively, while students were exposed to $0.143{\pm}0.136mSv$. Additionally, workers in the department of radiology, oncology and nuclear medicine were exposed to surface doses of $0.131{\pm}0.331mSv$, $0.009{\pm}0.003mSv$, and $0.445{\pm}0.198mSv$, respectively, while students were exposed to $0.151{\pm}0.14mSv$, which was significantly different in both doses (p < 0.01). The average dose that students received is higher than that of the other groups (except for nuclear medicine workers), indicating that further improvements must be made in systemic controls for individual radiation exposure by including the students as subjects of management for protection from radiation.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.30 no.4 s.59
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• pp.764-778
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• 1997

To find the medical insurance utilization of workers when suffering from low back pain, an analysis was made toward the data of medical insurance benefits matched with the general characteristics of 10,183 workers, who were registered continuously from 1993 to 1995 at a medical insurance cooperation for industrial workers. The results were as follows; 1. The period prevalence of the medical insurance utilization for low back pain for 3 years from 1993 to 1995 was calculated as 17.1% for male workers and 19.4% for female workers. Most common cause of utilization was other dorsopathies including the herniation of lumbar discs. 2. The utilization rate increased significantly as the present age and the age joining the company got older(p<0.001). As the duration of employment got longer, the utilization rate of the male showed the tendency to increase and that of the female increased significantly(p<0.05). Among male workers employed at cement and concrete manufacturing companies showed higher utilization rate and among female laborers showed significantly higher utilization rate than clerical workers(p<0.01). 3. Annual utilization rate for low back pain didn't show any difference, but the portion of other dorsopathies among cause of utilization showed the tendency to increase from 1993 to 1995. 4. The mean number of claims for outpatient medical care for low back pain differed significantly by age, working duration, type of industries, income level(p<0.05), and the mean of total visiting days for care of low back pain differed significantly by working duration. In conclusion, considering the fact that the medical insurance utilization for low back pain increased annually and other dorsopathies including the herniation of dorsopathies were increasing, an effective preventive or management program for low back pain toward worker employed at industries were required.

• Journal of Korea Society of Industrial Information Systems
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• v.22 no.6
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• pp.47-59
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• 2017

Korean Economy has been developed by the Korean Government's Support for the Large-sized Firms. This Government Policy causes the Polarization between Large-sized and Micro-sized Firms Aggravated. Micro-sized Firms are distributed over the Whole Industry Area, and can also cause the Economic Crisis If They are crashed down. Therefore Government Policy for the Micro-sized Manufacturing Industry is very Important Issue. This Paper Focused on the Analysis of Current Status for the Shoes Micro Manufacturing Industry. For the Effective Analysis, This Paper uses the Statistical Data Open to the Public and also conducts the Survey for the Micro-sized Firms in Busan. Statistical Program is used for Analyzing the Collected Data and the Major Findings are as Follows. First, Shoes Industry is led by the Micro and Small & Medium sized Firms rather than the Large-sized. And the Micro-sized Firms are getting the High Rate among the Whole Shoes Industry. Busan is heavily populated Area as the Origin of Shoes Industry. Second, even though Most of the Owner of the Micro-sized Firms have the High Technology Skill Level, Worker's Aging Phenomenon gets Worse and causes the Technology Handing down to the Next Generation Difficult. Third, Because the Factory Facility of the Micro-sized Firms is Dirt and Unstable, the Modernized Manufacturing Infrastructure such as the Apartment Factory Facility is Necessary. Forth, as the Micro-sized Firms which have the Intangible Asset such as Patent is Few, the Government Policy for Encouraging the Patent Application is strongly Needed. Fifth, Entrepreneurship and Collaboration Mind between Micro-sized Firms are Lacked, so Establishment of the Cooperative Union is required. Finally, the Effort for the Systemic Planning for the Management is lacked, and the Introduction of the Management Innovation is strongly needed. The Limitation and Future Research Direction is also discussed.

• Journal of Korea Society of Industrial Information Systems
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• v.24 no.1
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• pp.45-63
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• 2019

The number of domestic construction company is expanding every year while the construction workers' exposure to disaster risk is increasing due to technological advancements and popularity of high-rise buildings. In particular, the industry faces greater fatalities and severe large scale accidents because of construction industry characteristics including influx of foreign workers with different language and culture, large number of aged workers, outsourcing, high place work, heavy machine construction. The construction industry is labor-intensive, which is to be completed under given timeline and consists of unique working environment with a lot of night shifts. In addition, when a fixed construction budget is not secured, there is less investment in safety management resulting in poor risk management at the construction site. Taking account that the construction industry has higher accident risk rate and fatality rate, risky and unique working environment, and various labor pool from foreign to aged workers, preemptive safety management through risk factor identification is a mandatory requirement for the construction industry and site. The study analyzes about 8,500 cases of construction accidents that occurred over the past 10 years and identified risk factor by construction industry sector to secure a systematic insight for risk management. Based on interrelation analysis between accident types, work types, original cause materials and assailing materials, there is correlation between each analysis factor and work industry. Especially for work types, there is great correlation between work tasks and industry type. For reinforced concrete and earthwork are among the most frequent types of accidents, and they are not only high in frequency of accidents, but also have a high risk in categories of occurrence.

• Korean Chemical Engineering Research
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• v.60 no.3
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• pp.334-346
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• 2022

There is a lack of knowledge and information on the understanding and application of the Process Safety Management (PSM) system, recognized as a major cause of industrial accidents in small-and medium-sized workplaces. Hence, it is necessary to prepare a protocol to secure the practical and continuous levels of implementation for PSM and eliminate human errors through tracking management. However, insufficient research has been conducted on this. Therefore, this study investigated and analyzed the various violations in the administrative measures, based on the regulations announced by the Ministry of Employment and Labor, in approximately 200 small-and medium-sized PSM workplaces with fewer than 300 employees across in korea. This study intended to contribute to the prevention of major industrial accidents by developing a facility maintenance web program that removed human errors in small-and medium-sized workplaces. The major results are summarized as follows. First, It accessed the web via a QR code on a smart device to check the equipment's specification search function, cause of failure, and photos for the convenience of accessing the program, which made it possible to make requests for the it inspection and maintenance in real time. Second, it linked the identification of the targets to be changed, risk assessment, worker training, and pre-operation inspection with the program, which allowed the administrator to track all the procedures from start to finish. Third, it made it possible to predict the life of the equipment and verify its reliability based on the data accumulated through the registration of the pictures for improvements, repairs, time required, cost, etc. after the work was completed. It is suggested that these research results will be helpful in the practical and systematic operation of small-and medium-sized PSM workplaces. In addition, it can be utilized in a useful manner for the development and dissemination of a facility maintenance web program when establishing future smart factories in small-and medium-sized PSM workplaces under the direction of the government.