• Korean Journal of Social Welfare
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• v.68 no.4
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• pp.97-118
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• 2016

The primary goal of this study was to investigate factors affecting job satisfaction of injured workers who returned to work. There are two types of injured workers' returning to work returning to pre-injury job and getting a new job. After separating the two types of workers we conducted the multiple regression analysis on the data from the Workers'Compensation Insurance Panel of the Korea Workers' Compensation and Welfare Service Corporation(2014). The sample consisted of 1,333 occupationally injured workers who were finished with medical treatment(693 workers returned to previous work place, and 640 workers found new work places). Main results are as follows. First, injured workers who got new jobs were vulnerable to sustainability to job, work status, average monthly wage as well as job satisfaction compared with injured workers who returned to pre-injury job. Second, gender, educational level, skill fitness, average monthly wage, welfare benefits, family income/leisure life/residential environment/social relation satisfaction, and maintenance of relation with business owner during medical care were related to job satisfaction of injured workers who returned to pre-injury job. Third, gender, work status, skill fitness, continuous work possibility, average monthly wage, family income/leisure life/social relation satisfaction, substitute worker for assigned task during medical care and maintenance of relation with business owner during medical care affected on job satisfaction of injured workers who got new jobs. Based on these findings implications for policy and interventions were discussed in regards to job satisfaction of injured workers.

• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.258-268
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• 2017

The purpose of this research was to examine the factors affecting motivation for change of injured workers. Data from 305 injured workers were anlayzed using hierarchical regression Factors associated with injured workers' motivation for change were: multiple psychological security, acceptability of injury, and independence at personal level, family support at family level, and perceptive severity of injury, job, and return to job.

• Korean Journal of Social Welfare
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• v.69 no.3
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• pp.193-212
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• 2017

This study is purposed to explain the characteristics of injured workers' labor market situation and to analyze the factors influencing labor market transition of those workers. Using the Worker's Compensation Insurance Panel Data ver.1~3 which was surveyed by the Korean Workers' Compensation & Welfare Service in 2013-2015, this study analyzed 1,668 injured worker cases. The study shows that workers who have experience job retention at least once are 36.8% of all, 51.5% of them have experienced re-employment, and 36.9% have done unemployment. One result of the longitudinal analysis is that socio-demographic factors including gender, age, education years, convalescence period, ability on job performance, company size, term of service, temporary employment, daily-workers status before job accident and job training were associated with return to pre-injury job. The other result is that statistically significant factors affecting the probability to be the unemployed are gender, age, levels of disability, convalescence, ability on job performance, term of service before job accident, job rehabilitation service utilization. These findings indicate that we need to develop efficient intervention programs for supporting return-to-work and labor market transition of injured workers.

• Korean Journal of Social Welfare Studies
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• v.45 no.2
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• pp.123-146
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• 2014

This study aims to investigate the employment duration and the probability of quitting the job at first return-to-work of injured workers. This study collected data with structured questionnaires and finally included 515 injured workers. The Kaplan-Meier method is used for describing the employment duration, and the Cox regression is used to identify significant factors on the probability of quitting the job at first return-to-work. The results show that among the all respondents, the 5.65% quitted the job within 1 month, 14.14% within 3 months, 23.7% within 6 months, and 32.81% within 1 years. The Cox regression results show that the probability of quitting the job at first return-to-work is significantly affected by age, marital status, education, employment period when happened the accident, job retention, income change, and classification of diseases. As a result, some implication and policies are suggested for the return-to-work and employment durability of injured workers.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.15 no.12
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• pp.7093-7100
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• 2014

This study analyzed the factors related to labor market transition of job injured workers. The Workers' Compensation Insurance Panel data ver.1, which that was surveyed by the Korean Workers' Compensation & Welfare Service in 2013, was used. Four key findings were made: first, the economically inactive populations are 7.2% and unemployed is 22.3% of occupational accident workers who finished the treatment period; second, 31.5% of laborers who returned to a new workplace went into another type of occupation; third, the results showed that socio-demographic factors, such as gender, age and education years, injury-related factors, such as the treatment period and work limitation, and workplace factors, such as company size and employment status, were associated with the return to work; and fourth, a relatively higher proportion of people who has received occupational training could not return to work and the disability grade was not associated with the return to work. These results suggest that policy makers need to understand the characteristics of labor market transition of job injured workers and develop efficient intervention programs based on the transitional labor market.

• Korean Journal of Social Welfare Studies
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• v.48 no.4
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• pp.221-249
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• 2017

This study aims to investigate determinants that affect job retention of injured workers depending upon types of return to work in order to suggest define the intervention priority for those who returned to original works and for those who did not. After constructing explaining variables based on literature reviews, determinants were verified analyzing 1,292 people using Panel Study of Worker's Compensation Insurance(PSWCI) data. The job retention period turned out to be 46.6 months for those who returned to original work and 34.2 month for those who returned to new works. Injured workers who return to new works tend to have more unemployment experiences. As a result of Cox proportional regression analysis, the longer it takes to return to work, the longer both groups tend to retain after the accident. Age, recuperation period, health status, psycho-social rehabilitation, education and occupational training also affect on job retention probability for those who return to new work. Based upon the analyzed result, setting up an adequate duration for return-to-work, intervention for injured workers who experienced vulnerable working condition before the accident and continuous case management after return-to-work are suggested.

• Physical Therapy Korea
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• v.23 no.4
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• pp.71-80
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• 2016

Background: Functional capacity evaluations (FCEs) are designed to systematically assess the capacity to perform work-related tasks and to determine worker's ability to return to the previous job following work-related injuries. These evaluations may be rated either by clinician or worker. There has been a lack of consensus between the two scoring methods. Objects: This study aimed: 1) to confirm if the data are fit to the Rasch rating scale model and 2) to investigate the item-level concordance rate between the ratings of clinician and injured worker of the FCE. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted with a sample (n=124) of a rehabilitation program with the Occupational Rehabilitation Data Base for workers with low back pain. The functional capacity evaluation at admission and discharge was administered to clinicians and workers. The data were analyzed using both classical test theory-based Pearson's r and intra-class coefficient followed by item-level analysis with Rasch rating scale model. Results: All items of the FCE, except sitting items rated by clinician at admission and handling items rated by both clinician and worker throughout admission and discharge, were acceptable fit statistics with minor out of ranges for a misfit criterion. This may indicate that the items of the FCE overall fit to the Rasch rating scale model. Few problematic items responding differently to clinician and worker both at admission and discharge were detected with the differential item functioning analysis despite the excellent concordance rate using the two conventional statistics-sitting and handling items at admission and handling item at discharge. Conclusion: The item-level speculations using Rasch analysis of the FCE demonstrate that the ratings of clinician and self ratings of worker were psychometrically acceptable though there was an apparent discrepancy between the raters both at admission and discharge.

• Physical Therapy Korea
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• v.19 no.3
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• pp.91-97
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• 2012

The primary aim of this study was to compare responsiveness of self-report by worker and therapist-scored functional capacity instrument. Self-report and therapist-scored interval-level person measures and item difficulties were compared at admission and discharge. Therapist and worker ratings were collected on 230 clients from 27 rehabilitation sites using the newly developed Occupational Rehabilitation Data Base (ORDB) functional capacity instrument. ORDB comprises several subscales measuring relevant variables of "a return-to-work model" in work-related rehabilitation clinics. The functional capacity scale deals with 10 DOT job factors. The rating scale categories were 1-severely impaired, 2-moderately impaired, 3-mildly impaired, and 4-not impaired. Only data from clients with low back pain (n=98) with complete data (both admission and discharge scores) were used for the present study. Therapists and workers completed the functional capacity instrument at admission and discharge. Rasch analysis [1-parameter item response theory model (IRT)] was applied to calibrate item difficulty and person ability measure of therapist and workers ratings. Effect sizes for therapist and self-report ratings were slightly different, .69 and .30, respectively. Therapist and worker ratings were more consistent at discharge (r=.54) than at admission (r=.32). Workers have a tendency to be more severe in their ratings (show higher item difficulties) than therapists at admission and discharge. Therapists and workers report similar magnitudes of improvement following treatment program. These findings challenge the belief that injured workers may unreliable source for monitoring therapeutic outcomes. Self-report measures have the advantage of conserving therapist time for treatment (versus evaluation). While the therapist and self-report ratings are comparable at discharge, there is less consistency at admission. Comparable therapist-worker ratings may be achieved by controlling for rating severity using IRT methodologies.

• Korean Journal of Occupational Health Nursing
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.126-137
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• 2008

Purpose : The purpose of this study was to investigate the difference in gender related to health status, occupational environment, occupational safety and health and hazardous chemicals use of migrant workers in Korea. Method: The survey was conducted in clinics that provided free healthcare services for migrant workers. Of the 413 respondents, 66.3% were males and 33.7% were females. Result: In the case of male migrant workers, many worker were not fluent in Korean, had illegal status in the country, and had moved jobs frequently. There were many cases in which migrant workers worked in small-scale enterprises and worked long hours. Job stress score was high for many workers and they dealt with heavy materials and risky machines. Many workers had not received proper occupational health and safety education and those that were previously injured had repeated injuries. Among the female migrant workers, many worker received low salary and shift work was common. Many worker complained of gastrointestinal and musculoskeletal illnesses and treated toxic substances. Conclusion: As a result, it will be necessary to focus on the strategies for decreasing occupational injuries from physical risk factors for males and from chemical risk factors for female migrant workers.

• International conference on construction engineering and project management
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• 2022.06a
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• pp.1242-1242
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• 2022

Annually, several construction workers fall ill, are injured, or die due to heat-related exposure. The prevalence of work-related heat illness may rise and become an issue for workers operating in temperate climates, given the increase in frequency and intensity of heatwaves in the US. An increase in temperature negatively impacts physical exertion levels and mental state, thereby increasing the potential of accidents on the job site. To reduce the impact of heat stress on workers, it is critical to develop and implement measures for monitoring physical exertion levels and mental state in hot conditions. For this, limited studies have evaluated the utility of wearable biosensors in measuring physical exertion and mental workload in hot conditions. In addition, most studies focus solely on male participants, with little to no reference to female workers who may be exposed to greater heat stress risk. Therefore, this study aims to develop a process for objective and continuous assessment of worker physical exertion and mental workload using wearable biosensors. Physiological data were collected from eight (four male and four female) participants performing a simulated drilling task at 92oF and about 50% humidity level. After removing signal artifacts from the data using multiple filtering processes, the data was compared to a perceived muscle exertion scale and mental workload scale. Results indicate that biosensors' features can effectively detect the change in worker physical and mental state in hot conditions. Therefore, wearable biosensors provide a feasible and effective opportunity to continuously assess worker physical exertion and mental workload.