• Journal of the Korean Society of Safety
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• v.25 no.4
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• pp.76-83
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• 2010

As one of crucial industries, the service industry occupies a large part of economy in Korea poor in natural resources. However, prevention of industrial disasters has been promoted mainly in manufacturing and construction industries where the frequencies of such disasters and victims are high. Research on the evaluation of workplace safety climate has been conducted centering on traditional industries like manufacturing and construction, and few studies have been made for service businesses. The objective of this study was to evaluate workplace safety climate perceived in the field by workers engaged in service businesses and to contribute to the establishment of industrial safety and health policies in consideration of the characteristics of each business category. Using research variables safety knowledge, safety attitude, safety motivation, safety participation, safety compliance, and safeness of work environment, we evaluated comprehensive workplace safety climate based on the causal relations among the variables. In the results of analyzing data from a questionnaire survey of service business employees, statistically significant effect relations among the variables were identified, and the fitness of the model with approved reliability and validity was verified.

• Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
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• v.23 no.4
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• pp.333-340
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• 2013

Objectives: This study was designed to establish an accurate analytical method for asbestos in a biological sample for determining occupational asbestos-related diseases and relief of the health effects of environmental asbestos. Methods: Biological samples were obtained from lungs of rats following intratracheal instillation of asbestos(Chrysotile, anthophyllite) and were prepared according to digestion method(Wet digestion, high temperature ashing, low temperature ashing). The samples were then analyzed for asbestos fibers using a transmission electron microscope equipped with an energy dispersive X-ray spectrometer. Results: Low temperature plasma ashing removed more of the organic components and reduced fiber loss compared to the wet digestion method, making specimens so prepared more suitable for transmission electron microsocpy. Conclusions: The low temperature ashing technique is the most accurate method for analyzing asbestos in biological samples.

• Journal of the Korea Safety Management & Science
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• v.16 no.3
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• pp.443-450
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• 2014

The industrial accident rate has been steadily decreased by making all efforts for the prevention of accidents after enacting Occupational Health and Safety Act in 1981. However, ordinary typed industrial accidents still occur in small and medium sized enterprises(SME). Timely Technical Guidance(TTG) project of Korea Occupational Safety & Heath Agency(KOSHA) for SME's was initiated to visit and provide the analysis and control of industrial accidents by the staffs of KOSHA as soon as possible after accidents occurred. This study is conducted to analyze the questionnaire survey for employers, workers and TTG personnel of KOSHA with being evaluated positively whether the demonstration project of TTG has been executed consistently. However, it is suggested that the understanding of TTG project and legal support are necessary for the establishments, and the development of a variety data and lots of available contents is necessary to increase satisfaction of the TTG project. The accident rate of SME's which are employed less than 50 workers is expected to be largely decreased with applying the control and improvement over this study with maintaining and developing TTG technology.

• Journal of the Korea Safety Management & Science
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• v.16 no.3
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• pp.45-54
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• 2014

The average injury rate in sawmilling industry for the last 5 years is 4.99%, which means that more than 200 injuries have occurred in that industry every year. Because the first step in risk assessment is the hazard identification, it is very important to know how to define the hazard and nature of harm. We analyzed 643 accident records of three years(2010-2012) and carried out site survey for the same cases. As a result, the most common types of work at the time of injury in sawmilling industry were removing jammed wood 81(12.8%), wood carrying task 52(8.1%), wood cutting 49(7.6%), travelling table log band saw 41(6.4%), maintenance 37(5.8%) etc. In addition, there were statistically significant differences in some analysis factors such as injured body parts, employment size, and handling material among different working places. Therefore, it is concluded that differentiated prevention efforts are necessary in each workplace.

• Journal of the Ergonomics Society of Korea
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• v.29 no.4
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• pp.405-422
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• 2010

Occupational musculoskeletal disorders currently account for the largest proportion of the occupational illnesses in Korea. In this research, status of musculoskeletal disorders among the occupational illnesses was examined through workers' compensation claims data. Types and characteristics of musculoskeletal disorders were looked at other data set as well. The data sets included epidemiological investigation data reported by Occupational Safety and Health Research Institute, and data collected from occupational disease surveillance reports and Korean occupational health-related scientific journals. Number of cases, incidence rate and insurance benefits for occupational musculoskeletal disorders in Korea are increasing every year. In addition, musculoskeletal disorders occurrence is shifted from large enterprises group to small-and-medium group, from manufacturing to service sector, and from production workers to office and professional workers. Although low back pain is still most common, its occurrence characteristics is gradually shifted from traumatic to cumulative while musculoskeletal disorders are somewhat seemingly moved from lumbar to upper limb body part. Musculoskeletal disorders were observed to be more diverse and prevalent in epidemiological investigations or surveillance data rather in workers' compensation claims data. Musculoskeletal disorders occurrence is related to demographic factors, occupational psychosocial factors, and ergonomic risk factors at workplace for which appropriate preventive measures needed to be made accordingly.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.10 no.4
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• pp.409-419
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• 2019

Although the rare earth elements (REEs) recycling industry is expected to increase worldwide in hightech industry, regulations for worker safety have yet to be established. This study was conducted to understand the potential hazard/risk of REE recycling and to support the establishment of regulations or standards. We review the extensive literature on the toxicology, occupational safety, and health issues, and epidemiological surveys related to the REEs, and propose suitable management measures. REE recycling has four key steps such as collection, dismantling, separation, and processing. In these processes, hazardous substances, such as REEs-containing dust, metals, and chemicals, were used or occurred, including the risk of ignition and explosion, and the workers can be easily exposed to them. In addition, skin irritation and toxicities for respiratory, nervous, and cardiovascular systems with the liver toxicity were reported; however, more supplementary data are needed, owing to incompleteness. Therefore, monitoring systems concerning health, environmental impacts, and safety need to be established, based on additional research studies. It is also necessary to develop innovative and environment-friendly recycling technologies, analytical methods, and biomarkers with government support. Through these efforts, the occupational safety and health status will be improved, along with the establishment of advanced REE recycling industry.

• Journal of the Korea Safety Management & Science
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.9-20
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• 2013

OSHA(Occupational Safety and Health Act) generally regulates employer's business principles in the workplace to maintain safety environment. This act has the fundamental purpose to protect employee's safety and health in the workplace by reducing industrial accidents. Authors tried to investigate the correlation between 'occupational injuries and illnesses' and level of regulation compliance using Survey on Current Status of Occupational Safety & Health data by the various statistical methods, such as generalized regression analysis, logistic regression analysis and poison regression analysis in order to compare the results of those methods. The results have shown that the significant affecting compliance factors were different among those statistical methods. This means that specific interpretation should be considered based on each statistical method. In the future, relevant statistical technique will be developed considering the distribution type of occupational injuries.

• Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
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• v.24 no.3
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• pp.393-403
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• 2014

Objectives: Korean Occupational Safety and Health Agency(KOSHA) intended to provide guidance to respirator program administrators on respirator selection. The purpose of this project is to suggest a preliminary respirator selection guide(PRSG) for the final guidance certified by KOSHA for the correct selection of respirators in the workplace. Materials: This PRSG was made on the based of current status of respirator usage including respirators available in Korea, foreign documents search and so on. PRSG was partially modified NIOSH pocket guide to chemical hazards, 3M Respirator Protection Resource Guide(RPRG) and OSHA Assigned Protection Factor(APF) rulemaking. Results: Respirators for chemicals having Korean Occupational Exposure Limits(KOELs) can be recommended in PRSG. For the others chemicals that have no KOELs, PRSG tells you what respirators you can select, using a simple step-by-step approach after health hazard assessment like HSE procedure. Conclusions: PRSG helps you to decide the right level of protection for a given hazardous substance and how to select the right respirators. PRSG is thus expected to reduce significant misuses of respirators for the work environment.

• Proceedings of the Korea Institute of Fire Science and Engineering Conference
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• 2011.11a
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• pp.466-469
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• 2011

Acrylic Polymer는 충격보강재 및 가공조제 등의 용도로 다양한 산업현장에서 사용되어지고 있는데, 본 제품 제조회사에서 고객사로 제품 납품 후 원료 투입 중 분진폭발이 발생하여 본 위험성평가를 의뢰하였다. 분진의 위험 특성에 대한 분석은 일반적으로 퇴적분진(Dust Layers)와 부유분진(Dust Clouds)으로 구별되어진다. 본 연구에서는 스위스 Kuhner사에서 제작된 분진폭발장치를 이용하여 아크릴 부유분진의 화재.폭발위험성에 대하여 고찰하였다. Acrylic Polymer 부유분진의 폭발위험성은 최대폭발압력 약 6bar, 최대폭발압력상승속도 67 bar/s, Kst 값은 $18m{\cdot}bar/s$로 폭발등급으로 구분하면 St1 [0$bar{\cdot}m/s$]으로 분류되어 "폭발에 의한 위험성이 낮은 분진"에 속하며, 최소점화에너지(MIE)는 300 mJ < MIE < 1,000 mJ로 Normal Sensitivity로서 정전기와 같은 점화원 제거만으로도 어느 정도 충분히 폭발 등을 방지 할 수 있을 것으로 판단된다.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Gas
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• v.20 no.4
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• pp.15-24
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• 2016

In the semiconductor industry, the risk of chemical accidents due to miscibility between the many types of chemicals and leakage of toxic chemicals has increased. In order to evaluate the reactivity with miscibility of chemicals, experimental method is the most reliable, but there is a time and cost limitations to be evaluated through experiment all the chemicals. In the study, the reactivity of process gases in the semiconductor industry was considered by the CRW (Chemical Reactivity Worksheets) 3.0 program developed by US NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) and EPA. The reactivity informations with the miscibility of process gases for semiconductor industry provided, and also a KOSHA guide for the storage/separation of gas cylinders in dispensing cabinets in the semiconductor industry was proposed.