• Research in Community and Public Health Nursing
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• v.29 no.1
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• pp.21-32
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• 2018

Purpose: This study attempted to identify regional disparities of self-rated health among Korean wage workers and to investigate the influencing factors on them. Methods: The study subjects were 25,069 workers in 16 regions who were extracted from the 2014 Korean Working Condition Survey (KWCS). A multilevel analysis was conducted by building hierarchical data at individual and regional level. Results: In this study, 'financial autonomy rate' and 'current smoking rate' were identified as regional factors influencing the workers' self-rated health. When the socio-demographic and occupational factors of the workers were controlled, 'current smoking rate', a health policy factor, explained the regional disparity of workers' health status. Conclusion: We found that the health status of workers can be affected by the health behavior level of the whole population in their residential area. In order to improve the health status of working population and to alleviate their regional health inequalities, it is necessary to strengthen macro and structural level interventions.

• Journal of the Korea Safety Management & Science
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• v.16 no.3
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• pp.257-266
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• 2014

This study was planned to investigate the effect of the exposure to hazard factors on work environment satisfaction. Existing researches about job satisfaction have focused on the general working conditions, such as working hours, wage, human relationship, job task and so on. Korean Working Conditions Survey was used for this study because that relevant questions were included. The effect of the exposure to hazard factors on work environment satisfaction may be produced by hierarchical regression analysis because of comparison with existing model for work environment satisfaction. The exposure to hazards factors were statistically significant effect on work environment satisfaction after adjusting other confounding variables, such as gender, age, educational level, job security, work hour, work load, work autonomy, social support, etc. This study has some limitation because that KWCS was cross sectional survey. Some researches about the causal effect and its mechanism may be suggested as future study.

• The Korean Journal of Health Service Management
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• v.14 no.1
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• pp.111-122
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• 2020

Objectives: The study aims to compare indirect form of employment with direct form of employment on the variables of occupational danger and physical health. Methods: I studied based on the data of 5th Korean Working Conditions Survey (KWCS) which was performed by Occupational Safety & Health Research Institute of Korea Occupational Safety and Health Agency in 2017. SAS 9.4 was used for statistical analysis of the final data. Results: Based on the verification result, the hazard is higher for direct employment than for dispatch or subcontract in case of exposure to risks in the health and social welfare industry. Based on cross tabulation, significant differences were found in the proportions of harmful and safe tasks in direct employment and those in outsourcing in the physical health industry. It was found that the risk of hazard is 2.18 times higher in outsourcing jobs than in direct employment. Conclusions: It is necessary to consider a dispatch and subcontract partner as a strategic partner and not simply hand over dangerous or hard tasks to them. Active and aggressive cooperation along with support from the employer enterprise built in the contract is necessary for the safety and health of dispatch or subcontract laborers.

• Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
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• v.32 no.4
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• pp.287-301
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• 2022

Objectives: This study compared the characteristics of the work environment between agricultural and general workers and analyzed the effects of agricultural working characteristics on work-related health problems. Methods: The participants of this study were 2,347 agricultural workers and 48,042 general workers who were selected by applying standardized weights to the raw data of 50,538 respondents from the 6th Korean Working Condition Survey (KWCS). Variables applicable to both worker groups and related to exposure to hazardous risk factors in the working environment, working hours and intensity of work, health problems and work-related status, and satisfaction with the work environment were selected. Chi-square tests and independent sample t-tests were performed to evaluate the differences in the variables between the two groups. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was conducted to analyze the effects of work environment characteristics on work-related health problems. Results: Compared to general workers, agricultural workers were more exposed to hazardous environments, irregular work patterns such as working on Saturday/Sunday, and short repetitive tasks. They reported more work-related and general health problems, including back pain, upper extremity muscle pain, lower extremity muscle pain, and general fatigue. Agricultural workers showed lower satisfaction with their work environment than general workers. Factors affecting one or more work-related health problems included gender, working years, hazardous factors, irregular work pattern, working hours, and labor intensity. Conclusions: Our findings showed that agricultural workers were relatively more vulnerable to safety issues compared to other occupational groups. Therefore, it is necessary to establish standardized safety and health standards and strengthen systematic safety and health management policies and services for agriculture.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.49 no.6
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• pp.372-379
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• 2023

Background: Laundry workers are known to be exposed to organic solvents in various works including dry cleaning. Long-term exposure to organic solvents may cause adverse health effects among laundry workers. Objectives: To investigate the association between exposure to organic solvents and symptom of headache or eyestrain among laundry workers. Methods: The subjects were total 267 laundry workers who participated in the 6th Korean Working Conditions Survey (KWCS). Responses to exposure to 'inhalation of vapor from organic solvent' was categorized into two (non-exposed: rarely or absolutely not exposed during working hours; exposed: ≥1/4 working hours) or three (non-exposed; low exposure: 1/4 of the working hours; high exposure: ≥1/2 working hours) groups. Logistic regression analysis was performed to evaluate the association between exposure to organic solvents and symptom of headache or eyestrain in the last 12 months among laundry workers. Odds ratios (ORs) and the 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated for experience of the symptom of headache or eyestrain with adjustment for age, sex, education, workplace size (by the number of workers), working hours per week, and current working period (year). Results: The proportions of exposure groups, i.e., non-exposed, low exposure, and high exposure, were 80.4%, 11.1%, and 8.5%, respectively. The proportion of those who had symptom of headache or eyestrain in the last 12 months was 18.7%. There was a significant association between exposure to organic solvents and experience of headache or eyestrain (OR=3.2, 95% CI=1.4~7.4). And, the proportion of those who experienced symptom of headache or eyestrain tended to increase significantly as the level of exposure to organic solvents increased (P_trend=0.002). Conclusions: Our results suggest that exposure to organic solvents are associated with symptom of headache or eystrain among laundry workers in Korea. However, further studies with more relevant design is needed to replicate the association.

• Annals of Occupational and Environmental Medicine
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• v.35
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• pp.9.1-9.10
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• 2023

Background: Studies conducted so far on the link between commute time and mental health among Koreans remain insufficient. In this study, we attempted to identify the relationship between commute time and subjective mental health using the 6^th Korean Working Conditions Survey (KWCS). Methods: Self-reported commute time was divided into four groups: ≤ 30 (group 1), 30-60 (group 2), 60-120 (group 3), and > 120 minutes (group 4). Subjective depression was defined as a score of 50 points or less on the WHO-5 well-being index. Subjective anxiety and fatigue were defined as answering 'yes' to the questionnaire on whether they had experienced it over the past year. The analysis of variance, t-test, and χ² test was used to analyze the differences among the characteristics of the study participants according to commute time, depression, anxiety, and fatigue. Odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for depression, anxiety, and fatigue according to commute time were calculated using multivariate logistic regression models adjusted for sex, age, monthly income, occupation, company size, weekly working hours, and shift work status. Results: Long commute times showed increased ORs and graded increasing trends for depression, anxiety, and fatigue. The ORs for depression increased significantly in group 2 (1.06 [1.01-1.11]), group 3 (1.23 [1.13-1.33]), and group 4 (1.31 [1.09-1.57]) compared to group 1 (reference). The ORs for anxiety increased significantly in group 2 (1.17 [1.06-1.29]), group 3 (1.43 [1.23-1.65]) and group 4 (1.89 [1.42-2.53]). The ORs for fatigue increased significantly in group 2 (1.09 [1.04-1.15]), group 3 (1.32 [1.21-1.43]), and group 4 (1.51 [1.25-1.82]). Conclusions: This study highlights that the risk of depression, anxiety, and fatigue increases with commute time.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing
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• v.39 no.4
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• pp.549-561
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• 2009

Purpose: Work-related stress and risk factors among Korean employees were identified in this study. Methods: Data were obtained from employees aged 20 to 64 using the Korean Working Conditions Survey 2006 (KWCS). Multiple logistic regression analysis using SAS version 9.1 was performed to examine risk factors of work-related stress by gender. Results: The age-adjusted prevalence of work-related stress among male and female employees was 18.4% and 15.1% respectively. After adjustments for multiple variables among both male and female employees, there was a significant relationship between work-related stress and risk factors including education, company size, work time, ergonomic risks, biological chemical risks, and job demands. The significant variables for male employees were housework load, occupational class, and shift work, and for female employees, type of employment. Conclusion: There is a need to develop and support intensive stress management programs nationally giving consideration to work-related stress associated with working time, physical working environment, and job demands. Based on gender specific approaches, for male employes, stress management programs should be developed with consideration being given to occupational class and shift work. For stress management programs for female employees, consideration needs to be given to permanent employment status, specifically those in small companies.

• Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
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• v.25 no.3
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• pp.418-427
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• 2015

Objectives: This study evaluated the association between work related characteristics and hypertension among white collar workers in Korea. Materials and methods: This study was based on the Third Korean Working Conditions Survey(KWCS) conducted in 2011 among workers 15 years of age or older. The total number of individuals included in the analysis was 10,365 white collar workers. Results: The prevalence rate of hypertension was 3.7% among men and 1.0% among women. In multiple logistic analysis the adjusted odds ratio showed statistically effective association to hypertension. For work related characteristics, 1.73 (95% confidence interval, 1.22-2.46) resulted for large-company workers compared with the small-company group, 2.14 (95% CI, 1.22-3.75) for the long working hours group (61 or above) compared with short working hours group(52 or below), 1.78(95% CI, 1.08-2.95) for night shift workers compared with day workers, and 1.54 (95% CI, 1.18-2.01) for high job stress workers compared with low job stress workers. Conclusions: This study showed that it is important for workers to manage their work environment in order to prevent hypertension by modifying their types of work.

• Journal of Labour Economics
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• v.39 no.1
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• pp.33-55
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• 2016

This paper examines the role of adverse working environments in the determination of workers' compensation in South Korean. I use the Third Korean Working Conditions Survey(2011), Occupational Safety and Health Research Institute that provide relevant variables in objective and subjective compensation and workers of diverse working environment. I find that risk factors in adverse working environments have a very minor role in the determination of individual wages. In contrast, adverse working environments have significant relationship with the level of compensation satisfaction. In addition, the results show that workers are more likely to receive compensation from psychological risk than physical risk. And women receive much more compensation in the psychological risk. These results provide useful information for improvement of working environments.

• Korean Journal of Occupational Health Nursing
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• v.26 no.2
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• pp.114-123
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• 2017

Purpose: This study aimed to explore personal as well as occupational factors and health status associated with work-life balance in Korean registered nurses. Methods: This study was a secondary data analysis using cross-sectional nationally representative data from the Korean Working Conditions Survey (KWCS) in 2014. Study participants included 450 registered nurses in South Korea. Descriptive analysis, Independent t-test, $x^2$ test, and Logistic regression analyses were performed using the SPSS 21.0 statistical program. Results: Work-life balance was reported in 70.6% individuals with 85.7% being male and 70.0% being female nurses. Logistic regression analysis revealed that being male good health state, having less than 40-hour working week, lower number of night duty, policy on flexible work arrangement were significant predictors of work-life balance. Conclusion: This study provided evidence that identify predictors of work-life balance in registered nurses in South Korea. Therefore, we need the actively support health care service promotion and prevention for work-life balance predictors.