• Korean Journal of Clinical Laboratory Science
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• v.40 no.1
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• pp.26-30
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• 2008

We determined the concentration of glucose, cholesterol, AST and ALT in sera of man workers (n=3,247) had health check-up at hospitls in Jeonbuk area. The mean of concentration of glucose, cholesterol and AST of all workers were increased by 0.1%, 14.9% and 33.0% over than the mean of reference, but the mean of ALT was decreased by 0.8% from it. The rate of workers showed abnormal value of glucose, cholesterol, AST and ALT were 9.7%, 25.4%, 23.7% and 5.5%, respectively. The mean of glucose, cholesterol and AST in each age group were increased over than reference, but the mean of ALT was decreased except in fifties. The rate of the workers in each age group showed an abnormal concentration of glucose, cholesterol, AST and ALT were in 5.6~6.7%, 14.9~31.1%, 20.4~29.2% and 5.2~6.0%, respectively. These data suggest that many workers in Jeonbuk area are opened in possibility of getting diabetes, liver disease and heart disease.

• Korean Journal of Hazardous Materials
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• v.6 no.2
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• pp.87-94
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• 2018

The study is aimed to analyze the MSDS awareness as per the properties, including general characteristics, of laboratory workers in university. It conducted the self-administered survey on the subject of 780 laboratory workers engaging in research activities in three university from February to May, 2017. Among them, it analyzed 686 cases except 94 of them, lacking content. As a result, education experience of MSDS, necessity of education, usage experience of MSDS, installation, comprehension, and accessibility showed a strategically significant difference in the recognition of MSDS. According to the categorical importance of MSDS, "the first aid measures" directly related to life was most significantly considered. It is estimated that it will contribute to prevention of safety accident by strengthening education on MSDS and increasing the level of awareness for laboratory workers.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.13 no.2
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• pp.155-162
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• 2022

Background: Workers are exposed to several risks in academic laboratories due to the presence of potentially hazardous substances. The main objective of this study was to assess the prevalence of accident occurrence and associated risk factors among laboratory workers at the scientific laboratories of the public university in Lebanon and the impact of safety measures training and availability. Methods: In this observational study, a survey was conducted for one year in scientific laboratories at faculties of the public university. Results: Among the participants (N = 220), 45.0% have had accidents; the main cause was exposure to chemicals (73.7%) and more specifically by inhalation (45.4%). Females (85.9%) were more exposed to accidents than males. Laboratory workers with a master's degree, a full-time schedule, and more than ten years of experience were significantly more exposed to accidents (p < 0.05). A significant association was found between accident occurrence and training on management of hazardous products (p = 0.044), risks related to workplace (p = 0.030), eyewash and emergency shower (p < 0.001), first aid (p = 0.012), and facial protection availability (p = 0.019). In spite of the lack of safety culture and efficient training on laboratory safety, participants have shown a very good perception regarding safety measures to be applied in case of work accidents. Conclusion: Based on our findings, the prevalence of accident occurrence is elevated among lab workers at the public university. The impact of regular training on laboratory safety preventive measures is of great importance to ensure the efficiency of occupational health and safety in scientific laboratories.

• Korean Journal of Community Nutrition
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• v.24 no.3
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• pp.245-256
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• 2019

Objectives: Although the number of laboratory workers is constantly increasing every year, few studies have been conducted on the health and nutritional status of these research workers. This study determined the health status of laboratory workers by analyzing their anthropometric indices, dietary life, vitamin D status and blood clinical indices. Methods: The subjects consisted of 100 female laboratory workers. This study investigated their diet, anthropometric indices, vitamin D status and blood clinical indices. The subjects were divided into two groups according to their duration of working in a laboratory (<1 year, $${\geq}_-1year$$). Results: The average age and body mass index (BMI) of subjects were 23.18 years and $21.51kg/m^2$, respectively Those subjects with over 1 year employment ($${\geq}_-1year$$) had a significantly higher waist-hip ratio than that of the subjects with the less than 1 year employment (<1 year). The mean serum vitamin D level of all the subjects was 10.04 ng/mL, which is close to a level of vitamin D deficiency. There was a significantly higher average intake of calories in the over 1 year employment group as compared to that of the less than 1 year employment group. The frequency of eating sweet snacks was significantly higher for the over 1 year employment group. The correlation analysis showed a significant positive correlation between the serum 25-(OH)-vitamin D level and the time of exposure to sunlight, while dietary intake of vitamin D did not show correlation with the serum 25-(OH)-vitamin D level. However, the serum 25-(OH)-vitamin D level was also negatively correlated with both the percentage of body fat and visceral fat. Conclusions: Laboratory workers are a very high risk group in terms of their nutritional status of vitamin D. Therefore, they need greater time of exposure to sunlight as well as increasing their dietary consumption of vitamin D. In addition, it is important for laboratory worker to practice regular and balanced dietary habits in order to maintain a healthy life.

• Journal of the Korea Safety Management & Science
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• v.6 no.4
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• pp.47-59
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• 2004

Safety in the laboratory has been a growing interest due to recent recurrences of the fatal accidents such as physical or chemical explosions. It is not easy to determine the extent to what the industrial safety and health law should be applicable to the laboratory. Most laboratory workers are not sufficiently trained and recognized for the generic features of safety and health. The actual conditions of safety and health in the laboratory are not familar with laboratory workers. Safety and health in the laboratory is unfortunately in the dead ground. Therefore, it is most imperative to secure safety in the laboratory. This study proposes a method to improve safety in the laboratory.

• Proceedings of the Safety Management and Science Conference
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• 2004.11a
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• pp.289-299
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• 2004

Safety in the laboratory has been a growing interest due to recent recurrences of the fatal accidents such as physical or chemical explosions. It is not easy to determine, to what extents the industrial safety and health law should apply the laboratory. Most laboratory workers are not sufficiently trained and recognized for the generic features of safety and health. The actual conditions of safety and health in the laboratory are not appropriate for laboratory workers. Safety and health in the laboratory is unfortunately in the dead ground. Therefore, it is most imperative to secure safety in the laboratory. This study proposes a method to improve safety in the laboratory.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.36 no.6
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• pp.441-455
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• 2010

Researchers who work in science and engineering R&D laboratories are commonly exposed to a wide range of chemical, biological and physical hazards. They also may adopt ergonomically poor postures for long periods of time. These factors may increase the risk of adverse health outcomes in laboratory workers. Recently, there were several fatal accidents in the laboratories in universities and research institutes in Korea. Consequently, the 'Laboratory Safety Act' was enacted in 2006. However, there are concerns about the health risk associated with chronic exposures to hazards, as the management measures provided in this Act are very limited, focusing primarily on accident prevention and compensation for lab work-related accidents. In this article, the methods for assessing exposure to chemicals in laboratory environments are discussed. Also, epidemiological studies examining the association between laboratory exposure and health effects, including cancer and reproductive toxicity are extensively reviewed. Finally, the possible roles of environmental health professionals in this area are suggested, along with a list of critical research needs for properly assessing laboratory workers' exposure and risk.

• Journal of Wellbeing Management and Applied Psychology
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• v.6 no.3
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• pp.25-32
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• 2023

Purpose: This study is to improve awareness of MSDS in order to prevent university accidents and protect university laboratory workers. In order to improve awareness, measures to increase accessibility through auxiliary means (warning signs, One Page Sheet MSDS, etc) and ways to strengthen safety training (improvement and strengthen MSDS training). Research design, data and methodology: A questionnaire survey was adopted as a research method for this study. Question items were selected, modified, and supplemented by referring to the previous paper. Results: As a result of the survey, MSDS found that it was difficult to find the information they wanted and that there were many technical terms and limitations in using it. In addition, MSDS training is underway, but few university laboratory workers felt that training was helping. This shows that the effectiveness of training is virtually insignificant. Therefore, it seems that improvement measures are needed to solve this. Conclusions: One Sheet MSDS, an effective way for university laboratory workers to communicate information, and MSDS information should be provided with warning signs with large phrases and good visibility. In addition, this study proposes a One Sheet MSDS that prioritizes important MSDS items over all items in the MSDS, and in the field of education, several improvements are proposed, such as "To prevent problems and answers from being shared on the Internet" and "To improve the difficulty of checking the online curriculum".

• Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
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• v.29 no.1
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• pp.1-12
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• 2019

Objective: Significant concerns have been raised over chemical exposure and potential health risks such as increased cancer mortality among laboratory workers. The aim of this study was to investigate the overall exposure and unit task exposure levels of researchers in organic synthesis laboratories at universities. Methods: Seventy-seven personal Time-weighted average(TWA) samples and 139 task-based samples from four organic synthesis laboratories at two universities were collected over three days. The concentrations of acetone, chloroform, dichloromethane(DCM), diethyl ether, ethyl acetate, n-hexane, tetrahydrofuran(THF), benzene, toluene, and xylene were determined using the GC-FID. Results: The most frequently used chemicals in the laboratories were acetone, DCM, n-hexane, methanol, and THF. Carcinogens such as benzene, chloroform, and DCM were used in one or more laboratories. The TWA full-shift exposures of researchers to acetone was the highest(ND-59.3 ppm). Benzene was observed above the occupational exposure limit in 18-40% of the samples. The levels of exposure to organic solvents were statistically different by task(p<0.05), while washing task was the highest. Washing was not perceived as a part of the real lab tasks. Rather it was considered as simple dish-washing or experimental preparation and performed in an open sink where exposure to organic solvents was unavoidable. TWAs and task-based concentrations were compared by substance, which suggests that TWA-based assessment could not reflect short-term and high concentration exposures. Conclusions: Laboratory workers may be exposed to various organic solvents at levels of concern. TWA-based measurement alone cannot guarantee holistic exposure assessment among lab workers as their exposures are very dependent on their tasks. Further investigation and characterization for specific tasks and overall chronic exposures will help protect lab workers from unnecessary exposure to chemicals while they perform research.

• Korean Journal of Clinical Laboratory Science
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• v.44 no.1
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• pp.1-6
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• 2012

Hepatitis A virus (HAV) is an epidemiologically important virus with a worldwide distribution. It causes acute hepatitis in humans. HAV infection is often subclinical or asymptomatic in children; however, symptomatic acute infections become more common with age. In this study, we investigated the prevalence of anti-HAV among hospital workers in Jeonbuk province. 447 (127 males, 320 females) persons were included in the study from January to June, 2011. Anti-HAV (total and IgM) in the sample serum was measured by VIDAS Hepatitis A (bioMerieux, France), and IgM positive samples were tested in terms of their serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT) levels by a HITACHI 7600-010 automatic analyzer (HITACHI, Japan). The overall prevalence of total anti-HAV was 45.9% (205/447), and rate for males (60.6%) was higher than that for females (40%). According to the age group, the prevalence rates of total anti-HAV were 20% (1/5) in those under 20 years old, 11.3% (18/160) in those 20-29 years, 49.7% (71/143) in those 30-39 years, 86.5% (83/96) in those 40-49 years, 92.9% (26/28) in those 50-59 years, and 40% (6/15) in those over 60 years old. The total prevalence of anti-HAV IgM was 0.8% (4/447), and rate for males (1.6%) was higher than that for females (0.6%). Through this study, we determined the prevalence of anti-HAV among hospital workers in Jeonbuk province. The prevalence of the HAV antibody overall was low in hospital workers under 40 years old and in those over 60 years old. Therefore, an improvement in sanitary conditions and hygiene and vaccinations against HAV in this population are recommended.