• Journal of the Ergonomics Society of Korea
• /
• v.25 no.2
• /
• pp.181-186
• /
• 2006

MSDs(Musculoskeletal Disorders) symptoms related to infants-rearing was evaluated on 207 Korean caregivers who taking care of their infants under 36 months on January and February 2005. In Result, 77 percentages caregivers suffered from MSDs symptoms that occurred more than one time for 1 month during the last one year or last for more than one week (by NIOSH). This results shows that MSDs problems of Korean infants caregivers are very serious. Body parts complained of MSDs symptoms were low back(61%), shoulder(60%), hand/wrist(46%), neck(37%), upper back(35%). Parenting stress of the caregivers who had MSDs symptoms was significantly higher than who didn't showed MSDs symptoms.

• Journal of the Korea Safety Management & Science
• /
• v.18 no.1
• /
• pp.119-129
• /
• 2016

This study analyzed symptoms of MSDs(Musculokeletal Disorders) associated with characteristics of smartphone usage based on questionnaire survey. This study also tried to identify their relationship based on the results from questionnaire survey. A total of 943 subjects participated for the survey. The results in terms of symptoms associated with smartphone usage were as follows; 1) 49.8% of respondents experienced symptoms associated with MSDs, 2) 35.9%, 34.0%, 22.1%, 21.7% and 20.9% of respondents had symptoms at shoulder, neck, elbow, wrist, and fingers respectively, 3) The effect of 'daily time of data use', 'monthly costs' for MSDs of respondents was significant. Specifically, this study has some significance since it tries to identify the relationship between MSDs symptoms and characteristics of smartphone usage. The results of the study can be good basis for better design and user guidelines of smartphone to prevent MSDs associated with smartphone usage.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Safety
• /
• v.27 no.4
• /
• pp.101-107
• /
• 2012

The statistics of industrial accident reported by ministry of Employment and Labor denoted a significant increase of musculoskeletal disorders(MSDs) after 1993, and showed the higher incident rate by 71.3% over the overall worker's disorders. Also, it was expected that Korean society will become the post-aged society in 2026 with 20.8% of elderly who is over 65 years old. The reports suggest possible problems caused by the older worker known to have reduced working ability than the young counterparts. On this basis, the goal of this study was to investigate the relationship between MSDs symptoms and work ability in the shipbuilding industry. To achieve this goal, this study distributed a questionnaire for total 1,244 shipbuilding employers, and used 910 employers' reports which revealed validity for this study. The questionnaire included the MSDs symptoms report developed by the Korean Occupational Safety and Health Association(KOSHA) and the work ability index(WAI) developed by Finnish Institute of Occupational Health(FIOH). Results showed no relationship between MSDs symptoms and age, years of work and exercise. Also, the work ability was increased until 44 years old, but it was decreased after that time because of the reduced physical capacity. Meanwhile, the years of work and exercise have positive correlation with work ability. However, the results revealed significant relationships between WAI and age, years of work, task characteristics and exercise. All together, the MSDs symptoms have a close relationship with the work ability in that the work ability of workers with the MSDs symptoms was reduced. This study may suggest the needs of more efforts and attention on the MSDs prevention to increase the work ability.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Safety
• /
• v.20 no.3 s.71
• /
• pp.202-211
• /
• 2005

Musculoskeletal Disorders(MSDs) have been a growing problems with higher incidence rate every year. The 65% of all work-related diseases in the US has been MSDs since the middle of the 90s according to BLS(Bureau of Labor Statistics, 1995). The MSDs in Korea has been increased in recent 10 years as well. This study has tried to focus on job stress associated with MSDs that has not been usually studied before. Specifically job stress of workers at automobile manufacturing industry and relationship between job stress and symptoms of MSDs have been major concerns in this study. The workers had higher stress with longer working experience, longer working hours, and worse working environment. The job stress had strong association with the symptoms at hand, wrist and low back. Specifically, job stress factors such as job requirement and job future ambiguity had more effects on the symptoms of MSDs.

• Journal of Agricultural Extension & Community Development
• /
• v.18 no.4
• /
• pp.861-877
• /
• 2011

The purpose of this study is to survey job stress and Musculoskeletal Disorder(MSDs) of workers in small plants with agricultural products. The subjects were comprised of 69 workers participated in "Helping the rural women to get the small businesses" project. The questionnaire surveys were Korean Occupational Stress Scale(KOSS), and Legal Risk Assessment of Musculoskeletal Disorders(KOSHA CODE H-30-2003). As a result of the survey, scores of KOSS 8 sub-items except for job demand were similar to that of Korea workers. Prevalence of MSDs symptoms of small plants workers was high percent (44.9%). And the rate according to kinds of product was significant difference at neck (p<0.01), lumbar (p<0.01), and leg (p<0.01). There was no significant difference between view person sign of MSDs and non MSDs according to sex, year, the number of workers, working years, working time per one day, rest time per one day, and subjective working intensity, but there were significant difference between high stress group and low stress group about MSDs at interpersonal conflict(p<0.05). Job stress and MSDs were important factor to workers of small plants producted agricultural products. Therefore, starting a business with small plats, workers consider interpersonal conflict and body part showing MSDs.

• Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
• /
• v.16 no.3
• /
• pp.264-275
• /
• 2006

MSDs(Musculoskeletal Disorders) and Job Stress have been recognized as one of major problems in industry these days according to the results of most industrial health/safety studies. Specifically, MSDs have been growing problems in Korea as well as in US and European countries with higher incidence rate every year. This study tries to understand characteristics of job stress and association between MSDs and job stress for the workers at automobile manufacturing industry. This study also tries to understand the differences in terms of job stress between white collar and blue collar workers. The results showed that there was definite association between symptoms of MSDs and some of major job stress factors. However, there were big differences in terms of associations between two groups(white collar and blue collar workers). The first group(white collar workers) showed more associations between symptoms of MSDs and some of major job stress factors than that of the second group(blue collar workers) although symptom rate of the second group was higher than that of the first group. It could be concluded that symptoms of the first group had more effects from job stress while symptoms of the second group had more effects from typical job risk factors based on the results of the study.

• Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
• /
• v.16 no.4
• /
• pp.385-397
• /
• 2006

A high prevalence of farmer's work-related musculoskeletal disorders(MSDs) have been reported in precedent studies. To offer the basic data for reducing the melon farmer's MSDs, a questionnaire survey about MSDs symptoms and work loaded body part and video analysis by 3 checklist(REBA, RULA, OWAS) for musculoskeletal risk assessment were carried. 94 melon farmers for this questionnaire and 1 typical farm for risk assessment were participated. A total of 80.9% of the farmers reported musculoskeletal symptoms and 60.6% reported musculoskeletal symptoms over NIOSH standard. The mainly symptom body part is low back, knee and shoulders. Main risk factors in melon farm are awkward postures, heavey/frequent lifting and repetitive hand/arm motions. The high risk tasks induced by video analysis were harvesting, removing the sprouts and covering with rags. These result can be used practically for planning intervention strategy and programs to prevent farmer's MSDs.

• Journal of the Ergonomics Society of Korea
• /
• v.24 no.2
• /
• pp.17-24
• /
• 2005

The objective of this study is to examine the prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders(MSDs) among nursing personnels. A self-reporting survey adapted from Nordic questionnaires was used as diagnostic tool, and conducted for 162 nurses working for a general hospital. The survey was performed five times every three months during a year. The MSDs were defined by using three criteria, depending upon the frequency, duration and pain intensity of the symptoms. The results showed that the 12-month prevalences of MSDs at any body site by criterion 1, 2, 3 were 56.8%, 53.7%, 45.7%, respectively, and that the shoulder was the most susceptible to MSDs, followed by knee/lower leg, lower back, hand/wrist, neck, ankle/feet, finger, etc. Only one statistically significant risk factor of departments or units was identified through the Chi-square test. The prevalence of MSDs was the highest in intensive care unit, second in surgical ward, while the prevalence was the lowest in emergency room. The MSDs prevalence of Korea at any body part or by body part was much lower than that of foreign countries such as Japan, USA, Sweden, etc. This implies that when considering poor working conditions and load in Korea, the incidence rate of MSDs may rapidly increase in Korea in the future.

• Journal of the Korea Safety Management & Science
• /
• v.9 no.4
• /
• pp.17-28
• /
• 2007

This study tried to identify the job stress characteristics of female bank workers and the relationship between their stress and symptoms associated with musculoskeletal disorders(MSDs). The total number of 587 female bank tellers have been participated in this study. Specifically, questionnaire surveys regarding job stress and MSDs symptoms were conducted. On the basis of the results from the survey using Korean version of job stress questionnaire with 24 questions, stress scores associated with job requirement and job flexibility were relatively high. The job stress levels regarding job demand, organizational system, occupational climate at the work place were relatively high for the full time workers while the job stress levels regarding insufficient job control, job stability, interpersonal conflict, lack of reward were relatively high for the part time worker. The workers with longer total work years had relatively high job stress associated with interpersonal conflict, and organizational system while the workers with longer work years at the current job had relatively high job stress associated with occupational climate. Also, the workers with longer working hours a day had relatively high job stress associated with job demand, interpersonal conflict, organizational system, and occupational climate. According to the relationship identified in this study, symptoms at the neck, shoulder, hand, low back. leg were associated with the stress levels in terms of job flexibility, interpersonal conflict, job requirement, job stability. In conclusion, female bank workers are exposed to job stress due to their specific job characteristics and there has been certain relationships between their job stress and MSDs symptoms.

• The Korean Journal of Community Living Science
• /
• v.20 no.1
• /
• pp.5-17
• /
• 2009

The objective of this study was to analyze the factors regarding work-related musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) in fruit-growers and offer the fundamental data for work improvement. The 587 fruit-growers (409 males and 178 females) working with 5 kinds of fruit: apple, pear, peach, grape, and mandarin participated in a questionnaire survey regarding MSDs and health condition in 2004 and 2005. The results are as follows: 1. Smoking rate was highest in apple growers. 2. Drinking rates were highest in male peach growers and in female grape growers. 3. Regular exercise rates were higher in pear and mandarin growers. 4. Physical and mental fatigue was higher in females than in males in most cases. 5. The prevalence rate of medically diagnosed diseases was highest for osteoarthritis (16.4%), herniated nucleus pulposus (HNP, 13.5%), and chronic gastritis/gastric ulcer (10.5%). As well as, the prevalence of dermatosis was higher in pear and mandarin growers. 6. The prevalence rate of musculoskeletal symptoms among the various pain areas was highest for lower back, shoulders, and knees. The prevalence rate was also high for lower back, shoulder, and knee pain in apple and grape growers. 7. The significant indexes used determining the musculoskeletal symptoms were BMI, working period, and regular exercise. These results can be practically used for work improvement for the fruit-growers to prevent MSDs.