• Annals of Occupational and Environmental Medicine
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• v.35
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• pp.32.1-32.10
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• 2023

Background: Although many studies have been conducted on worker fatigue and sickness absence, the association between fatigue and sickness absence is unclear in Korean workers. This study was conducted to investigate the effect of worker fatigue on future sickness absence. Methods: The study was conducted on workers who received medical check-ups at a university hospital for two consecutive years (2014-2015). During check-ups in the first year, the Fatigue Severity Scale (FSS) was used to assess fatigue levels, and during check-ups in the second year, sickness absence was surveyed to determine whether they had been absent from work due to physical or mental illness during previous 12 months. The χ² test was used to analyze relationships between sociodemographic and occupational characteristics, fatigue levels, and sickness absence. Odds ratios (ORs) were calculated by logistic regression analysis controlled for confounding factors. Results: A total of 12,250 workers were included in the study, and 396 (3.2%) workers experienced more than one day of sickness absence during the study period. Adjusted ORs for sickness absence were 3.35 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 2.64-4.28) in the moderate-fatigue group and 6.87 (95% CI: 4.93-9.57) in the high-fatigue group versus the low-fatigue group. For men in the moderate- and high-fatigue groups, adjusted ORs for sickness absence were 3.40 (95% CI: 2.58-4.48) and 8.94 (95% CI: 6.12-13.07), and for women in the moderate- and high-fatigue groups, adjusted ORs for sickness absence were 2.93 (95% CI: 1.68-5.10) and 3.71 (95% CI: 1.84-7.49), respectively. Conclusions: Worker fatigue is associated with sickness absence during the following 12 months, and this association appears to be stronger for men than women. These results support the notion that sickness absence can be reduced by evaluating and managing work-related fatigue.

• Journal of Technologic Dentistry
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.47-63
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• 1989

The study was made to clarify the degree of fatigue of dental technicians in service at the general &local hospital or the dental laboratories in the large cith of korea. The objectives of this study were 235 dental technicians who replied the questionaire which was sent by postal service out of 600 dental technicians selected by random sampling among the workers of the each dental laboratory. The instruments used in this study was the same one as developed by Industry Fatigue committee of Japan Industry Hygiene Association. This instrument was included total 30 items which is consisted of 10 perceived symptoms of fatigue in physical, mental and neuro-sensory dimension respectably. Reliability was tasted with the data of objectives, in which value of Cronbach's $\alpha$ was 9457. The following results were obtained. 1. It was revealed that the influencing demographic variables on the perceived symptoms of fatigue of dental technicians were sex, age, marital status, educational background, job carrier, working part, working hour and commuting hour. The shorted the age or job carrier, thge higher dearee of the perceived symptoms of fatigue. The longer working hours of commuting hours, the higher degree of the perceived symptoms of fatigue. The degree of the perceived symptoms of fatigue in females, unmarried person, the one with higher educational background, workers except orthodontic appliances and poorcelain contouring were higher than the other group. 2. The higher degree of the rest & leisure condition, the lower degree of the physical, mental and neuro-sensory perceived symptoms. 3. The higher degree of environmental condition of the working, the lower degree of the physical, mental and neurosensory perceived symptoms.

• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.286-299
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• 2015

This study was to investigate the relationship between safety & quality management changes of patient and changes in management activities based on hospital workers in five mental hospitals and five geriatric hospitals which should be required medical certifying authorities. As a result of the research study, participation whether or not of certification service of mental hospital & geriatric hospital workers was positive correlation to improve change of 'Performance level of Safety Activities for the patient' 'Provide the High Quality Medical Service for the patient' 'Respect the Rights and Responsibility of the patient' 'Performance level of Infection Control Activities' out of contents of Patient Safety & Medical Service Quality. Also developmental changes of Safety Activities for the patient Hospital Quality for the patient Rights and Responsibility of the patient out of contents of Patient Safety & Medical Service Quality need to the Capacity Management Activities through Education and training, and Medical System & Evaluation of Management Provide the High Quality Medical Service for the patient out of contents of Patient Safety & Medical Service Quality need to the need to the Customer Orientation Process.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.104-111
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• 2022

Background: The IMPPAC cohort (Implications of the COVID-19 pandemic on psychosocial aspects and work ability among Brazilian workers) seeks to understand the impact of the pandemic on Brazilian workers. This article describes the occupational profile, psychosocial aspects, and work ability determined during the baseline and follow-up measurements of the cohort. Methods: Workers were invited to participate through media advertisements, social networks, and emails. From June to September 2020, 1211 workers were included in the cohort. Follow-up measurements finished on October 2021 with 633 workers. Data were collected through standardized questionnaires using Google Forms. Psychosocial aspects were assessed using the COPSOQ II-Br. Work ability was assessed using the Work Ability Index (WAI). Results: At baseline and follow-up, high proportion of workers were in the risk zone with regard to work pace, emotional work demands, influence on work, work-family conflict, burnout, and stress. Approximately 75% of the workers reported good to excellent work ability at baseline and follow-up. Conclusion: The occupational profile, psychosocial aspects, and work ability of Brazilian workers from the IMPPAC cohort were described. Psychosocial aspects and WAI were similar at baseline and follow-up.

• Journal of Service Research and Studies
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• v.12 no.3
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• pp.26-44
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• 2022

Job stress experienced during work has a positive effect on the organization, such as performance improvement, but if not properly managed, it can cause physical diseases such as digestive diseases and mental diseases such as depression and neurological diseases. If job stress persists for a long time, it causes emotional exhaustion and depression, which has a significant adverse effect on individuals and organizations, so proper management is essential. Therefore, in this study, a descriptive survey study was conducted using a self-report questionnaire method to find out the relationship between job stress, emotional exhaustion and depression of medical institution workers. As a result of the analysis, it was found that job stress of medical institution workers had a significant (+) effect on emotional exhaustion and depression, and emotional exhaustion of medical institution workers had a significant (+) effect on depression. Through this study, it was found that there was a significant relationship between job stress, emotional exhaustion, and depression of hospital employees, and that emotional exhaustion acts as a parameter in the relationship between job stress and depression. Considering that job stress of hospital employees causes adverse organizational effects, such as threatening workers' mental and physical health and causing deterioration in the quality of medical services, organizational efforts will be needed to relieve and properly manage job stress of hospital employees.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.17-23
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• 2024

Background: The present study aimed to analyze several aspects of the working conditions and health status of platform workers in the Republic of Korea, such as ergonomic and emotional hazards. We also compared the health status of the platform workers with that of the general population. Methods: A total of 1,000 platform workers participated in this survey from August 7 to August 17, 2022. The participants included 400 designated drivers, 400 food-delivery drivers, and 200 housekeeping managers. A face-to-face survey with a structured questionnaire was conducted by researchers who had received specific instructions. The focus of the survey extended to the work environment, encompassing factors such as workplace violence, as well as physical, chemical, and ergonomic hazards. Health-related data for the previous year were also collected, covering a range of issues such as hearing problems, skin problems, musculoskeletal symptoms, headaches, injuries, mental health issues, and digestive problems. Subsequently, we compared the health symptom data of the responders with those of the general population in the Republic of Korea. Results: Platform workers, including designated drivers, food-delivery drivers, and housekeeping managers, existed in the blind spot of social insurance, facing frequent exposure to physical and chemical hazards, ergonomic risk factors, and direct or indirect violence. The prevalence of health problems, including musculoskeletal symptoms, general fatigue, and depressive symptoms, in each occupational group was statistically higher than that in the general population after standardization for age and gender. Conclusion: The results revealed unfavorable working environment and inferior occupational health of platform workers compared with those of the general population.

• Annals of Occupational and Environmental Medicine
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• v.34
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• pp.36.1-36.12
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• 2022

Background: Many studies have been conducted to investigate the harmful effect of shift work on physical and mental health. Although, by definition, "working evening shift" is included in the scope of shift work, most related studies conducted thus far have focused on working night shifts, overtime work, or different types of shift work, with little research effort dedicated to "working evening shifts." Therefore, to fill this research gap, we investigated the effect of working evening shifts on workers' mental health. Methods: The participants of this study were 16,692 employees of the 50,205 that participated in the 5th wave of the Korean Working Conditions Survey. We performed χ² test and logistic regression analysis to analyze the effects of independent variables on health problems and calculated odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Results: In the logistic regression analysis adjusted for sociodemographic characteristics, health-related factors, and work-related characteristics, employees who worked evening shifts showed higher levels of depression and anxiety compared to those that did not. In particular, the adjusted odds ratios of the group working evening shifts between one and nine times a month were the highest with 2.723 (95% CI: 2.014-3.682) for depression, 3.294 (95% CI: 2.547-4.259) for anxiety. Conclusions: The results of our study suggest that working evening shifts has a negative effect on employees' mental health. This trend decreased with an increase in the monthly frequency of evening work.

• Journal of Korean Public Health Nursing
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• v.8 no.1
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• pp.53-62
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• 1994

The purpose of this study is to review in light at women's subjective. Perceptions of manifestations Premenstrual Syndrome which are known to affect their labor productivity. To this end, 364 women workers were sampled from an industrial factory located in Chonan, Chungchongnam-do and supervised by health manager, through questionnaires, and collected data were processed using SPSS package program. The result of survey can be summarized as follows: The fact that some academic circles are recently raising the issue of premenstrual syndrome. Suggests that the syndrome is being accepted in academic terms, which is contary to the position that the syndrome is just the result of women's mental imagination. However, some factors which are concived to affect woman worker' productivity and efficiency seem to be related to their subjective psychological variables involving their working environment rather than their physiological variabls. Therefore, if a health-promotion program handling their subjective psychological variables be introduced, some factors caused by the pre-menstrual syndroml may be reduced thus increasing their working productivity and. efficiency around their menstrual days.

• Journal of Community Nutrition
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• v.8 no.3
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• pp.142-146
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• 2006

The aim of this study was to identify the drinking patterns and needs for nutritional education of male workers. The subjects in this study were 285 male workers in Ulsan City. The average age of the subjects was 41.2 years old, height was 171.8cm, weight was 69.6kg and Body Mass Index(BMI) was $23.6kg/m^2$. The subjects were classified into 3 drinking patterns such as 'normal drinker(ND)', 'excessive drinker(ED)', and 'alcoholic drinker(AD)' diagnosed by NAST (Alcoholism Screening Test of Seoul National Mental Hospital). Each group was 31.6%(ND), 43.2%(ED) and 25.3% (AD). The amount of one time drinking, frequency, kind of alcohol and spending money were significantly different among the groups. 87.8% of ND thought that the self identity of drinking habits was good. But twenty seven percent of AD thought that it was just not bad, one-half of them(51.4%) thought they seemed to have problems and 20.8% of them thought they were serious. 38.9%(AD), 22.8%(ED) and 6.7%(ND) of each group tried to abstain by turn. Reasons of trying to abstain were health problems, disharmony of family and bad influence on the business and job place. The methods of abstaining were to avoid a drinking gathering or to refuse drinking in the party. 70.8% of AD, 59.3% of ED and 40% of ND thought they needed to take an educational program about abstaining. 58.3% of AD, 43.1 % of ED and 31.1 % of ND answered they would join an alcohol program.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.15 no.11
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• pp.6782-6792
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• 2014

This study examined the effects of the symptoms of musculoskeletal disorder and the burden of the body on work stress in a university hospital workers. The research surveyed 679 subjects. The relevant factors affecting the job stress were found to be female, young people age group, unmarried, shift work, work more than 8 hours, short experience workers. The work stress was significantly higher in the non-smoker (p=0.000), regular exercise/sports(p=0.022) and non-drinking(p=0.038) groups. In addition, the mental fatigue, presence of musculoskeletal symptoms, fatigue level, and marital status increase the risk of the work stress. The results showed that the burden of the body and musculoskeletal disorders are related interactively with each other.