• International conference on construction engineering and project management
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• 2017.10a
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• pp.73-79
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• 2017

Rapidly expanding population in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has a massive impact to put pressure on the shortage of housing and existing infrastructure. With average population growth rate of 1,9% yearly, the population in Saudi Arabia is projected to increase from 31 million in 2015 to 37 million in 2025. According to the housing ministry, Saudi Arabia needs to provide 3.3 million units to meet the demand in 2025, which is about 300,000 unit a year. In the past 40 years, using the conventional construction method, the Saudi construction industry was only able to build about 150,000 units per year. To meet the demand gap for the housing shortage, a new approach and innovation in construction methods are needed. Industrialized construction as an approach in construction methods has been studied and implemented in some countries that experienced similar corncerns. Industrialized construction can be defined as the implementation of manufacturing methods to construction-related activities to improve quality, reduce cost and project duration. Compared to the conventional construction method, prefabrication as industrialized construction methods has reduced construction labor on-site by 9.5%, construction project duration by 20%, and construction waste by 56%. It improves the quality, durability and cost saving not only for construction project owners, but also construction contractors. This paper discusses the possibility of 'industrialization' of building system in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia as a solution for the housing shortage. It is an initial part of a study aims to develop a framework to develop industrialized building system in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The is paper based on extensive literature review and case studies.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.220-227
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• 2024

Background: Though the artificial neural network (ANN) technique has been used to predict noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL), the established prediction models have primarily relied on cross-sectional datasets, and hence, they may not comprehensively capture the chronic nature of NIHL as a disease linked to long-term noise exposure among workers. Methods: A comprehensive dataset was utilized, encompassing eight-year longitudinal personal hearing threshold levels (HTLs) as well as information on seven personal variables and two environmental variables to establish NIHL predicting models through the ANN technique. Three subdatasets were extracted from the afirementioned comprehensive dataset to assess the advantages of the present study in NIHL predictions. Results: The dataset was gathered from 170 workers employed in a steel-making industry, with a median cumulative noise exposure and HTL of 88.40 dBA-year and 19.58 dB, respectively. Utilizing the longitudinal dataset demonstrated superior prediction capabilities compared to cross-sectional datasets. Incorporating the more comprehensive dataset led to improved NIHL predictions, particularly when considering variables such as noise pattern and use of personal protective equipment. Despite fluctuations observed in the measured HTLs, the ANN predicting models consistently revealed a discernible trend. Conclusions: A consistent correlation was observed between the measured HTLs and the results obtained from the predicting models. However, it is essential to exercise caution when utilizing the model-predicted NIHLs for individual workers due to inherent personal fluctuations in HTLs. Nonetheless, these ANN models can serve as a valuable reference for the industry in effectively managing its hearing conservation program.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.8 no.3
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• pp.318-321
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• 2017

This commentary presents the regulatory backgrounds and development of the national proficiency testing (PT) scheme on asbestos analysis in the Republic of Korea. Since 2009, under the amended Occupational Safety and Health Act, the survey of asbestos in buildings and clearance test of asbestos removal works have been mandated to be carried out by the laboratories designated by the Ministry of Employment and Labor (MOEL) in the Republic of Korea. To assess the performance of asbestos laboratories, a PT scheme on asbestos analysis was launched by the Korea Occupational Safety and Health Agency (KOSHA) on behalf of the MOEL in 2007. Participating laboratories are evaluated once a year for fiber counting and bulk asbestos analysis by phase contrast microscopy and polarized light microscopy, respectively. Currently, the number of laboratory enrollments is > 200, and the percentage of passed laboratories is > 90. The current status and several significant changes in operation, sample preparations, and statistics of assigning the reference values of the KOSHA PT scheme on asbestos analysis are presented. Critical retrospect based on the experiences of operating the KOSHA PT scheme suggests considerations for developing a new national PT scheme for asbestos analysis.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.22 no.2
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• pp.43-57
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• 1996

To characterize worker's exposure to glass fibers, to find the correlation between airborne total dust concentrations and fiber concentrations and to recommend an appropriate evaluation method for worker's exposure to fibrous dusts in glass wool industry, we carried out this study. Average respirable fiber levels at five factories were 0.013-0.056 f/cc, and fairly below the OSHA PEL, 1 f/cc. A factory showed the lowest airborne fiber level, 0.013 f/cc, which was different significantly from those of other factories of which average fiber concentration was 0.046 f/cc. The cutting and grinding operations of insulation products resulted in higher airborne fiber cocentrations than any other processes(p<0.05). To characterize airborne fiber dimension, fiber length and diamter were determined using phase contrast microscope. The geometric means of airborne fiber lengths were $42-105 \mu m$. One factory had airborne fibers whose length distribution(GM = $105 \mu m$) was different from those of other factories(GM = $42-50 \mu m$). The percentages of respirable fibers less thinner than 3 gm were 38.9-90.9% at four factories, and two factories of them had the higher percentages than others. The findings explain for variation of airborne fiber diameters between factories. On the other hand, between the processes were the difference of fiber-length distributions observed. The cutting and grinding operations showed shorter fiber-length distributions than the fiber forming one. However, fiber-diameter distributions or respirable fiber contents were similar in all processes. The airborne fiber concentrations and the dust concentrations had relatively weak correlation(r=0.25), thus number of fibers couldn't be expected reliably from dust amount. Fiber count is appropriate for assessing accurate exposures and health effects caused by fibrous dusts including glass fibers. Ministry of Labor have established occupational exposure limit to glass fibers as nuisiance dust, but should establish it on the basis of respirable fiber concentration to provide adequate protection for worker's health

• Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
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• v.27 no.2
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• pp.105-114
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• 2017

Objectives: The Ministry of Employment and Labor's enforcement programs, such as workplace monitoring inspection, are one of the major public efforts to protect worker's health. Therefore, a more effective inspection method is required for workplace monitoring, which is helpful for controlling health hazards in the workplace. Methods: For this study, we investigated the related safety and health laws, regulations, and inspection guidelines from the USA, Japan, and Korea. We also analyzed the provisions of industrial safety and health acts, which are related to enhancing the reliability of workplace monitoring. We applied the process of opinion convergence through an experts meeting for our research. Results: We proposed an efficient inspection scheme for workplace monitoring that includes how to select companies(mainly randomized inspections by using a workplace measurement database and workers' compensation insurance database), how to proceed with the inspection process(mainly unannounced visits), and who should carry out this project. Conclusions: We conclude that our proposal for the inspection of workplace monitoring could be a very effective tool for reducing the numbers of companies that do not undertake workplace monitoring and could produce reliable monitoring results.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Safety
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• v.23 no.6
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• pp.14-20
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• 2008

A large number of accidents have been occurred in the domestic shipbuilding industry. Its number of accidents is approximately twice than that of manufacturing industry and three times larger than that of whole industry in general. There are several reasons that make it hard to control the accidents. First, it is because the shipbuilding industry is composed of many subcontractors who may need improvement in safety education and safety management. Second, the shipyard environments are exposed to lots of hazards such as high elevation works, isolated workspaces, heavyweight and huge structures/components. Last, the shipbuilding industry has grown too rapidly in a short period. For that reason, the safety management standards and safety consciousness could not catch up the speed of its development. In this study, it is suggested to use a more efficient and easier way to conduct safety management using a web-based safety management system for the shipbuilding industry. This system is composed of four main parts, which is available for self-auditing with legal support. Those are checklists based safety and health evaluation, safety inspection, user shared accident database and user shared bulletin board. It is expected that this system can help us to reduce risks in the shipbuilding industry considerably.

• Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
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• v.28 no.1
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• pp.80-90
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• 2018

Objectives: This study was performed to propose a domestic occupational exposure limit(OEL) following a health hazard assessment, calculation of a non-carcinogenicity reference concentration worker($RfC_{worker}$) value, and examination of international agencies' exposure limits. It also recommends legal management within the Occupational Safety and Health Act for HCFC-123, which caused an acute hepatotoxicity incident. Methods: An acute hepatotoxicity incident due to the fire extinguishing agent HCFC-123 was investigated. Toxicological hazard and health hazard classifications were examined and a non-carcinogenicity $RfC_{worker}$ value was calculated for HCFC-123. An OEL and the necessity of legal management were recommended as well. Results and Conclusions: An OEL for HCFC-123 of 10 ppm($62.5mg/m^3$), which considered the $RfC_{worker}$ value, 5.56 ppm, produced in dose-response assessment and the exposure level of 19.1-20.9 ppm measured as an eight-hour TWA(time-weighted average) in the incident place, is recommended. HCFC-123 is urged to be included as a chemical requiring legal management in the Occupational Safety and Health Regulations. In addition, it is recommended that a peak exposure of ACGIH be adopted in the Notice of the Ministry of Employment and Labor.

• Transactions of the Korean Society for Noise and Vibration Engineering
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• v.26 no.6_spc
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• pp.729-735
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• 2016

According to the survey for working environment of the cashiers in highway tollbooths, workers replied that noise was the most harmful substances next to air pollutant in the tollbooth. Researches on the noise levels exposed to cashiers in the highway tollbooth scarcely have been performed. Therefore, the aim of this study was to acquire baseline data to prevent health impairments of the cashiers by evaluating noise level exposed to them. Noise dosimeters were used for monitoring workers' noise exposure level in the tollbooths at 8 different highway tollgates. The noise levels of tollbooths did not exceed noise exposure limit of the ministry of labor, 90 dB(A). The average TWA inside of the tollbooths was 55.4 dB(A) and the average TWA outside of tollbooths was 58.3 dB(A). The average TWA outside of tollbooths was slightly higher than that of inside of tollbooths. However, the significance probability(p-value) was 0.255 which means statistically not significant. The noise levels inside and outside of tollbooth were statistically significant to both mean traffic volume per day and traffic volume of passenger car.

• The Journal of the Korea institute of electronic communication sciences
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• v.14 no.2
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• pp.397-404
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• 2019

This study developed the ICT curriculum focusing on apartment security guards and analyzed the actual application results. We developed the educational contents and it designed ICT job courseware for elder education by considering and that designed in consideration of the computer attitudes and physical and cognitive characteristics of the elderly. The educational program was applied to the experimental group and the satisfaction and the educational effect were analyzed through the pre and post test results. As a result of the analysis, the satisfaction level of the education program was higher than the average of 4.00 points. The elderly informal education program was examined by using the qualitative assessment test tool before and after the application of the education program. Internet self-efficacy of experiment group, improvement of internet utilization ability, usage of internet use, personal information willingness, life correction, elimination of conflict among generations, self-confidence, and internet stress increased statistically significantly. These results suggest that the "Private Expense ICT Job Training" program developed in this study can be effective for elderly informatization and can be applied to other elderly education programs and contribute to promotion.

• Korean Journal of Construction Engineering and Management
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• v.22 no.5
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• pp.48-54
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• 2021

According to the Ministry of Employment and Labor's statistics on occupational fatalities in South Korea, more than half of the fatalities in the past five years have occurred in the construction industry. The stuck-by and caught-in-between accidents associated with construction equipment is the major source of fatalities from construction sites. In order to prevent such accidents in construction sites, the government has spent lots of efforts including proposing the "special law on construction safety" and encouraging the implementation of new technology for accident prevention. However, numerous accidents are still occurred at construction sites and further efforts are still required. In this manner, this study developed a collision prevention technique that can prevent collision between equipment and worker by recognizing location and type of the nearby objects through ultrasound scanning. The study conducted a pilot experiment and the analysis results demonstrate the feasibility of achieving high performance in both object recognition and location estimation. The developed technique will contribute to prevent collision accidents at construction sites and provide the supplemental knowledge on developing automated collision prevention system for construction equipment.