• Journal of Digital Convergence
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• v.11 no.10
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• pp.571-576
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• 2013

The purpose of this study is to investigate work related diseases in Korean firefighters and to prepare the preventive measure for health management for the firefighters. Structured self-reported questionnaire was distributed to the firefighters. The result revealed that 37.7% of fire fighters had chronic diseases and 12.3% had chronic low back pains. The affected parts included lumbar region(41.5%), shoulder(33.0%), and neck(23.6%). The affected parts caused physical pain and work discomfort for more than a month. A total of 54.1% firefighters visited to the hospital within a year. This results suggest that it is necessary to develop the health promotion program for the prevention of musculoskeletal disease and regular health checkup for the acute disorders caused by workload.

• Korean Journal of Culture and Social Issue
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• v.9 no.spc
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• pp.107-122
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• 2003

The object of this study is to evaluate the prevailing physical and psychosocial conditions regarding occupational low back injury. This study consists of two parts. In the first part of the study, analytic biomechanical model and NIOSH guidelines are applied to evaluate risk levels of low back injury for automobile assembly jobs. Total of 246 workers are analysed. There are 20 jobs having greater back compressive forces than 300kg at L5/S1. Also, there are 44 jobs over Action Limit with respect to 1981 NIOSH guidelines. The relationship between psychosocial factors and low back injury was examined in the second part of the study. A battery of questionnaires concerning the psychosocial stress based on PWI (Psychosocial Well-being Index) and musculoskeletal pain symptoms at low back was completed by 246 workers at the same plant. Results showed that 207 out 246 workers experienced the symptoms and 27 workers were diagnosed as patients. Two groups(low stressed, high stressed) based on PWI score had no significant relationships with both symptoms and results of diagnosis. The relationships between physical work load and psychosocial stress were also analysed. Specifically, some postural factors(vertical deviation angle of forearm, horizontal deviation angle of upperarm, vertical deviation angle of thigh, etc) were highly correlated with psychosocial stress. The results illustrated that PWI scores were associated with some physical workloads. However, psychosocial stress levels couldn't be well related with the pain symptom as well as the actual incidence of low back injury since pain or discomfort regarding low back injury were more complex than that of other musculoskeletal disorders.

• Korean Journal of Clinical Laboratory Science
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• v.55 no.3
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• pp.159-166
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• 2023

This study investigates the current situation of medical technologists for blood collection, which is considered the most important step for diagnosis. The survey enrolled 650 medical technologists working in hospitals and medical check centers in Busan, Ulsan, and Gyeongnam. We found that each medical technologist performed blood collection for about 100 patients. There was more than one blood collection failure per day, with more than one case of pain and filing of civil complaints per year. Hence, there was a high work burden on the medical technologists. Cases where a medical technologist was stabbed with a used needle occurred more than once a year, and about 15% of them received infection control and treatment because of stab wounds. Additionally, more than half of the participants suffered from musculoskeletal disorders and mental stress due to blood collection work. Unlike administering intravenous and intramuscular injections using the same needle, no fee is charged for blood collection. Based on the results of this study, it will be possible to improve the safety and rights of medical technologists by calculating the actual fee for blood collection work and assigning a relative value score.