• Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.89-100
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• 2007

Object: The purpose of this study was to survey the government official support status of the agricultural diseases, injuries and accidents among Korea and foreign countries and to suggest the agricultural policy of Korea. Methods: For this purpose, we analyzed the current national management support status among four foreign countries and Korea about agricultural diseases, injuries and accidents of farmers. For the foreign countries and the national support current status of agricultural diseases, injuries and accidents, related literature such as books, theses, articles, and web documents from the government organization of each countries were collected and analyzed. Key words for web-site and web documents were agricultural diseases, injuries, and accidents, government official system, safety and health, farmer's welfare, and farmer's official support system. UK, United States of America, France, and Japan were selected as the foreign countries' cases. Results and Conclusions: Implications for the agricultural diseases, injuries and accidents derived from the reviews among foreign countries and Korea were as follows: governmental supports should include (1) efforts on unifying administrative systems, (2) special support and management systems focusing on special subjects such as the agriculture that have been neglected, (3) aligned strategies including vision, goals, long-term plans about national safety and health projects, (4) development of supporting systems considering the features of agriculture, (5) systemized national surveys about occupational injuries and accidents for basic statistics and national studies, (6) active prevention efforts of agricultural diseases, injuries and accidents, and (8) specialized funds for safety and health of Korean farmers.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.30 no.3 s.58
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• pp.540-554
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• 1997

The effects of cigarette smoking on the psychosocial distress, the absenteeism, the occupational injuries, and on the prevalence for the accidents were assessed in 795 male workers who had been employed since March 1994. The results show that the prevalence of current smokers were higher in young men, lower educational level, lower income, single men(unmarried or divorced), alcohol drinkers, and blue collar workers. In the bivariate analyses, the workers with the high job demand and low work control were more likely to smoke, although the relationship was not strong. Those who reported lower satisfaction on his job tended to smoke more. Mean scores of psychosocial well-being index(PWI) were higher in current smokers than nonsmokers. For the hierarchical multiple regression analyses, interaction terms between cigarette smoking and job stressors(job demand and work control) were not significant. For smokers, the odds ratios for the occupational injuries, and the accidents were 1.40(95% confidence interval 0.77-2.57) and 1.96 (95% confidence interval 0.75-5.09), respectively. The mean absent day were 4.13 for smokers, 3.65 for nonsmokers, although the differences were not statistically significant. It seems that cigarette smoking had not caused any crucial effects on the psychosocial well-being status and the occupational risks. Some considerations for the further research on the relationship of cigarette smoking on the mental health status and the occupational risks were also discussed.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.10 no.2
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• pp.151-165
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• 2019

Background: Despite improvements in safety performance, the number and severity of mining-related injuries remain high and unacceptable, indicating that further reduction can be achieved. This study examines occupational accident statistics of the Ghanaian mining industry and identifies priority areas, warranting intervention measures and further investigations. Methods: A total of 202 fatal and nonfatal injury reports over a 10-year period were obtained from five mines and the Inspectorate Division of the Minerals Commission of Ghana, and they were analyzed. Results: Results of the analyses show that the involvement of mining equipment, the task being performed, the injury type, and the mechanism of injury remain as priorities. For instance, mining equipment was associated with 85% of all injuries and 90% of all fatalities, with mobile equipment, component/part, and hand tools being the leading equipment types. In addition, mechanics/repairmen, truck operators, and laborers were the most affected ones, and the most dangerous activities included maintenance, operating mobile equipment, and clean up/clearing. Conclusion: Results of this analysis will enable authorities of mines to develop targeted interventions to improve their safety performance. To improve the safety of the mines, further research and prevention efforts are recommended.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.7 no.3
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• pp.231-236
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• 2016

Background: To analyze the effects of the factors associated with different types of injury (superficial wounds, dislocations and sprains, bone fractures, concussion and internal injuries, burns scalding and freezing) caused by occupational accidents in automotive repair workshops. Methods: Study of a sample consisting of 89,954 industry accidents reported from 2003 to 2008. Odds ratios were calculated with a 95% confidence interval. Results: Belonging to a small company is a risk factor for suffering three of the five types of injury studied. Women are less likely to suffer burns and superficial wounds, and more likely to suffer dislocations or sprains. Foreign workers are more likely to suffer concussion and internal injuries. Conclusion: Health and safety strategies and accident prevention measures should be individualized and adapted to the type of worker most likely to be injured in each type of accident. Occupational health and safety training courses designed according to worker profile, and improving the participation of the workers in small firms creating regional or roving safety representatives would improve working conditions.

• Journal of agricultural medicine and community health
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• v.32 no.3
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• pp.139-153
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• 2007

Injury in agriculture is a serious public health issue with a major impact on the lives of Korean farmers. It is one of the leading causes of death and is also a major cause of longand short-term disability. In 2001, the social cost of one accident in agricultural machinery was estimated as 97.7-97.8 million won that is 4 fold of farm household income in Korea. Effective prevention and control of injuries requires a system of surveillance that monitors the incidence of injuries, their causes, treatment and outcomes. This requires an integrated system of data collection, analysis and interpretation and communication. Creating effective injury surveillance system in Korea requires to establish a framework for a national agenda. Discussions regarding the development of the framework should address, but not be limited to issues related to Data Holdings and Linkages; Capacity and Skills; Communication; Interconnection; and Surveillance Products. Ideally, an injury surveillance system would meet the information requirements across all sectors, while allowing each to have the ongoing information it needs for its policy and programming needs. This study was carried out to develop a surveillance system of agricultural injuries in Korea. Study subjects were residents who lived in a typical agricultural area (Yangpyung area in Kyung-gi province). The main data sources were reports of village headmen, compared with data of 'National Emergency Management Agency', 'National Health Insurance Corporation', 'Insurance of National Agricultural Cooperative', and 'Emergency Medical Centers'. Each data were reviewed to validate the strengths and weaknesses.

• Physical Therapy Rehabilitation Science
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• v.8 no.2
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• pp.79-85
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• 2019

Objective: The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between physical features, strength, function, and upper extremity musculoskeletal pain during rehabilitation of manual wheelchair users with spinal cord injuries. Design: Cross-sectional study. Methods: The degree and frequency of upper extremity musculoskeletal pain were measured in persons with spinal cord injuries using manual wheelchairs with the use of questionnaires. The pain scores of the hand, wrist, and shoulder joints were calculated by multiplying the seriousness and frequency of pain. We collected data on the manual muscle test, Spinal Cord Independent Measure-III, and the Body Mass Index. Statistical analysis was performed by descriptive analysis and Pearson's correlation analysis. Results: A total of 47 patients participated in this study and the neurological level of the injuries ranged from C2 to S5. Pain in the shoulder joints was the most common in persons with tetraplegia and paraplegia. Pain was experienced as mild to moderate, and occurred one or more times a week. Of the 32 persons with paraplegia, the most common area of complaint was the shoulder. Of the 15 persons with paraplegia, the shoulder joints were the most common site of pain. The independence levels of the persons with spinal cord injuries were highly correlated to muscle strength levels (p<0.05). Conclusions: This study investigated upper extremity musculoskeletal pain during rehabilitation of manual wheelchair users with spinal cord injuries and the relationship between physical features, strength, and function. In most persons with spinal cord injuries, pain and frequency of shoulder joints were high and pain levels were also related to functional levels.

• Journal of the Korean Professional Engineers Association
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• v.38 no.4
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• pp.16-18
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• 2005

Initiated by the Ministry of Labor, a lot of efforts have been dedicated to the area of occupational injury prevention and some achievements were obtained as well. However, we may find the reason of not having a considerable decrease of occupational injuries in our society in the overall low safety level, lacking safety awareness and lacking proper measures in conformity with the safety standard. Taking a lesson from the above facts, we hereby present measures to be taken for the success of the second Five-Year Occupational Injury Prevention Plan(2005-2009).

• Journal of the Korea Safety Management & Science
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• v.15 no.4
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• pp.7-16
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• 2013

As workplace incidents has been being declining in Korea, there is criticism of the effectiveness of occupational safety policy implementation. It is unknown that which policy target group needs to be targeted to yield effective injuries prevention. The purpose of this paper is to analyze and reveal the policy intervention group with a high priority in terms of industrial incident prevention and the related investment cost. A Policy Priority Model(PPM) is composed of 6 indicators regarding influences of both the incident reduction and the cost reduction. Z-score analyses are used to confirm the high policy priority area or policy target group. Overall, workplace with worker below 50 persons, construction site with the sales of more than a hundred million won, workplace with relatively small percentage of female employees and relatively higher percentage of older worker should be prioritized to reduce workplace injuries. This paper provides an analytic way that can be used to decide the policy priority workplace in order not only to reduce work-related injuries&illnesses and the related investment cost but to further lessen the related societal costs.

• Journal of agricultural medicine and community health
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• v.33 no.1
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• pp.82-89
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• 2008

Objective:　We compared the prevalence of injury and poisoning in the agricultural and fishery population with that of the general population.Methods: The national health insurance data and agricultufor this study. The age-adjusted standardized morbidity ratio was used to compare the prevalence of all injuries and poisonings of the agricultural and fishery population with that of the general population for the year 2002, as well as the prevalence of certain injuries and poisonings common to the agricultural and fishery population. The age-adjusted standardized morbidity ratio and 95% confidence intervals were attained by using the general population as the standard population group.Results: The age-adjusted standardized morbidity ratio of total injuries and poisonings was significantly high in the agriculture and fishery population. The standardized morbidity ratio was 137.6 in the male agriculture and fishery population and 123.3 in the female agriculture and fishery population. In terms of injuries and poisonings common to the agriculture and fishery population, the age-adjusted standardized morbidity ratio was significantly high regarding the dislocations and strains of lumbar spine/pelvis, shoulder and neck, the fracture of rib/thoracic spine/sternum and pesticide poisoning.Conclusions: The overall prevalence of injury/poisoning was significantly higher in the agriculture and fishery population than in the general population. Various forms of research should be conducted on the injuries of the agriculture and fishery population in the future. In order to compare the differences in the prevalence rates of injuries according to time and region, standard definitions of injuries and occupation related injuries are required.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.13 no.4
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• pp.440-447
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• 2022

Background: Agricultural handle equipment is present on all production areas' farms. They are handy and portable; however, excessive use can lead to acute traumas or accidental injuries. Repetitive movements, awkward postures, and hand-arm vibrations predispose them to pain and work-related musculoskeletal disorders. The purpose of this study was to observe the interaction of handle equipment in terms of electromyographic activity and analyze the postural work-related alterations. Materials and methods: Twenty male agricultural operators, mean age 24±1.54 years, underwent the electromyographic analysis testing their muscular activities with a brushcutter, electric saw, and hedge trimmer in four different test conditions. Results: The brushcutter proved to be the agricultural handle equipment with the higher mean frequency (3.37±0.38 Hz) and root mean square (5.25±1.24 ms^-2). Furthermore, the digital postural analysis showed a general asymmetry of the main arm and the respective side of the trunk. The head resulted right inclined in the anterior frontal plane by 5.7°±1.2°; the right scapula lower than the left in the posterior frontal plane (8.5°±1.8°), and a working trunk inclination of 34.15°±5.7°. Conclusions: Vibrations of handle equipment and awkward working postures represent a risk for agricultural operators. Preventive measures are required to avoid young operators from experiencing musculoskeletal disorders all lifelong.