• Korean Journal of Occupational Health Nursing
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• v.29 no.4
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• pp.228-234
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• 2020

Purpose: This study aimed to identify the past and present status of occupational safety and health education in Korea and to explore future plans for these fields. Methods: We summarized past empirical or theoretical literature. Results: Occupational safety and health education strive to protect workers' health and create healthy workplaces by solving various problems such as workers' occupational diseases and mental health in the rapidly changing occupational environment. For occupational safety and health education to be effectively utilized in occupational sites, a live education that can be applied to the field should be provided. The need for education to explore and develop the ability to prepare for new hazards, including infectious diseases such as COVID-19, has increased. Conclusion: It is believed that the occupational health education element of the new era will be occupational health education. This focus will develop the ability to closely assess and predict the collective, organizational, and personal responses of affected workplaces and the impact of occupational health sciences.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.4 no.2
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• pp.75-76
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• 2013

• Journal of the Korea Construction Safety Engineering Association
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• s.52
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• pp.48-57
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• 2011

A major purpose of management or occupational safety is a significant decrease in safety accidents. With this view, the establishment of occupational safety culture and the building of occupational communication network stand out as being more important than the past. This study has analysed the positive effects of occupational safety communication on safety consciousness and action of the employees in workplace. And it is confirmed that the occupational safety communication in workplace is the essential mechanism, through which the workers internalize safety consciousness and act safely. The safety consciousness and action of the employees are formed in safety culture, which is not only legal regulations, but a daily communication network in workplace. In these sense, the building of the occupational safety communication network is decisive for the establishment of safety culture. For these reasons, this study makes the proposition that a firm promotion of occupational communication network is necessary, which connects the safety culture and a effective safety management in workplace.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.53 no.6
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• pp.447-454
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• 2020

Objectives: The aim of the present study was to investigate the relationships among hospital safety climate, patient safety climate, and safety outcomes among nurses. Methods: In the current cross-sectional study, the occupational safety climate, patient safety climate, and safety performance of nurses were measured using several questionnaires. Structural equation modeling was applied to test the relationships among occupational safety climate, patient safety climate, and safety performance. Results: A total of 211 nurses participated in this study. Over half of them were female (57.0%). The age of the participants tended to be between 20 years and 30 years old (55.5%), and slightly more than half had less than 5 years of work experience (51.5%). The maximum and minimum scores of occupational safety climate dimensions were found for reporting of errors and cumulative fatigue, respectively. Among the dimensions of patient safety climate, non-punitive response to errors had the highest mean score, and manager expectations and actions promoting patient safety had the lowest mean score. The correlation coefficient for the relationship between occupational safety climate and patient safety climate was 0.63 (p<0.05). Occupational safety climate and patient safety climate also showed significant correlations with safety performance. Conclusions: Close correlations were found among occupational safety climate, patient safety climate, and nurses' safety performance. Therefore, improving both the occupational and patient safety climate can improve nurses' safety performance, consequently decreasing occupational and patient-related adverse outcomes in healthcare units.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.4 no.4
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• pp.177-186
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• 2013

The use of nanoparticles (NPs) in industry is increasing, bringing with it a number of adverse health effects on workers. Like other chemical carcinogens, NPs can cause cancer via oxidative DNA damage. Of all the molecules vulnerable to oxidative modification by NPs, DNA has received the greatest attention, and biomarkers of exposure and effect are nearing validation. This review concentrates on studies published between 2000 and 2012 that attempted to detect oxidative DNA damage in humans, laboratory animals, and cell lines. It is important to review these studies to improve the current understanding of the oxidative DNA damage caused by NP exposure in the workplace. In addition to examining studies on oxidative damage, this review briefly describes NPs, giving some examples of their adverse effects, and reviews occupational exposure assessments and approaches to minimizing exposure (e.g., personal protective equipment and engineering controls such as fume hoods). Current recommendations to minimize exposure are largely based on common sense, analogy to ultrafine material toxicity, and general health and safety recommendations.

• Journal of the Korea Safety Management & Science
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.21-30
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• 2013

OSHMS(Occupational Safety and Health Management System) is able to define as a typical convergence of all kinds of activities and elements that support maintaining safety at workplace and protecting employee's health. In particular, fundamental function of OSHMS is preventing diverse hazards at workplace through high level of regulation compliance. Furthermore, insuring safety in workplace, protecting employee's health and increasing effectiveness in manufacture are OSHMS's additional functions. Based on the division of manufacture in 2009 Survey on Current Status of Occupational Health & Safety data, the study analyses certain relation between OSHMS and level of regulation compliance. The main finding is that most activities and elements which formed by OSHMS are being affected by regulation clauses.

• Annals of Occupational and Environmental Medicine
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• v.35
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• pp.52.1-52.13
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• 2023

Background: In 2019, the International Agency for Research on Cancer re-evaluated the carcinogenicity of night-shift work and reported that there is limited evidence that night-shift work is carcinogenic for the development of prostate cancer. Therefore, in 2020 and 2021, the Korean Epidemiologic Investigation Evaluation Committee concluded that 2 cases of prostate cancer were occupational diseases related to the night-shift work. Here, we report the 2 cases of prostate cancer in night-shift workers which were first concluded as occupational diseases by the Korean Epidemiologic Investigation Evaluation Committee. Case presentation: Patient A: A 61-year-old man worked as a city bus driver for approximately 17 years, from 2002 to 2019, and was exposed to night-shift work during this period. In March 2017, the patient was diagnosed with high-grade prostate cancer through core-needle biopsy after experiencing stinging pain lasting for 2 months. Patient B: A 56-year-old man worked as an electrician and an automated equipment operator in a cement manufacturing plant for 35 years from 1976 to 2013 and was exposed to night-shift work during this period. In 2013, the patient was diagnosed with high-grade prostate cancer through core needle biopsy at a university hospital because of dysuria that lasted for 6 months. Conclusions: The 2 workers were diagnosed with high-grade prostate cancer after working night shifts for 17 and 35 years respectively. Additionally, previous studies have reported that high-grade prostate cancer has a stronger relationship with night-shift work than low or medium-grade prostate cancer. Therefore, the Korean Epidemiologic Investigation Evaluation Committee concluded that night-shift work in these 2 patients contributed to the development of their prostate cancer.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.2 no.2
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• pp.122-134
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• 2011

Objectives: Seven cases of malignant lymphohematopoietic (LHP) disorder were claimed to have developed from occupational exposure at two plants of a semiconductor company from 2007 to 2010. This study evaluated the possibility of exposure to carcinogenic agents for the cases. Methods: Clinical courses were reviewed with assessing possible exposure to carcinogenic agents related to LHP cancers. Chemicals used at six major semiconductor companies in Korea were reviewed. Airborne monitoring for chemicals, including benzene, was conducted and the ionizing radiation dose was measured from 2008 to 2010. Results: The latency of seven cases (five leukemiae, a Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, and an aplastic anemia) ranged from 16 months to 15 years and 5 months. Most chemical measurements were at levels of less than 10% of the Korean Occupational Exposure Limit value. No carcinogens related to LHP cancers were used or detected. Complete-shielded radiation-generating devices were used, but the ionizing radiation doses were 0.20-0.22 uSv/hr (background level: 0.21 ${\mu}Sv/hr$). Airborne benzene was detected at 0.31 ppb when the detection limit was lowered as low as possible. Ethylene oxide and formaldehyde were not found in the cases' processes, while these two were determined to be among the 263 chemicals in the list that was used at the six semiconductor companies at levels lower than 0.1%. Exposures occurring before 2002 could not be assessed because of the lack of information. Conclusion: Considering the possibility of exposure to carcinogenic agents, we could not find any convincing evidence for occupational exposure in all investigated cases. However, further study is needed because the semiconductor industry is a newly developing one.

• Proceedings of the Korea Institute of Fire Science and Engineering Conference
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• 2011.11a
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• pp.526-528
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• 2011

• Proceedings of the Korea Institute of Fire Science and Engineering Conference
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• 2006.04a
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• pp.258-262
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• 2006