• Journal of the Korean Society of Safety
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• v.28 no.1
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• pp.151-157
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• 2013

This paper is a comparative study on risk assessment policy between Asian countries such as Japan, Korea, Singapore and EU countries, German, UK. Risk assessment is a tool adopted currently in many countries in order to reduce occupational risk in workplace because it help employers to identify their hazard arousing in their working conditions then to settle the issues. This paper compares institutional framework posed in EU and Asian countries. As a result of comparative study, EU countries have more concrete legal system for risk assessment than Asian countries. But Asian countries are now interested in risk assessment such as Japan, Korea and Singapore. The author also suggests successful ways to settle down the risk assessment policy in a country. These findings help to understand occupational health and safety policy on risk assessment in Asian countries.

• International conference on construction engineering and project management
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• 2022.06a
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• pp.728-735
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• 2022

Roofers get exposed to increased risk of knee musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) at different phases of a sloped shingle installation task. As different phases are associated with different risk levels, this study explored the application of machine learning for automated classification of seven phases in a shingle installation task using knee kinematics and roof slope information. An optical motion capture system was used to collect knee kinematics data from nine subjects who mimicked shingle installation on a slope-adjustable wooden platform. Four features were used in building a phase classification model. They were three knee joint rotation angles (i.e., flexion, abduction-adduction, and internal-external rotation) of the subjects, and the roof slope at which they operated. Three ensemble machine learning algorithms (i.e., random forests, decision trees, and k-nearest neighbors) were used for training and prediction. The simulations indicate that the k-nearest neighbor classifier provided the best performance, with an overall accuracy of 92.62%, demonstrating the considerable potential of machine learning methods in detecting shingle installation phases from workers knee joint rotation and roof slope information. This knowledge, with further investigation, may facilitate knee MSD risk identification among roofers and intervention development.

• Journal of the Korea Safety Management & Science
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• v.21 no.4
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• pp.17-23
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• 2019

The applications of information and communication technology (ICT) into real industrial fields are getting great attentions in recent years. More and more industrial practitioners and scientific researchers are conducting studies and trying to adopt the technologies into diverse industrial fields. The purpose of this study is to review the technologies such as big data and smart sensors and to provide application cases in order to facilitate grafting the 4th industrial revolutionary technologies onto the safety and health systems. Based on the comprehensive reviews on literature, reports, and industrial cases, we found that big data technology has been used in industries for investigating work related disease. In addition, digital image technology and drone have been applied to establish safety system in construction industry. Lastly, some companies have tried to apply the technologies to build their own safety and health system.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.9-16
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• 2022

Background: The global shift toward greener societies demands new technologies and work operations in the waste-management sector. However, progressive industrial methods do not necessarily consider workers' health. This study characterized workers' exposure to bioaerosols and investigated the bioaerosols' potential to engage the immune system in vitro. Methods: Full shift personal aerosol sampling was conducted over three consecutive days. Dust load was analyzed by gravimetry, fungal and actinobacterial spores were analyzed by scanning electron microscopy, and endotoxin by limulus amebocyte lysate (LAL) assay. In vitro exposure of HEK cells to airborne dust samples was used to investigate the potential of inducing an inflammatory reaction. Results: The total dust exposure level exceeded the recommended occupational exposure limit (OEL) of 5.0 mg/m³ in 3 out of 15 samples. The inhalable endotoxin level exceeded the recommended exposure level by a 7-fold, whereas the fungal spore level exceeded the recommended exposure level by an 11-fold. Actinobacterial spores were identified in 8 out of 14 samples. In vitro experiments revealed significant TLR2 activation in 9 out of 14 samples vs. significant TLR4 activation in all samples. Conclusion: The present study showed that the dust samples contained potentially health-impairing endotoxin, fungi, and actinobacterial levels. Furthermore, the sampled dust contained microbial components capable of inducing TLR activation and thus have the potential to evoke an inflammatory response in exposed individuals.

• Journal of the Korea Safety Management & Science
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• v.12 no.3
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• pp.107-119
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• 2010

The aim of this study was to compare the carcinogen classification systems of developed countries or global organizations with domestic system under Industrial Safety and Health Act (ISHA). We selected the representative institutions which had carcinogen classification system such as International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), National Toxicological Program (NTP), Environmental Protection Agency (US-EPA), American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists (ACGIH), and European Union (EU). We collected the carcinogen lists issued by 5 institutions, and merged by CAS number of each chemical with Microsoft Access 7.0. We found that confirmed human carcinogens, probable human carcinogens and possible human carcinogens were 34, 179, and 252, respectively. All of the institutions classified chemicals as 2 (NTP), 3 (EU) or 5 (IARC, ACGIH, US-EPA) categories based on the weight of scientific evidences for carcinogenicity and periodically updated the carcinogen list by regular procedure. However, a total of 90 chemicals could be classified as carcinogen under ISHA in Korea. There was no procedure or system which periodically update the carcinogen lists. In addition, the status of carcinogen classification according to regulation was confused. In conclusion, these findings suggest that the carcinogen classification and management system should be amended by consideration of systems of advanced institutions and the domestic regulation system.

• Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
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• v.33 no.4
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• pp.485-501
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• 2023

Objectives: The Ministry of Employment and Labor has revised the articles regarding management of the thermal environment in the workplace. Currently, two types of regulations exist together with indoor workplaces as the scope of application. It appears that the time has come to discuss regulations. In this study, we aim to identify the feasibility of and problems with the current system through a comparative legal review of workplace thermal environment management laws from around the world. We suggest directions for improving South Korea's workplace thermal environment management laws. Methods: For the several selected countries, we analyzed the classification and content of obligations stipulated for the thermal environment, the presence or absence of specific measures for thermal environment management, legal status and content, and the scope of application of thermal environment provisions and measures. The investigated content was classified according to Zweigelt-Kotz's legal theory. Results: In some countries, employers' obligations for regulating the thermal environment are broadly divided into two types: results and actions. The scope of application of provisions and measures on the thermal environment was extensive, with most of the selected countries targeting general workplaces. Conclusions: In the case of South Korea, restricting and classifying target workplaces and imposing separate obligations to manage a workplace thermal environment goes against global practices, and stipulating legal orders and separate action obligations in guidelines does not conform to the characteristics of South Korea's legal system, meaning that improvement is needed.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.52 no.4
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• pp.265-271
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• 2019

Objectives: The Samsung Ombudsperson Commission was launched as an independent third-party institution following an agreement among Samsung Electronics, Supporters for Health and Right of People in Semiconductor Industry (Banolim in Korean, an independent NGO), and the Family Compensation Committee, in accordance with the industry accident prevention measure required by the settlement committee to address the issues related to employees who allegedly died from leukemia and other diseases as a result of working at Samsung's semiconductor production facilities. Methods: The Commission has carried out a comprehensive range of activities to review and evaluate the status of the company's occupational accidents management system, as well as occupational safety and health risk management within its facilities. Results: Based on the results of this review, termed a comprehensive diagnosis, the Commission presented action plans for improvement to strengthen the company's existing safety and health management system and to effectively address uncertain risks in this area going forward. Conclusions: The Commission will monitor the execution of the suggested tasks and provide advice and guidance to ensure that Samsung's semiconductor and liquid crystal display production lines are safer.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Industry Convergence
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• v.26 no.5
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• pp.765-774
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• 2023

The Ministry of Employment and Labor implemented the process safety management(PSM) system from 1996 to prevent major industrial accidents caused by chemical substances, but the number of accidents did not drastically decrease. Even in workplaces with excellent PSM ratings, large-scale chemical accidents still occur due to non-compliance with safety work procedures and insufficient safety measures during maintenance and other work. Accordingly, the chemical accident risk warning system was introduced in 2014 to supplement the PSM system and prevent accidents that may occur during regular or unexpected maintenance and repair work. In the meantime, changes in the safety management system have been checked since the introduction of the chemical accident risk warning system at chemical handling workplaces, and based on the results, a plan for upgrading this system has been proposed. The effect of the CARW system was found to directly prevent accidents through wired and on-site consulting and post-management at the workplace and indirectly contribute to the establishment of a safety and health management system at the workplace, such as improving safety culture awareness.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.7 no.2
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• pp.171-174
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• 2016

Effective and sustainable prevention of work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WR-MSDs) remains a challenge for preventers and policy makers. Coordination of stakeholders involved in the prevention of WR-MSDs is a key factor that requires greater reflection on common knowledge and shared representation of workers' activities among stakeholders. Information on workers' strategies and operational leeway should be the core of common representations, because it places workers at the center of the "work situation system" considered by the intervention models. Participatory ergonomics permitting debates among stakeholders about workers' activity and strategies to cope with the work constraints in practice could help them to share representations of the "work situation system" and cooperate. Sharing representation therefore represents a useful tool for prevention, and preventers should provide sufficient space and time for dialogue and discussion of workers' activities among stakeholders during the conception, implementation, and management of integrated prevention programs.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.8 no.2
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• pp.175-182
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• 2017

Background: With the recent rapid industrialization, occupational safety and health (OSH) has become an important issue in all industrial and human activities. However, incidents of injuries and fatality rates in the Ghanaian industry sector continue to increase. Despite this increase, there is no evidence regarding the element of OSH management in transport activities in Ghanaian industries. Thus, this study aims to examine the perceptions regarding the importance of safety and health in work-related transport activities in Ghanaian industries. Methods: A survey data collection technique was used to gather information on best safety practices over a 5-month period. We randomly selected 298 respondents from industries to answer structured questionnaires. The respondents included drivers, transport managers, and safety engineers. Standard multiple regression model and Pearson product-movement correlation were used to performed the analysis. Results: The result shows that for interventions to improve safety and health, concentration has been on drivers' safety practice with less attention to safe driving environments and vehicle usage. Additionally, the respondents are aware of the importance of OSH in transport activities, but the level of integration does not measure up to the standard to reduce operational accidents and injuries. Finally, strong commitment to changing unsafe practices at all levels of operations appears to be the effective way to improve safety situations. Conclusion: OSH culture is not fully complied in industries transport activities. This study, therefore, supports the use of safety seminars and training sessions for industry workers responsible for transport operations for better integration of safety standards.