• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.29 no.3 s.54
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• pp.609-616
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• 1996

This study was conducted to evaluate the degree of stress state and the risk factors related to in 967 white collar workers and 275 blue collar workers by using Psycosocial Well-being Index. The results obtained were as follows : 1. In the white collar workers and blue collar workers, young age, low education and low income groups had high scores of stress, while in white collar workers, female had high scores of stress but in blue collar workers, male had high scores of stress. 2. According to psychosocial well-being index, mild stress sto were 73.9% and 53.1%, high risk stress state were 8.9% and 44.4%, and healthy state were 17.2% and 2.6% in white collar and blue collar workers respectively. 3. The total stress score was highly associated with the factors of depression, social performance and self-confidence, general well-being and vitality, and sleeping disturbance and anxiety in order. 4. In reliability test of stress factors, Cronbach's $\alpha$ coefficients of depression, social performance and self-confidence, general well-being and vitality, and sleeping disturbance and anxiety were 0.89, 0.81, 0.79, and 0.74 respectively. In conclusion, it suggested that age, sex, marital status, income, education, sleeping time, smoking and exercise habit were associated with stress score, all of the above factors should considered to occupational health.

• Journal of Navigation and Port Research
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• v.38 no.6
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• pp.615-621
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• 2014

VTS operators may suffer from acute, chronic, or traumatic stress caused by their workload and working environments associated with task or combination of task. This study intended to measure the level of VTS operator' stress and find out factors influencing it by understanding their characteristics during carrying out their task. For this purpose, analyzed the data collected through conducting survey on VTS operators as the Korea Occupational Stress(KOSS) and Psychological Well-being Index(PWI). As a result, VTS operators are experiencing higher level of psychological stress than the national average. And the factors to cause VTS operators' occupational stress can be summarized as follows; working environment factors, shift work especially night duty, workload, etc. This study provides the fundamental information for understanding human factors of VTS operator' occupational stress.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.2 no.2
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• pp.158-168
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• 2011

Objectives: The present study aims to determine the causal relationship between self-rated depression and experiences of injury and accidents in municipal firefighters. Methods: A panel survey of 186 municipal firefighters measured with depressive symptoms according to the Beck's depression index (BDI) was conducted. The effects of job-related injuries and accidents were evaluated using self-administered questionnaires that were taken once in a 12-month period from 2005 to 2006. Firefighters were classified into the Depression Group or Control Group based on follow-up BDI results with a cutoff level that was set to having "over mild depression." Results: The depression Group was comprised of 17 (9.1%) workers, including 9 firefighters who met had sufficient BDI scores twice in the 2-year test period and newly sufficient BDI scores in the follow-up test. A significantly higher number of subjects in the Depression Group experienced injuries and accidents in the 2-year test period as compared to the Control Group (15.4% vs. 1.5%, p=0.04). Firefighters who experienced injuries and accidents in the 2-year test period had a 7.4 times higher risk of being in the Depression Group than those who had not. As compared to accidents, near-miss accidents revealed stronger risks related to being classified as in the Depression group (adjusted odds ratio [OR] = 4.58, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.15-18.18 vs. Adjusted OR = 4.22, 95% CI = 1.08-16.58). Conclusion: The above results suggest that we should establish an effective program to promote mental health for groups at high risk for self-rated depression, including persons who have experienced consecutive injuries and accidents as well as near-miss injuries.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.5 no.4
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• pp.169-174
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• 2014

We have been examining the issue of healthcare workers' exposure to antineoplastic drugs for nearly a decade and have observed that there appears to be more publications on the subject matter originating from Europe than from North America. The concern is that findings from Europe may not be generalizable to North America because of differences in handling practices, regulatory requirements, and training. Our objective was to perform a literature review to confirm our observation and, in turn, identify gaps in knowledge that warrants addressing in North America. Using select keywords, we searched for publications in PubMed and Web of Science. All papers were initially classified according to the originating continent and then categorized into one or more subject categories (analytical methods, biological monitoring, occupational exposure, surface contamination, and probability of risk/exposure). Our review identified 16 papers originating from North America and 55 papers from Europe with surface contamination being the subject matter most often studied overall. Based on our results, we are of the opinion that North American researchers need to further conduct dermal and/or urinary drug contamination studies as well as assess the exposure risk faced by healthcare workers who handle antineoplastic drugs. Trends in exposure levels should also be explored.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.14 no.2
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• pp.153-162
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• 2023

Background: Job safety analysis (JSA) is a popular technique for hazard identification and risk assessment in workplaces that has been applied across a wide range of industries. This systematic review was conducted to answer four main questions regarding JSA: (1) which sectors and areas have used JSA? (2) What has been the aim of employing JSA? (3) What are the shortcomings of JSA? (4) What are the new advances in the field of JSA? Methods: Three main international databases were searched: SCOPUS, Web of Science, and PubMed. After screening and eligibility assessment, 49 articles were included. Results: Construction industries have used JSA the most, followed by process industries and healthcare settings. Hazard identification is the main aim of JSA, but it has been used for other purposes as well. Being time-consuming, the lack of an initial list of hazards, the lack of a universal risk assessment method, ignoring hazards from the surrounding activities, ambiguities regarding the team implementing JSA, and ignorance of the hierarchy of controls were the main shortcomings of JSA based on previous studies. Conclusion: In recent years, there have been interesting advances in JSA making attempts to solve shortcomings of the technique. A seven-step JSA was recommended to cover most shortcomings reported by studies.

• Korean Journal of Culture and Social Issue
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.291-318
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• 2009

The purpose of this study was to find out the impact of psycho-social factors (social relationship and personal) as well as illness history and economic status on physical health and subjective well-being among the retired Koreans elderly. Data were collected from 1,315 elders (mean age = 72.70yrs) residing in Seoul and Chuncheon regional area via interviews(Time 1), and them were re-interviewed two year later(Time 2). Multiple regression analyses indicated that the retired elders' illness history, economic status, marital satisfaction, fulfillment of self-esteem need, drinking behavior, positive affectivity, negative affectivity and physical health to predict their subjective well-being at Time 1(R²=.705). The retired elders' economic status, marital satisfaction, positive affectivity, negative affectivity and physical health to predict their subjective well-being at Time 2(R²=.418). The retired elders' illness history, economic status, expectations for one's offspring, drinking behavior and subjective well-being to predict their physical health at Time 1(R²=.364). And the retired elders' illness history, economic status, marital satisfaction, positive affectivity and negative affectivity to predict their physical health at Time 2(R²=.265). In case of retired elderly, suggested for the psycho-social determenants of subjective well-being and physical health by occupational classification. The implications of this study and the suggestions for furture study were discussed.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.1 no.1
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• pp.51-60
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• 2010

Objectives: The level of benzene exposure in the petrochemical industry during regular operation has been well established, but not in turnaround (TA), where high exposure may occur. In this study, the characteristics of occupational exposure to benzene during TA in the petrochemical companies were investigated in order to determine the best management strategies and improve the working environment. This was accomplished by evaluating the exposure level for the workers working in environments where benzene was being produced or used as an ingredient during the unit process. Methods: From 2003 to 2008, a total of 705 workers in three petrochemical companies in Korea were studied. Long- and short-term (< 1 hr) samples were taken during TAs. TA was classified into three stages: shut-down, maintenance and start-up. All works were classified into 12 occupation categories. Results: The long-term geometric mean (GM) benzene exposure level was 0.025 (5.82) ppm (0.005-42.120 ppm) and the short-term exposure concentration during TA was 0.020 (17.42) ppm (0.005-61.855 ppm). The proportions of TA samples exceeding the time-weighted average, occupational exposure level (TWA-OEL in Korea, 1 ppm) and the short-term exposure limit (STEL-OEL, 5 ppm) were 4.1% (20 samples of 488) and 6.0% (13 samples of 217), respectively. The results for the benzene exposure levels and the rates of exceeding the OEL were both statistically significant (p < 0.05). Among the 12 job categories of petrochemical workers, mechanical engineers, plumbers, welders, fieldman and scaffolding workers exhibited long-term samples that exceeded the OEL of benzene, and the rate of exceeding the OEL was statistically significant for the first two occupations (p < 0.05). Conclusion: These findings suggest that the periodic work environment must be assessed during non-routine works such as TA.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.12 no.3
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• pp.370-376
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• 2021

Backround: Working condition surveys are widely recognized as useful tools for monitoring the quality of working life and the improvements introduced by health and safety policy frameworks at the European and national level. The Italian Workers' Compensation Authority carried out a national survey (Insula) to investigate the employer's perceptions related to working conditions and their impact on health. Methods: The present study is based on the data collected from the Italian survey on health and safety at work (INSULA) conducted on a representative sample of the Italian workforce (n = 8,000). This focuses on the relationship between psychosocial risk factors and self-reported health using a set of logistic and linear regression models. Results: Working conditions such as managerial support, job satisfaction, and role act as protective factors on mental and physical health. On the contrary, workers' risk perceptions related to personal exposure to occupational safety and health risks, concern about health conditions, and work-related stress risk exposure determine a poorer state of health. Conclusions: This study highlights the link between working conditions and self-report health, and this aims to provide a contribution in the field of health at work. Findings show that working conditions must be object of specific preventive measures to improve the workers' health and well-being.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.11 no.4
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• pp.500-508
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• 2020

Background: Research on the status of many chemicals used in the semiconductor industry is needed. The purpose of this study was to describe the overall status of chemical use in the semiconductor industry in Korea and to examine it from a health perspective. Methods: Data on the status of chemical use and safety data sheets at 11 of 12 major semiconductor workplaces in Korea were collected. The number of chemical products and chemical constituents, quantities of chemicals, and trade secret ingredients used, as well as the health hazards were examined. Results: On average, 210 chemical products and 135 chemical constituents were used at the surveyed workplaces. Among all chemical products, 33% (range: 16-56%) contained at least one trade secret ingredient. Most of the trade secret ingredients were used in the photolithography process. Several carcinogens, including sulfuric acid, chromic acid, ethylene oxide, crystalline silica, potassium dichromate, and formaldehyde were also used. Only 29% (39 of 135) of the chemical constituents had occupational exposure limits, and more than 60% had no National Fire Protection Association health, safety, and reactivity ratings. Based on the aforementioned results, this study revealed the following. First, many chemical products and constituents are being used in the semiconductor industry and many products contained trade secret ingredients. Second, many products contained significant amounts of carcinogenic, mutagenic, and reproductive toxicant materials. Conclusion: We conclude that protecting workers in the semiconductor industry against harm from chemical substances will be difficult, due to widespread use of trade secret ingredients and a lack of hazard information. The findings of the status of chemical use and the health and safety risks in semiconductor industry will contribute to epidemiological studies, safe workplace, and worker health protection.

• East Asian Journal of Business Economics (EAJBE)
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• v.11 no.3
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• pp.1-10
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• 2023

Purpose - Beauty service employees who perform emotional labor are becoming an important factor in their duties to be performed at customer contact with the emotional expression norms set and required by organizations and companies. There are health problems for beauty workers due to working environments such as physical, chemical, and social factors. Accordingly, this study presents practical ways to protect the health of beauty workers. Research design, data, and methodology - This review study was conducted by searching PubMed, Google Scholar, Riss, Scopus, and Research Gate. Beauty Health Care, Occupational Diseases, Beauty Industry, Beauty Employees, Work-Life Vallance (WLV). I referred to the keywords such as that. A total of 471 papers were searched, of which 46 were finally included in this study on the PRISMA flowchart. Result: The beauty service industry can be classified as a job with high job stress among the beauty industries, and establishing appropriate measures to effectively help beauty industry workers proves to be an important strategy for maintaining physically and mentally healthy lives. Conclusion - Active research is needed to create a healthy environment with sustainable well-being by identifying physical and mental outbreaks according to the degree of awareness through various causes of occupational diseases such as gender and environment of beauty industry workers.