• Journal of Korean Society of Industrial and Systems Engineering
• /
• v.21 no.47
• /
• pp.243-251
• /
• 1998

These days material handling accidents and injuries are some of the most common in the workplace. 20-45% of all occupational injuries is taken place in the area of material handling industry. The control and management of material handling activities can have a significant impact on the workforce safety and productivity in the manufacturing industry. This paper is to suggest effective countermeasures for reducing and protecting occupational accidents in the area of material handling industry. To do so, firstly, we found out the relationship between occpational accidents and business. Secondly, we are to analyse overall occupational accidents caused by material handling tools. Thirdly, we found out important factors of occupational accidents and injuries in the area of material handling industry by analysing 10 cases in detail, which have been occured from 1994 to 1997 in the workplace.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Safety
• /
• v.27 no.5
• /
• pp.111-116
• /
• 2012

This study analyzed the accidents and researched on risk of the actual condition in roof works. This study revealed that 68% of accidents in roof works occurred on small sized construction sites. And 79% of accidents are caused by fall. It is simply because most laborers do not wear the safety harness and the mounted equipment is not properly installed. According to our research, we realize that most of roof works have some risk of the fall accidents. Most of roof working sites have the danger of falling at ladder and temporary walkway. In oder to prevent accidents in roof works, the basic rule such as wearing the safety harness must be followed.

• Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
• /
• v.19 no.4
• /
• pp.363-369
• /
• 2009

The total number of confined space accident cases from 1999 to 2007 in Korea were 220, causing 353 injuries and 212 casualties. Out of 220 cases, 44(20.0%) occurred in sewage treatment facilities and 40(18.2%) occurred in both manholes and containers. When the main causes of confined space accidents were classified, oxygen deficiency accounted for 69 cases(31.4%), carbon monoxide, 48(21.8%), hydrogen sulfide, 40(18.2%), and organic solvent, 32(14.5%). Improvement of occupational accident statistics is necessary in order to report accurate and precise data for confined space accidents. The structure of confined space must be considered when selecting gas to be measured.

• Journal of the Korea Safety Management & Science
• /
• v.23 no.1
• /
• pp.1-8
• /
• 2021

The purpose of this study is to investigated occupational accidents of child care worker. We surveyed 392 childcare worker to investigate their experience of occupational accidents. Fifteen percent of the respondents from occupational accdients survey for child care workers reported that they had experienced more than one occupational accident, but mostly did not claim Occupational Safety and Health Insurance. We suggested policy tasks to improve system for protecting child care workers.

• Safety and Health at Work
• /
• v.2 no.1
• /
• pp.52-56
• /
• 2011

Objectives: The occupational accident rate was officially reported to be 0.77 per 100 workers in 2001 and 0.70 in 2009. The stagnant decrease in accident rate raises a question about the effectiveness of prevention activity because there have been active prevention efforts in the past 10 years. It is also necessary to know the exact status of occupational injuries to direct a prevention strategy. Methods: The author re-analyzed occupational injury statistics to find the reason for stagnant decreases in occupational injuries. Compensated occupational injuries cases were used to calculate fatal and non-fatal injury rates. Injuries from commuting accidents and sports activities were excluded as well as occupational diseases. The number of workers was adjusted to that of full time equivalent employees. Results: The fatal injury rate excluding injuries associated with commuting accidents, sports activities, and occupational diseases decreased from 12.59 in 2001 to 8.20 in 2009. In 2007, 67.5% of accidents that involved being caught in objects, which are mostly caused by machines and equipment, occurred in the manufacturing industry; this type of incident has decreased since 2001. The fatal and non-fatal injury rates in the manufacturing industry have continuously decreased while the rates in the service industry have not changed from 2001 to 2009. Non-fatal injuries might not be reported in many cases. The number of insured workers was underestimated as long working hours were not adjusted for in the reporting system. Conclusion: The occupational fatal injury rate has decreased and the non-fatal injury rate might have decreased during the last 10 years, although the statistics show stagnancy. The decrease of the injury rate was countervailed by various factors. Hence, the current accident rate does not reflect the actual situation of accidents in Korea. Korea needs to develop an improved system to more accurately calculate occupational fatal and non-fatal injury rates.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Safety
• /
• v.31 no.4
• /
• pp.27-34
• /
• 2016

Process Safety Management (PSM) system was introduced since 1996 and it makes voluntarily organizing and managing chemical accident prevention system by company itself that contributes to reduce the chemical accidents. However, large or small scaled chemical accidents had occurred frequently in these days. This trend is brought up the necessity to analyze and improve PSM system. In this study, it was conducted by the questionnaire survey and workshop for prevention of major industrial accidents in PSM sites in order to collect extensive opinions from all walks of life and identify overall operation condition. It was proposed to establish improvement plan of implementing condition assessment in PSM system. By results of the study, company's voluntary safety management will be induced by improved PSM system and management plan and it expects to prevent the major industrial accidents.

• Journal of the Ergonomics Society of Korea
• /
• v.34 no.5
• /
• pp.427-436
• /
• 2015

Objective: This study aims to analyze occupational accidents of parking lot attendants by parking lot type. Background: Recently, efforts are made to analyze accident characteristics by occupation type targeting the workers engaged in the same work. Method: This study analyzes 303 occupational accidents of parking lot attendants occurring from 2010 to 2012. Parking lots are grouped into two groups according to the work environment. One is public/ground type which comprises road side or open area parking lots and the other is building/mechanical type which comprises a multi-story parking building with connecting ramps and/or mechanical parking system. The characteristics of occupational accidents by parking lot type are analyzed. Results: Accident characteristics showed the difference between public/ground type and building/mechanical type on the size of enterprise, age, gender and work experience of the injured. Also the accident type, source of accident and parts of body affected are different between the two parking lot types. Conclusion and Application: The findings of accident characteristics according to parking lot types can be used as baseline data for establishing systemized preventative policies for occupational accidents of parking lot attendants.

• Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
• /
• v.22 no.4
• /
• pp.329-336
• /
• 2012

Objectives: The aim of this study is to analyze main problems on occupational safety and hygiene in construction sites and to suggest some improvement methods. In order to decrease industrial accidents, I emphasize the approach paradigm shifts according to characteristics of construction workers. Methods: Pointing out the irrationality of current institutions by comparing bad outcomes of occupational safety and hygiene in construction industry and characteristics of construction workers. Results: In order to decrease industrial accidents, we need some approach paradigm shifts; the supply method of industrial safety and health fundamentals on the construction industry level, the accident rate calculation by using the actual construction workforce instead of an estimation, institutionalizing the prevention efforts themselves for industrial accidents, securing enough production costs for the precondition of occupational safety and hygiene in construction sites. Conclusions: I ascertain the need of the approach paradigm shifts for decreasing industrial accidents in the construction industry.

• Safety and Health at Work
• /
• v.11 no.3
• /
• pp.266-274
• /
• 2020

Background: From only frequency rate of industrial accidents, it is difficult to define the industry composition of accident statistics in a nation. This study aims to propose and develop a new index for measuring the degree of concentration of industrial accidents using the concept of the Herfindahl-Hirschman Index in the case of European countries. Methods: Using the concept of the Herfindahl-Hirschman Index, the concentration index of accidents in the country is developed, and the conditions of European countries are compared using indexes of frequency rate and concentration ratio. Results: The frequency rate and concentration ratio of fatal and nonfatal accidents in European countries are compared. According to the economic condition and geographical position, different patterns of accidents concentration are presented in terms of frequency rate and concentration ratio. Conclusion: We develop the concentration index of industrial and occupational accidents that identifies the industrial ratio of accident occurrence, and the differentiated strategy can be formulated such as approaches to reducing frequency and prioritizing target industries.

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