• Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
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• v.10 no.2
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• pp.18-26
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• 2000

Since the regulation of MSDS (Material Safety Data Sheets) had started from July 1996, employers were required to furnish MSDS for the chemicals in use in their workplace. However, many MSDS did not contain upright information for the chemicals, and they were not updated regularly, and were not written in the standard format required by the Industrial Safety and Health Act (ISHA). The purposes of this study were 1) to examine the reliability of MSDS for mixed solvents, 2) to provide reliable MSDS to employers or employees, 3) to find out any difficulties in implementing MSDS after the initiation, and 4) to promote regular MSDS updating and to ensure the reliability of MSDS for chemical manufacturers. To check the reliability of MSDS of mixed chemicals, 21 samples of mostly degreasing solvents were collected along with their MSDS from the work place. The samples were analyzed by gas chromatography-mass selective detector(GC-MSD). Their components were classified as saturated hydrocarbon, cyclic hydrocarbon, aromatics, and halogen containing hydrocarbon, and the amount of each class were measured. Manufacture's MSDS were compared with the actual composition of the collected samples, and further examined the reliability by checking whether the chemicals analyzed were included in the MSDS correctly. Finally, each item of MSDS was evaluated whether the MSDS correspond to the regulation required by ISHA. The results were following: 1) most of the degreasing solvents in MSDS were incorrect in their composition and contents, 2) the information in the MSDS including hazard classification, exposure level, toxicity, regulatory information were incorrectly provided, and 3) some MSDS did not disclose carcinogens in their MSDS. Continuous monitoring of MSDS was required to ensure reliability of MSDS. The Chemicals containing hydrocarbons from C10-C15 need to be tested to provide toxicity data. In addition, governmental support for providing correct MSDS was recommended to ensure reliability of MSDS. The MSDS regulation relating to the confidential business information may need to be revised to ensure reliability of MSDS.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Safety
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• v.34 no.2
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• pp.48-55
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• 2019

For preventing the accidents generated from the chemical materials, thus far, MSDS (Material Safety Data Sheet) data have been made to notify how to use and manage the hazardous and chemical materials in safety. However, it is difficult for users who handle these materials to understand the MSDS data because they are only listed based on the alphabetical order, not based on the specific factors such as similarity of characteristics. It is limited in representing the types of chemical materials with respect to their characteristics. Thus, in this study, a lots of MSDS data are visualized based on relationships of the characteristics among the chemical materials for supporting safety managers. For this, we used the textmining algorithm which extracts text keywords contained in documents and the Self-Organizing Map (SOM) algorithm which visually addresses textual data information. In the case of Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) in the United States, the guide texts contained in MSDS documents, which include use information such as reactivity and potential risks of materials, are gathered as the target data. First, using the textmining algorithm, the information of chemicals is extracted from these guide texts. Next, the MSDS map is developed using SOM in terms of similarity of text information of chemical materials. The MSDS map is helpful for effectively classifying chemical materials by mapping prohibited and hazardous substances on the developed the SOM map. As a result, using the MSDS map, it is easy for safety managers to detect prohibited and hazardous substances with respect to the Industrial Safety and Health Act standards.

• The Journal of the Convergence on Culture Technology
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• v.9 no.3
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• pp.625-632
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• 2023

Due to the recent occupational accidents, the government made efforts such the Severe Accident Punishment Act and roadmap for reducing severe accidents. In particular, more than 80% accidents occur in small businesses, such as those with less than 50 employees and construction sites with a construction cost of less than 100 million, and practical efforts are needed to reduce them. In small businesses, the appointment of a safety managers and safety and health management regulations have been excluded in whole or in part, and technical guidance from an institution specializing in accident prevention is compulsory to supplement them. In this study, the problems of the safety and health technology support project for small workplaces has been identified through a survey and improvement plans were proposed.

• Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
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• v.33 no.1
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• pp.12-18
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• 2023

Objectives: Personal protective equipment (PPE) is an essential means for protecting workers against hazardous agents or risks that threaten their safety and health. Governmental organizations related to safety and health in the workplace regulate the PPE rules to protect workers and to minimize damage from hazardous agents. This study discussed current PPE rules overseen by the Korea Ministry of Environment and explores future perspectives on the matter. Methods: This study was based on a review of PPE regulations with which every stakeholder should comply in the workplace. Both South Korean regulations enforced by the Ministry of Employment and Labor and the Ministry of Environment and cases from other countries were reviewed. Results: Regulations related to the PPE required for handling chemical substances in the workplace are enforced by the Occupational Safety and Health Act, Enforcement Decree, Enforcement Rules, and Notification of Protective Equipment Certification under the Ministry of Employment and Labor. The Ministry of Environment also regulates the PPE standards for 97 substances requiring preparation for accidents and adjustment of work conditions, but a recent amendment (partially amended on September 30, 2022) loosened some unreasonable or excessive provisions. It requires workers simply to carry or otherwise keep PPE handy instead of wearing it for some tasks in which hazardous chemicals are not handled directly. Conclusions: It is important to regularly review provisions that need to be improved or supplemented to help all stakeholders. Considerations should be also made to build a reasonable regulatory system that can induce more mature safety management in each workplace.

• Journal of agricultural medicine and community health
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• v.27 no.1
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• pp.1-8
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• 2002

Pest control is required for protecting the food supply and for controlling disease vectors. Unfortunately, there is no perfectly safe form of pest control. Pesticides are commonly used for pest control. Pesticides are defined under the US Federal Insecticide Fungicide and Rodenticide Act(FIFRA) as any substance or mixture of substances intended to prevent, destroy, repel, or mitigate pests, and any substance or mixture of substances intended for use as a plant regulator, defoliant, or dessicant(40 CFR Part 152). Currently in the United States, there are 890 active ingredients registered as pesticides. Approximately one billion pounds of active ingredient are used in the US per year. Unlike most chemicals(anti-neoplastic and anti-micobial medications are the principal exceptions), pesticides are specifically designed to kill and cause harm. Because society allows these chemicals to be disseminated into the environment, it is important to monitor the health effects associated with these releases. This represents an important justification for establishing and maintaining surveillance systems for acute pesticide-related illness and injury. A comprehensive, national surveillance system for acute pesticide-related illness and injury does not currently exist in the US. Although the United States has several surveillance systems for this condition, none provide a complete understanding of the problem of acute pesticide-related illness and injury. The Toxic Exposure Surveillance System(TESS) and Bureau of Labor Statisitics(BLS) are useful for assessing magnitude and trends. The state-based surveillance systems are more useful for timely identification of outbreaks and emerging problems. Efforts are underway to increase the number of states that conduct surveillance, and to broaden the use of the standardized case definition to facilitate aggregation of data across states. Through such efforts, a comprehensive, national surveillance system may be attainable.

• Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
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• v.32 no.3
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• pp.209-220
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• 2022

Objectives: This study was performed to suggest how to re-establish criterion for toxic substances under the Chemical Control Act (CCA) in South Korea by comparing the GHS (Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labeling of Chemicals) score and toxic properties. Methods: Toxic substances were classified into seven groups (Acute toxicity (1A), Chronic toxicity (2C), Environmental hazards (3E), Acute toxicity & chronic toxicity (4AC), Chronic toxicity & environmental hazards (5CE), Acute toxicity & environmental hazards (6AE), and Acute toxicity & chronic toxicity & environmental hazards (7ACE)) according to their toxic properties. The GHS score was calculated to sum up five toxicity indicators (health acute toxicity, health repeated toxicity, carcinogenicity, health other chronic toxicity and environmental hazards). Results: The GHS score of 7ACE was higher by 7 times that of 1A. 1A is the only group which has lower than the total GHS score. The highest score was 47, for sodium chromate (CAS no. 7775-11-3), which belongs to group 7ACE. This is classified as acute toxicity, carcinogenicity, germ cell mutagenicity, reproductive toxicity, and acute and chronic environmental hazard. On the other hand, the lowest score was 2.75, which was assigned to 177 chemicals belonging to group 1A. When the health acute toxicity indicator was omitted from the toxic criterion, toxic substances could be divided into the sub-groups 'human chronic hazards group' (HCG) and 'environmental hazards group' (EG) according to their GHS score and properties. Conclusions: The proposed criterion for toxic substances is to establish sub-groups defined as HCG and EG for separate control and that the 1A group be moved to substances requiring preparation for accidents under the CCA.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Safety
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• v.31 no.1
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• pp.87-94
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• 2016

Recently, as Korean industrial structure is moving to the service job, the number of workers engaged in the service job is increasing slowly. According to the statistics by Ministry of Employment and Labor announced in June, 2013, the number of service job workers in Korea was 7,477,135 which accounted for 48.4% of total workers. The trend of this service job is expected to increase continuously in the future. According to the 2013 statistics by Ministry of Employment and Labor, the number of industrial accidents victims of industrial accidents in the service job was 30,526 which was the biggest number among the entire businesses. The victims in the service job accounted for 33.2% among the total number of industrial accidents and represented more than those in the manufacture and construction industry. The service job had various works and employment patterns and most service jobs are petty and are small-sized establishments and it is difficult to try voluntarily to prevent the industrial accidents. However, Korean occupational safety and health act was enacted in accordance with the construction and manufacture in which industrial accidents occurred frequently in the past. The support of the government for the industrial accident prevention is focused on the construction and manufacture. Therefore, the current service job is placed on the blind spot of the safety management. Raising the safety awareness of workers through the safety education is the most important in order to prevent the industrial accidents of the service job with many conventional/repeated disasters such as the conduction by a simple mistake. Accordingly, this study analyzed the features and accidents of the domestic service jobs through the literature survey and analyzed the institutional devices for the safety management of the domestic service job, and the safety management cases of foreign service jobs and compared with domestic systems. Considering demands for the basic safety education for service job workers, a questionnaire was conducted targeting the service job workers and the execution plan of the basic safety & health education targeting the service job workers was carried out through the brainstorming of trainers of worker in the service job.

• Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.148-155
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• 2013

Objectives: This study was performed in order to compare the average levels and similarity of occupational exposure limits in South Korea, the U.S., the E.U., Germany, Japan and Finland. Methods: In this study, occupational exposure limits (OELs) for one hundred and seventy seven hazardous substances which are managed in the workplace by the Occupational Safety and Health Act in South Korea were matched with those of other countries. The units for the exposure limits of the same substance (identical CAS number) were unified and the exposure limits in each country were compared with threshold limit values (TLVs) of the American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists (ACGIH) using a geometric mean method. Geometric similarity was calculated to assess the association by each country. Results: The exposure limits according to ACGIH TLVs in South Korea, the E.U., Germany, Japan, and Finland were 148, 37, 76, 90, and 110, respectively. When using TLVs of ACGIH as a standard, the geometric mean ratios of Germany, Finland, the E.U., South Korea, and Japan were 0.79, 0.80, 0.82, 1.19, and 1.27, respectively. Geometric similarity with TLVs of ACGIH was highest in South Korea (0.75) followed by Japan (0.56), the E.U. (0.52), Finland (0.50), and Germany (0.46). Conclusions: Through the comparison of levels of OELs and similarities among South Korea, the U.S., the E.U., Germany, Japan, and Finland, we could better understand the characteristics of occupational exposure limits by country.

• Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
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• v.32 no.4
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• pp.340-349
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• 2022

Objectives: The importance of MSDS is emphasized for communicating hazardous information due to the increase in the types and usage of chemical substances. The purpose of this study is to assess the reliability of MSDS by collecting and examining paint thinners commercially available in South Korea. Methods: Twenty-five paint thinners were purchased at paint stores and the provision of MSDS was checked. Quantitative and qualitative analysis was performed on the chemical constituents of the thinners using GC-MSD and GC-FID. Reliability was evaluated by the MSDS collection rate for the paint thinners and calculating the rate of matching between laboratory analysis results and the contents and composition of chemical constituents given in the MSDS. Results: Unlike a study conducted in 2006, MSDS were provided for all 25 thinners. As a result of qualitative analysis using GC-MSD, 104 chemical substances were detected. The substances with the highest detection rate were identified in the order of toluene, butyl acetate, acetone, xylene, and ethyl benzene. A component matching rate of 41% was found by comparing the differences between the number of substances detected in laboratory testing and the number of substances listed in the MSDS. Benzene, a carcinogen not listed in the MSDS, was detected in two thinners produced by a small company. The detected benzene contents were 0.039 and 0.040%. When benzene is used, it should be strictly handled according to the Industrial Safety and Health Act. However, since it is not listed on the MSDS, it is judged that benzene was not being managed as a carcinogen in the workplaces where it is used. Conclusions: Since the reliability of MSDS, which play an important role in hazard communication, was evaluated to be low, it is necessary to systematically and continuously secure this reliability. In particular, carcinogens should be managed more strictly.

• Journal of the Korea Institute of Building Construction
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.191-197
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• 2017

The safety nature of construction industry differs from that of manufacturing sector. For instance, accident risk level dramatically varies at each phase of construction process. Korean Occupational and Health Safety Act has been regulated OHS expense and it contributed reducing accident risk and enhancing safety culture for many years. However, although current regulation guides to use OHS expense proportionate to construction progress, it still allows late use of the expense. This study was conducted for the purpose of presenting methods of estimating a step-by-step OHS expense rate required at each construction phase. In order to do provide proper OHS expense schedule, it analysed accident risk of each construction phase by sorting out 1439 cases of construction site fatality reports, and proposed a method of generating appropriate OHS expense scheme according to its construction work progress characteristics. Both linear and sigmoidal S-curve model were used for the analysis, and the latter generally requires earlier use of OHS expense. By comparing the estimated OHS expense use schedule with current criteria, more than 27%p early use of OHS expense is required for the prevention of accident.