• Safety and Health at Work
• /
• v.9 no.4
• /
• pp.388-397
• /
• 2018

Background: The study analyzes penalties imposed on organizations for breaching safety and health regulations. The research questions are as follows: what are the commonly breached safety and health regulations? How proportional are penalties imposed on organizations for breaching health and safety regulations in the United Kingdom? Methods: The study employed sequential explanatory mixed research strategies for better understanding of health and safety penalties imposed on organizations. Actual health and safety convictions and penalties data for 10 years (2006 to 2016) were obtained through the United Kingdom Health and Safety Executive (HSE) public register for convictions. Overall, 2,217 health and safety cases were analyzed amounting to total fines of £37,179,916, in addition to other wide-ranging penalties. For thorough understanding, eight interviews were conducted with industry practitioners, lawyers, and HSE officials as part of the study qualitative data. Results: Findings show that the Health and Safety at Work (HSW) Act accounted for 46% of all HSE prosecution cases in the last decade. This is nearly half of the total safety and health at work prosecutions. Moreover, there is widespread desire for organizations to comply with the HSW Act, but route fines are seen as burdensome and inimical to business growth. Conclusion: A key deduction from the study reveal significant disproportionality concerning penalties imposed on organizations for breaching safety and health regulations. On aggregate, small companies tend to pay more for health and safety offenses in a ratio of 1:2 compared to large companies. The study also reveals that the HSW Act accounted for nearly half of the total safety and health at work prosecutions in the last decade.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Safety
• /
• v.21 no.4 s.76
• /
• pp.119-126
• /
• 2006

Though safety signs are important since they transmit hazard information even after diverse accident prevention treatments, their functional effectiveness were never tested in Korea so that even those provided by Occupational Safety & Health Act(OSHAct) could not accomplish their objectives, "effective accident prevention", This research was carried out to understand confronted problems and improvement direction for safety signs provided by OSHAct. For them, current safety signs were analyzed with a semiotic view on one hand, and a questionnaire survey was conducted with safety-related people in industrial fields on the other hand. To summarize problems in semiotic aspects, geometric simplicity of pictograms in safety signs seemed to be so emphasized that they might fail to induce realistic action, and their esthetic sensation seemed to be lower than those of developed countries. And according to present questionnaire survey, it was pointed out that; 1) legal systems related with safety signs were not classified appropriately, 2) safety signs were recognized as difficult to understand and inapplicable to industrial fields, and eventually 3) safety signs were not effectively utilized for industrial accident prevention. Therefore, discussions for improving confronted problems and relation to international standards were added at the end.

• Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
• /
• v.31 no.2
• /
• pp.111-118
• /
• 2021

Objectives: The necessity of samples for analysis requested by working environment monitoring institutes (WMIs) has grown recently. The collection of samples of a few chemical substances requested by WMIs is allowed under the current occupational safety and health act in Korea, leading to an expansion of samples for analysis requested by institutes (SRIs). The objective of this study was to identify the number of institutes for analyzing requested samples (IARS), SRIs, and their participation in a non-mandatory proficiency test. Methods: Questionnaires were completed by all WMIs. The collected information was quantity of analysis equipment, sorting of chemicals from SRIs, and the number of SRIs. This was compared in terms of the participation in the non-mandatory proficiency test. Results: All WMIs in Korea responded to the survey, establishing a 100% response rate. There were 52 (29%) IARS among the 179 WMIs in Korea. The total number of samples of acid for ion chromatograph (IC) analysis requested by WMIs was 21,165, which is the most. Even the number of IARS for crystalline silicon oxide was less than other top-five IARS. The total amount of samples was 13,863, which was the second most. The calculated participation score for IARS was significantly higher than other WMIs (p<0.001). According to participation in the non-mandatory proficiency test by type of substance, such as crystalline silicon oxide and formaldehyde among IARS, the number of SRIs from those IARS was significantly higher than IARS that did not participate in the proficiency test (p<0.05). Conclusions: IARS had a high frequency of participation in the non-mandatory proficiency test and the number of SRIs at IARS participating in the proficiency test was higher among IARS. With the revision of the occupational health and safety act in Korea, the number of IARS participating in the non-mandatory proficiency test might increase.

• Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
• /
• v.26 no.4
• /
• pp.389-395
• /
• 2016

Objectives: Acute methanol poisonings known to be typical occupational diseases occurring in developing countries broke out in sub-contract manufacturers in the early 2016. The present paper attempted to identify underlying causes which hide under apparent findings, and suggest alternative policies to prevent recurrence of similar intoxication Methods: We evaluated occupational health and safety characteristics of workers in micro-enterprises similar to workplaces with methanol poisoning by in depth-interview of employers, workers, and labor inspectors, and literature review. Results: The common findings of workplaces with methanol poisoning were addressed; First, the victims were illegal agency workers. Second, the workplaces were sub-contract micro-manufacturers with less than 5 employees. Investigators found that local ventilations did not work, while most of workers did not wear any proper personal respiratory protective equipment in the workplace. In addition, periodic environmental monitoring and medical check-ups were not done. However, these apparent findings do not appear to be root causes of methanol poisoning. Our in depth-analysis clarified a root cause; micro-enterprises with less than 5 employees are exempted with essential regulations of OSH Act, and employers do not know about OSH Act. Conclusions: We suggest occupational health policies to prevent recurrence of similar intoxication; First, government should introduce programs so that all employers should know about employers' responsibilities in OSH Act from the start of business. Second, even manufacturers with less than 5 employees should not be exempted with essential regulations of OSH Act. Finally, employers should take responsibilities for health and safety of all the workers including agency workers working in workplaces.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Safety
• /
• v.18 no.4
• /
• pp.130-135
• /
• 2003

This study is planned to investigate the compliance of small sized enterprises of under 5 employees directed by Industrial Safety and Health Act. Occupational safety regulation can be required for employer and employee to comply because that all members of workplace should be involved to protect worker's health. When all members of workplace comply with safety regulation, effectiveness of regulation will be realized as expectation. The study subject is composed of three groups as 501 employers, 501 employees of small sized enterprises of under 5 employees and 107 safety inspectors sampled by stratified random sampling for comparison. Data for analysis is collected from each sample using interview with structured questionnaires. Compliance is measured by 5 point scale composed by 8 sub items such as general perception, understanding, clearness, necessity, relevancy, implementation, penalty, and general compliance of the regulation. Among sub items of employer's compliance, the level of perception of regulation, necessity of regulation, relevancy of penalty are differentiated among three groups. The level of all 8 items of employee's compliance also differentiated among three groups. These results show that strategies for ensuring the same level of compliance among three groups will be needed through education, training and evaluation of regulation and feedback.

• Korean Journal of Occupational Health Nursing
• /
• v.29 no.4
• /
• pp.235-246
• /
• 2020

Purpose: In Korea, the proportion of female workers among occupational injury is steadily increasing. The purpose of this study was to identify the workplace risk factors that threaten the safety and health of the female workers. Methods: Qualitative study was conducted, using focus group interview. Data were collected from five focus groups of eighteen female workers who were working in the manufacturing, health service, and educational service industries. Results: The seven themes of occupational safety and health risks of women workers are as follows: 1) Workplace with various risks; 2) Sliding, falling, burning, and cutting accidents; 3) Chronically lasting musculoskeletal symptoms; 4) Chemicals that may be harmful to workers; 5) Unprotected infectious disease; 6) Psychological safety accidents(Relationship conflict and emotional labor); 7) Loud, hot, stuffy, scary, and tired. Conclusion: The Occupational Safety & Health (OSH) Act should be rearranged gender sensitively and women's participation in the OSH decision-making process should be guaranteed. OSH education should be properly implemented in the field, and support should be provided for women workers in small businesses. A supportive organizational culture for marriage, pregnancy and childbirth should be established, and the working environment should be provided safely, taking into account gender differences.

• Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
• /
• v.28 no.4
• /
• pp.406-415
• /
• 2018

Objective: The purpose of this study was to investigate the hazards of cosmetic ingredients in Korea. Methods: An Excel database of cosmetic ingredients was developed on a website(Korea Cosmetic Ingredient Dictionary) and used for a hazard assessment based on Tox-free, a database containing toxic information such as on carcinogens, mutagens or reproductive toxicants(CMRs) and endocrine disrupting chemicals(EDCs), as well as other regulated chemicals in Korea. Results: A total of 16,605 chemicals were registered with the cosmetic ingredient dictionary and 308 of them were identified as either CMRs or EDCs. CMRs included formaldehyde and nickel gluconate, and EDCs included parabens, benzophenon, styrene, and toluene. Reproductive toxicants such as xylene, zinc chloride, toluene, and formaldehyde were regulated by the Occupational Safety and Health Act and the Act on the Registration and Evaluation, etc. of Chemical Substances(the Chemical Control Act). Conclusions: Regulations on cosmetics components should be strengthened, and the right to know about cosmetics containing hazardous chemicals should be guaranteed.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Safety
• /
• v.39 no.3
• /
• pp.36-49
• /
• 2024

Article 79 of the Occupational Safety and Health Act mandates franchise headquarters with over 200 franchises to implement industrial accident prevention measures. Notably, the franchise business information provision system designates restaurants and wholesale/retail as the primary categories for information disclosure, with convenience stores classified as secondary. This study aims to identify law-regulated franchise headquarters and franchises and analyze industrial accidents within these sectors. Furthermore, it seeks to investigate adverse risk factors for individual processes across major industries. Pertinent franchise headquarters and franchises were discerned using the Fair Trade Commission's business information system. Data regarding the status of industrial accidents, as published by the Ministry of Employment and Labor, was leveraged in the analysis of industrial accidents. Additionally, a survey was conducted to derive detrimental factors for each process in major industries. The inquiry revealed a total of 7 wholesale and retail franchise headquarters subject to the law, along with 126 within the restaurant industry. Overall, there were 50,488 franchises in the wholesale and retail sector, and 71,283 in the restaurant business. Risk factors and improvement measures for industrial processes were determined for five industries: convenience stores, Korean food restaurants, coffee places, pizza eateries, and chicken vendors. Locating the currently developed safety and health program establishment guide proves to be challenging. Moreover, utilizing it can be difficult due to the industry-specific content, further complicated by the prevalence of franchise stores featuring numerous small businesses. Therefore, this study highlights the imperative need to develop guidelines that incorporate preventive measures tailored to each industry.

• Journal of the Korea Safety Management & Science
• /
• v.19 no.2
• /
• pp.81-93
• /
• 2017

This study aims to investigate laws and standards(including technical guidelines) related to safety criteria for 22 kitchen machines frequently used in commercial kitchens. The study was based on literature survey, interviews with charge persons in kitchen machines manufacturing companies, cafeteria providing group meals and relevant association, and web surfing. The results showed that there are two types of safety criteria such as legally forced ones by laws and optional ones by national industrial standards or technical guidelines. High pressure safety control act, safety control and business of liquefied petroleum gas act and city gas business act prescribed gas use apparatus safety criteria, rational energy utilization act did those of pressure vessel such large rotary caldron, industrial health and safety act did those of food processing machinery, and electrical appliances safety control act did those of electrical kitchen appliances. Compulsory or optional standards or guidelines related to safety criteria for kitchen machines were presented by 22 kitchen machines. Safety devices shown in the laws, standards and guidelines were also summarized by kitchen machines and their risk factors.

• Journal of the Society of Disaster Information
• /
• v.18 no.2
• /
• pp.343-350
• /
• 2022

Purpose: The Taean oil spill in 2007 taught us a great lesson and is a representative example of a social disaster. It was overcome through the dazzling dedication and service of volunteers. However, behind the volunteers, they were directly or indirectly exposed to the spilled oil, resulting in health problems such as headaches and safety accidents. Safety accidents were caused by unsafe behavior, and unsafe behavior was caused by lack of safety awareness or ignorance. We want to find an education and training program to systematically raise safety awareness for volunteers in connection with the Occupational Safety and Health Act. Method: The occupational safety and health law, the laws related to coastal clean-up, and the unsafe behavior factors in the statistics of occupational accidents in the past year were mainly identified. Result: The contents of education and training hours to be provided for volunteers involved in coastal clean-up were presented in comparison with workers under the Occupational Safety and Health Act. Conclusion: Safety and health education for volunteers and volunteer managers is directly related to safety awareness and can prevent unsafe behavior.