• Korean Journal of Occupational Health Nursing
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• v.31 no.2
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• pp.95-103
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• 2022

Purpose: This study aims to identify general, workplace, and health-related characteristics of outdoor workers exposed to high temperatures, and to compare the risk of disease according to outdoor high temperature exposure. Methods: This secondary analysis study used the 5th Korean Working Conditions Survey (2017) to identify 4,915 outdoor workers exposed to high temperatures. Results: Outdoor workers exposed to high temperatures were mostly male, elderly, less educated, and daily contract workers. Most of them were engaged in agriculture, forestry and fishing, and construction industries. About 40~50% of them complained of musculoskeletal pain and overall fatigue. The results showed that high temperature exposure increased the risk of illness (hearing problem, skin problem, backache, muscular pains in upper and lower limbs, headache/eyestrain, injuries, depression, and overall fatigue) among workers. Conclusion: High temperature exposure might increase the risk of illness among workers. The results of this study demonstrated that the outdoor workers should be protected from high temperatures.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.14 no.1
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• pp.43-49
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• 2023

Background: Messaging surrounding skin cancer prevention has previously focused on the general public and emphasized how or when activities should be undertaken to reduce solar ultraviolet radiation (UVR) exposure. Generic messages may not be applicable to all settings, and should be tailored to protect unique and/or highly susceptible subpopulations, such as outdoor workers. The primary objective of this study was to develop a set of tailored, practical, harm-reducing sun safety messages that will better support outdoor workers and their employers in reducing the risk of solar UVR exposure and UVR-related occupational illnesses. Methods: We adapted a core set of sun safety messages previously developed for the general population to be more applicable and actionable by outdoor workers and their employers. This study used an integrated knowledge translation approach and a modified Delphi method (which uses a survey-based consensus process) to tailor the established set of sun safety messages for use for outdoor worker populations. Results: The tailored messages were created with a consideration for what is feasible for outdoor workers, and provide users with key facts, recommendations, and tips related to preventing skin cancer, eye damage, and heat stress, specifically when working outdoors. Conclusion: The resulting tailored messages are a set of evidence-based, expert- approved, and stakeholder-workshopped messages that can be used in a variety of work settings as part of an exposure control plan for employers with outdoor workers.

• Korean Journal of Clinical Laboratory Science
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• v.41 no.3
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• pp.105-110
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• 2009

Yellow sand (or Asian dust) occurs mainly in spring in East Asia. Yellow sand from China and its surrounding regions transports air pollutants, such as aerosols, ozone, and heavy metals. The outdoor workers are frequently exposed to heavy metals during yellow sand phenomenon. This study was carried out to investigate the heavy metal levels in blood among 75 outdoor workers (exposed group) and 86 indoor workers (controled group) in Gyeonggi province from March 2008 to May 2009. Heavy metal levels in blood were analyzed by atomic absorption spectrophotometer. Mean blood lead levels in exposed group and controled group were $5.19{\pm}1.64{\mu}g/dL$, $4.24{\pm}1.34{\mu}g/dL$, respectively. Mean blood cadmium levels in exposed group and controled group were $1.28{\pm}0.89{\mu}g/dL$, $0.90{\pm}0.59{\mu}g/dL$, respectively. Lead and Cadmium levels in blood of exposed group were significantly higher than those of controled group. In the comparison of smoking status, lead and cadmium levels of smokers were significantly higher than those of non-smokers. In conclusion, the heavy metal levels of outdoor workers were significantly higher than those of indoor workers. And smoking was hazardous factor to elevate heavy metal levels in blood.

• Journal of the Korean Regional Science Association
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• v.38 no.2
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• pp.3-20
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• 2022

The purpose of this study is to explore the heterogeneity of compensating wage differentials for outdoor workers, under the threat of climate change and heatwave, by region and by wage quantile. This study conducted Oaxaca-Blinder decomposition, multiple regression analysis by region, and unconditional quantile regression analysis using the Korean Working Conditions Survey, which provides individual-level information on the working environment and worker's characteristics. The implications derived from the results of the study are as follows: For most variables, the endowment effect and the price effect were greater for indoor workers, while experience and gender played a role in narrowing the wage gap; The compensating wage differentials for outdoor workers were confirmed to be 2.4% nationwide, depending on the region however, the compensating wage differentials varied from 5 times of national average to nothing statistically significant; The higher the wage quantile, the greater the compensating wage differentials for outdoor workers, and statistically significant monetary compensation was not identified for some low-level outdoor workers. This study is meaningful as an early study that revealed the heterogeneity of compensating wage differentials for outdoor workers and suggested further research on the topic.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.7 no.3
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• pp.208-212
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• 2016

Background: Outdoor workers are at risk of high ultraviolet radiation exposure, and may have difficulty using sun protection. The objectives were to determine the prevalence of sun protection behaviors in a sample of outdoor construction workers, and to assess which factors predict better sun protection practices. Methods: Participants were recruited via construction unions. Workers answered a questionnaire on demographics, skin cancer risk, sun protection behaviors, and job. Sun protection behavior scores (from questions on sunscreen use, sleeved shirt, hat, shade seeking, sunglasses) were calculated by converting Likert-scale answers to scores from 0 to 4, and taking the mean (separately for work and leisure). Determinants of sun protection behavior scores were examined for work and leisure using generalized linear models. Results: Seventy-seven workers had complete questionnaire data (participation 98%). Sun protection behaviors used most often were hats (79% often/always) and sleeved shirts (82% often/always); least prevalent were shade-seeking (8% often/always) and sunscreen (29% often/always). For both work and leisure scores, the strongest predictor was skin type, with fairer-skinned individuals having higher sun protection behavior scores. Workers had higher scores at work than on weekends. Workplaces that required hats and sleeved shirts for safety purposes had higher protection behavior scores. Conclusion: This high-participation rate cohort helps characterize sun protection behaviors among outdoor workers. Workers practiced better sun protection at work than on weekends, suggesting that workplace policies supportive of sun protection could be useful for skin cancer prevention in the construction industry.

• Journal of Radiation Protection and Research
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• v.47 no.2
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• pp.93-98
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• 2022

Background: This study aims to derive the characteristics of each work type for industrial radiography based on empirical evidence through expert advice and a survey of radiation workers of various types of industrial radiography. Materials and Methods: According to a Korean report, work types of industrial radiography are classified into indoor tests, underground pipe tests, tests in a shielded room (radiographic testing [RT] room test), outdoor field tests, and outdoor large structure tests. For each work type, exposure geometry and radiation sources were mainly identified through the expert advice and workers' survey as reliable empirical evidence. Results and Discussion: The expert advice and survey results were consistent as the proportion of the work types were high in the order of RT room test, outdoor large structure test, underground pipe test, outdoor field test, and indoor test. The outdoor large structure test is the highest exposure risk work type in the industrial radiography. In most types of industrial radiography, radiation workers generally used ¹⁹²Ir as the main source. In the results of the survey, the portion of sources was high in the order of ¹⁹²Ir, X-ray generator, ⁶⁰Co, and ⁷⁵Se. As the exposure geometry, the antero-posterior geometry is dominant, and the rotational and isotropic geometry should be also considered with the work type. Conclusion: In this study, through expert advice and a survey, the external exposure characteristics for each work type of industrial radiography workers were derived. This information will be used in the reconstruction of organ dose for health effects assessment of Korean radiation workers.

• Journal of environmental and Sanitary engineering
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.85-91
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• 2002

Workers who work at indoor and outdoor environment near busy road are suspected to be exposed to high-elevated air pollutant levels during working hours. This study evaluated the working-time nitrogen dioxide ($NO_2$) exposure for workers (repairmen and polishers) of shoe-stalls. Since shoe-stalls have particularly been located near busy road in Korea, workers might be high exposure to $NO_2$ from traffic exhaust as well as indoor sources of shoe-stall such as portable gas range (butane gas) during working hours. In this study, we measured the indoor and outdoor $NO_2$ concentrations of shoe-stalls. Simultaneously, outdoor $NO_2$ concentrations of building through sidewalk from shoe-stall were measured. High $NO_2$ exposure for workers of shoe-stalls was considered to be inflow of outdoor source of exhausted emission from vehicles and indoor source from usage of gas range to polish the shoe. Indoor/outdoor $NO_2$ concentration ratio ($0.94{\pm}0.22$) in Seoul was higher than that ($1.06{\pm}0.34$) in Asan, because ambient $NO_2$ level was high in Seoul and usage of gas range was prevalent in Asan. According to $NO_2$ concentrations by distance from roadside to building through sidewalk, $NO_2$ concentrations showed the decreased trend with distance. The results of this study can be utilized by municipal authorities in urban planning for evaluating effects of future traffic planning and land use.

• Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
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• v.30 no.2
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• pp.163-173
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• 2020

Objectives: The study was evaluated exposure variation and daily absorption level of cadmium, lead concentration of ambient air of monthly data from 1999 to 2017 for main exposure factor in outdoor workers. Methods: Based on the monthly data from 'The annual report of air quality in Korea from 1999 to 2018' in 'Air Korea' website in the Korean Ministry of Environment. The monthly data of PM_2.5, PM₁₀, cadmium, lead concentration of ambient air were recalculated to average, minimum, and maximum. And these data were combined to Asian-dust exposure data from 'The annual report of Asian-dust·smog in 2017' of National Institute of Meteorological Sciences in Korea. Results: Geometric mean(minimum-maximum) concentration in ambient air of monthly data were 0.0017 (ND-0.2015) mg/㎥ in cadmium and 0.0467(ND-0.8554) mg/㎥ in Pb from 1999 to 2017. Both of Cd and Pb concentration in ambient air showed the highest concentration in January and the lowest in August among annual variation from 1999 to 2017. PM₁₀ and PM_2.5 level showed the highest in March(PM₁₀) and February (PM_2.5) the lowest in August both of PM₁₀ and PM_2.5. Discussion: Based on exposure data and prior reports, daily Cd absorption was estimated to 0.013(ND-1.511) mg/day from respiration and 1.89 mg/day from daily food(25.2 mg/day of daily Cd intake). In case of Pb, daily absorption was estimated to 0.350(ND-6.416) mg/day from respiration and 1.38-1.71 mg/day from daily food intake. Conclusion: Cd and Pb with Asian-dust have high influential factor to increase the Cd and Pb exposure at Winter and Spring season in outdoor workers.

• Journal of Family Resource Management and Policy Review
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• v.16 no.3
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• pp.109-132
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• 2012

This study explores how unmarried workers use their leisure time according to the 2009 Korean Time Use Survey. The purposes of this study are: 1) to investigate leisure time as it relates to leisure participation rates and leisure participation time and 2) to analyze the effect of socio-demographic variables on leisure time and leisure participation by unmarried workers. The following is a summary of the major findings. First, leisure participation differed with variations in leisure activities. Unmarried workers participated in media contact, human relations activities, and hobby activities more than other activities. Participation in learning activities was higher on weekdays than on Sunday. Men participated in sports and outdoor activities more than women on Sundays. The participation rate of media contact was the highest, while the participation rate of volunteer activities was the lowest. Second, influencing factors on leisure time included gender, age, monthly income, and gender role attitudes when work time was controlled. For example, unmarried workers with egalitarian attitudes spent less leisure time. Third, gender was the strongest determinant of leisure participation. The probability of women's leisure participation was higher than men except in regards to sports and outdoor activities, and hobby activities.

• Journal of environmental and Sanitary engineering
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• v.15 no.4
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• pp.134-141
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• 2000

The person' spending time in underground s[aces within indoor environment show a tendency to increase every year, but in Korea, levels and sources of pollutant in underground spaces have not been well-characterized. Therefore, as part or a larger indoor environmental study, conducted at subway station in Seoul, nitrogen dioxide was measured using passive samplers in 16 subway stations, 2 tunnels and 70 workers of subway station. The mean concentrations of nitrogen dioxide in subway stations were $27.87{\pm}7.15$ ppb at station office, $35.76{\pm}8.35$ ppb at platform, $52.60{\pm}13.04$ ppb at outdoor, respectively, and the Indoor/Outdoor ratio were 0.49~0.93. The mean concentrations of nitrogen dioxide in tunnels were $44.91{\pm}4.67$ ppb in Chunggye-Nowon tunnel with a single track, $42.55{\pm}3.33$ ppb in Mokkol-Taenung tunnel with double track, respectively, and as a result of t-test, a single track levels were higher than double track levels(p<0.05). The mean personal exposure of the subject of station workers was $29.40{\pm}9.75$ ppb.