• Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
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• v.23 no.3
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• pp.315-322
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• 2013

Objectives: This study was conducted in order to prepare fundamental data and assess the short-term effects of applying cerebrovascular disease prevention programs by the Ministry of Employment and Labor and the Korea Occupational Safety and Health Agency (KOSHA) in Korea. Methods: The number of study subjects was 2,676 workers (58.5%) who were able to evaluate the level of incidence risk at pre- and post-applications of the program, among the 4,576 total workers who were enrolled in the cerebrovascular disease prevention program during 2011. The guidelines for this prevention program were adopted from KOSHA GUIDE H-1-2010. To determine the program' effectiveness, the workers'risks for cerebrovascular disease were assessed pre- and post-application of the program. Results: The blood pressure level was significantly reduced by 4.09 mmHg for the mean systolic blood pressures and 5.47 mmHg for diastolic blood pressures, respectively. The mean level of total cholesterol and BMI were also reduced significantly by 2.07 g/dl and 0.1 $0.1kg/m^2$. The rate of smoking was decreased by 4.0% and the percentage of workers engaging in regular exercise was increased by 29.8%. The level of overall cerebrovascular disease risk was reduced among 1,451 (70.7%) of 2,052 workers at low risk and above. The level of cerebrovascular disease risk was lower in the improved group for health behavior than the unimproved group (odds ratio =1.7, p < 0.001). Conclusions: The author considers that the application of the cerebrovascular disease prevention program by the Korea Occupational Safety and Health Agency reduced cerebrovascular diseases risks among workers who were enrolled in the cerebrovascular disease prevention program and it must be accompanied by an improvement in health behavior for prevention of cerebrovascular disease.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.14 no.4
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• pp.358-367
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• 2023

Background: This study aimed to develop and assess the psychometric features of the Physical Activity at Workplace Questionnaire (PAWPQ) based on the Social Cognitive Theory (SCT) to evaluate employees' physical activity (PA) behaviors at the workplace. Methods: This psychometric cross-sectional study was conducted on 455 employees working in one of the gas refineries in Iran. The participants were selected using the proportional stratified sampling method in 2019. The data collection tools were a demographic information questionnaire, the short form of the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ), and a questionnaire developed based on the SCT, whose psychometric features were confirmed in terms of validity and reliability. Data were analyzed using SPSS₂₂ and AMOS₂₀ software. Results: The first version of PAWPQ-SCT had 74 items. After evaluating content and face validity, nine items were removed. The results of the content validity index (0.98), content validity ratio (0.86), and impact score (3.62) were acceptable for the whole instrument. In exploratory factor analysis, after removing seven items-58-item final version of the scale-six factors could explain 73.54% of the total variance. The results of structural equation modeling showed the acceptable fit of the model into the data (RMSEA = 0.052, CFI = 0.917, NFI = 0.878, TLI = 0.905, IFI = 0.917, CMIN/DF = 2.818). Cronbach's alpha coefficient and Intraclass Correlation were 0.90 and 0.86, respectively. Conclusion: This study confirmed that the psychometric features of the 58-item final version of PAWPQSCT constructs were acceptable in a sample of Iranian employees. This questionnaire can be used as a valid and reliable tool to evaluate Iranian employees' PA behaviors and develop effective educational interventions for workers and managers.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.11 no.2
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• pp.199-206
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• 2020

Background: In a wide range of industries, noise-induced hearing loss remains one of the most prevalent occupational problems. This study aimed to assess the noise exposure level and associated factors of hearing loss among textile workers in Yangon Region, Myanmar. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted at a Textile mill (Thamine), Yangon Region, from April to December 2018. In total, 226 workers who were randomly selected from 3 weaving sections participated in face-to-face interviews using a structured questionnaire. A digital sound level meter and pure-tone audiometer were used for the assessment of noise exposure level and hearing loss, respectively. Logistic regression analysis was performed to assess the associated factors of hearing loss. Results: In total workers, 66.4% were exposed to ≥85 dB(A) of noise exposure, and the prevalence of hearing loss was 25.7%. Age ≥35 years, below high school education, hearing difficulty, tinnitus, hypertension, > 9 years of service duration in a textile mill were positively associated with hearing loss. After adjusting confounding factors, age ≥35 years (adjusted odds ratio = 6.90, 95% confidence interval = 3.45-13.82) and tinnitus (adjusted odds ratio = 2.88, 95% confidence interval = 1.13-7.37) were persistently associated with hearing loss. Conclusion: Providing occupational hazard education and enforcement of occupational safety regulations should be taken to decrease the noise exposure level. The regular audiometry test should be conducted for assessment of hearing threshold shift. The employer needs to implement a hearing conservation program in workplace when noise exposure reaches or exceeds 85 dB(A) for 8 hours.

• The Journal of the Convergence on Culture Technology
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• v.9 no.5
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• pp.487-492
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• 2023

The Korea Post plays a public role in providing postal services such as mail, savings, and insurance to the public. Although postal machines are becoming automated, workers are still exposed to various industrial accidents caused by being caught in the mail, and musculoskeletal disorders. Therefore, occupational safety and health activities are needed to prevent serious accidents. In this study, the level of safety and health consciousness was analyzed for employees working in the postal logistics center The tasks such as regulations and procedures, organization composition, and safety and health education method improvement, were classified into five items and proposed, and efficient industrial accident prevention was presented.

• Journal of the Korea Convergence Society
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• v.9 no.12
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• pp.459-466
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• 2018

This study investigated a systematic literature review on local and international literatures focusing on Participatory Action Research(PAR), Community Based Participatory Research(CBPR) in workplace and community. Eighty percent of the 10 studies reviewed included research involving health professionals, community networks, workers, and university researchers. Health promotion programs varied from health and safety awareness, smoking cessation, diabetes management, physical activity, self-efficacy enhancement, cardiovascular disease, musculoskeletal disorders and mental health. PAR, CBPR are required to participate actively in research through community collaboration to promote health. We can solve problems at the community level. And identified sustainable effects when developing and implementing a health promotion program. PAR and CBPR are expected to continuously pursue change by adjusting the scope of individuals, organizations, communities, and institutional dimensions. They are also expected to be implemented for workers in the various workplace.

• Korean Journal of Occupational Health Nursing
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• v.22 no.3
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• pp.249-256
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• 2013

Purpose: This study was conducted to compare the rates of industrial accidents in workplaces that adopted the 2011 Workplace Health Promotion Subsidy Scheme before and after the implementation. Methods: The study analyzed the raw data of industrial accidents of 304 workplaces which received subsidies for health promotion activities in 2011. The raw data covered the period from February 2010 to July 2012, based on the dates of industrial accidents. Results: Workplaces subsidized for health promotion activities reported fewer occurrences in staff injuries and illnesses than before the subsidization, as the total number of industrial accident victims dropped from 0.35 to 0.24. The rate of industrial accidents also dropped from 0.49 to 0.35, with the number of working days decreased from 35,433 to 23.867, about 33%. Conclusion: The study showed that financial support for health-promoting activities contributed to the decease in industrial accidents, which is an important indication advocating the need for corporate and government investment on workers health promotion programs. Furthermore, this study is also significant as it is the first research conducted in Korea to examine the impact of a workers health promotion project using a direct indicator, the rate of industrial accidents.

• Korean Journal of Health Education and Promotion
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• v.21 no.3
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• pp.195-211
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• 2004

Stress is a primary health promotion issue in worksite research because psychological distress is closely related not only to workers' health status but also to their job performance. This study identified the significant health behaviors affecting workers' job-related stress in Korean manufacturing industry with the national survey data conducted by the Korean Occupational Safety and Health Agency in 2003. A total of 7,818 factory workers in 1,562 manufacturing companies participated in the Korean nation-wide occupational health survey and 3,390 workers answered that they had any stressors in their workplace among the 7,818 workers finally participated in the analysis. Participants were selected by the stratified proportional sampling process by manufacturing industry classification, company size, and company locations (8 metropolitan and 8 non-metropolitan regions) in Korea. Trained interviewers visited the target companies and interviewed the factory workers randomly selected in each company. Smoking, drinking, weight control, exercise, sleeping, break time at work, and perceived fatigue were included in the health behavior construct. Stress symptoms was consisted of physical and psychological stress with 8 items. All survey responses were anonymously coded into the SPSS statistical program and testified using stepwise multiple regression analysis. Male workers were 73.5% and the 30s were 40.0% among the age groups. The married and the high school graduate were majority with 52.1% and 61.8% each. Current smokers were 44.7% and More than 50% of the participants drank alcohol sometimes. No exercise group was 59.3% and the participants who dissatisfied with their daily sleeping hours were 43.5%. In t-test and analysis of variance, the significant general characteristics associated with physical and psychological job stress were young age (p<0.001), single marital status (p<0.001), and short working period at the present company (p<0.001). The health behaviors related to physical job stress were current smoking, weight change during the past one year (p<0.001), weight control effort (p<0.001), exercise (p<0.001), daily sleeping dissatisfaction (p<0.001), break time, and perceived fatigue (p<0.001). All 10 health behavior factors were significantly associated with psychological job stress (p<0.05). Weight change, weight control effort, exercise, daily sleeping dissatisfaction, little break at work, and high perceived fatigue were significant factors affecting job stress. Daily sleeping dissatisfaction, little break at work, little exercise, weight change for the past one year and young age were selected as the significant health behavior and general factors affecting physical job stress symptoms in stepwise multiple regression analysis. The five factors explained 18.9% of the physical stress score variance. Six factors were selected as the significant health behaviors affecting psychological job stress: daily sleeping dissatisfaction, little exercise, frequent drinking alcohol, high perceived fatigue, little break at work, and little weight control effort. The six factors explained 10.6% of the psychological stress score variance.

• Journal of the Korea Safety Management & Science
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• v.5 no.3
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• pp.21-30
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• 2003

This study was intended to help workplaces set up an occupational health & safety management system by investigating the certification of the system and by conducting a questionnaire to survey the necessity, purpose, effect and promotion of the system. The occupational health & safety management systems generally adopted in Korea are OHSAS 18001 and K-OHSMS 18001, which are the PDCA model, such like the quality and environment management system. Because these standards have a compatibility with other management systems, individual or integral certification is available. A telephone questionnaire was conducted with 30 workplaces in Kyeonggi Province and Incheon Metropolitan City, which have been certified for the occupational health & safety management systems (OHSAS 18001, KOSHA 2000, and/or K -OHSMS 18001). About 92 percent of them were large-sized workplaces with over 500 employees. For the question on the necessity of the system, most of the respondent answered very necessary. The purposes of the certification were to control the risks in safety and health, to have a systematic approach for accident prevention and sustainable improvement, and to comply with a range of regulations voluntarily, in that order. Most of the answers to the question on the effect of the system were prevention of accident. For the question on the promotion of the system, the most prominent answer was reduction in the workers compensation rate.

• Journal of the Ergonomics Society of Korea
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• v.30 no.4
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• pp.525-534
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• 2011

This paper describes the current status of musculoskeletal disorders(MSDs) and its ergonomic risk factors, including the preventive intervention in terms of the working conditions and health promotion among agricultural workers. Korean agricultural workers have been exposed to the poor working condition. They have suffered from a variety of work-related injury and diseases more than the general population or the other occupational group. MSDs are one of the most prevalent problems threatening the agricultural worker's health and quality of life. Low back pain, osteoarthritis of hip and knee joint and carpal tunnel syndrome are well known MSDs that was found easily and frequently among agricultural workers. MSDs are worsened by poor ergonomic working conditions such as heavy weight lifting, repetitive movement and awkward posture which involves squatting with long sitting work on the ground, long working hours and heavy workload which are inherent in the greater part of agricultural works. Even though Korean agricultural workers are very weak population in terms of occupational safety and health, no many studies were conducted in the past and no many social and institutional supports were provided sufficiently. We need more interests and efforts in agricultural fields to improve its working condition and to promote health status of agricultural workers.

• Journal of the Ergonomics Society of Korea
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• v.33 no.5
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• pp.423-432
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• 2014

Objective and Background: The objective of this study was to evaluate the association of individual characteristics, work-related factors, lifestyle factors, and health problems with work ability among aging workers in Korea. Method: In this cross-sectional survey, the study population consisted of 1,594 workers who had participated in a voluntary health promotion center and private workplace. Participants completed the work ability index. Results: The mean WAI score was 37.4, while the mean age of the sample was 43.25. In the age group over 50 showed 36.26. The majority of participants rated their work ability as 'good' to 'excellent', one-third moderate and about 7.5% poor. Work ability decreased significantly with age among the men. The younger group had higher scores on the work ability index than the age group over 50, except for mental resources. By work characteristics, work ability was analyzed to be the lowest in the case of work handling heavy stuff. Lastly, as a result of health factors analysis, the good management and retention of current health status can be the measure helpful to the improvement of work ability. Conclusion and Application: According to the results, it can be a basic principle to devise and enforce preventive measures on the factors for which improvement or action is possible, together with workplace-level systematic approach, in order to improve work ability. For such measures to be realized, it is necessary to check trends in change for several years.