• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• 제79권4호
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• pp.201-206
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• 2016

Active tuberculosis (TB) has a greater burden of TB bacilli than latent TB and acts as an infection source for contacts. Latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI) is the state in which humans are infected with Mycobacterium tuberculosis without any clinical symptoms, radiological abnormality, or microbiological evidence. TB is transmissible by respiratory droplet nucleus of $1-5{\mu}m$ in diameter, containing 1-10 TB bacilli. TB transmission is affected by the strength of the infectious source, infectiousness of TB bacilli, immunoresistance of the host, environmental stresses, and biosocial factors. Infection controls to reduce TB transmission consist of managerial activities, administrative control, engineering control, environmental control, and personal protective equipment provision. However, diagnosis and treatment for LTBI as a national TB control program is an important strategy on the precondition that active TB is not missed. Therefore, more concrete evidences for LTBI management based on clinical and public perspectives are needed.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• 제8권3호
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• pp.250-257
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• 2017

Background: Tasks involved in traditional charcoal production expose workers to various levels of charcoal dust and wood smoke. This study aimed to identify specific tasks influencing lung function and respiratory symptoms. Methods: Interviews, direct observation, and task/symptom checklists were used to collect data from 50 charcoal-production workers on 3 nonwork days followed by 11 workdays. The peak expiratory flow rate (PEFR) was measured four times per day. Results: The PEFR was reduced and the prevalence of respiratory symptoms increased over the first 6-7 workdays. The PEFR increased until evening on nonwork days but not on workdays. Loading the kiln and collecting charcoal from within the kiln markedly reduced the PEFR and increased the odds of respiratory symptoms. Conclusion: Tasks involving entry into the kiln were strongly associated with a short-term drop in the PEFR and the occurrence of respiratory symptoms, suggesting a need for the use of protective equipment and/or the operation of an effective kiln ventilation system.

• 한국산업보건학회지
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• 제33권2호
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• pp.156-170
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• 2023

Objectives: This study conducted practical training to improve the proper usage of personal protective equipment(PPE), which greatly impacts workplace safety and health management. Personal protective equipment education was conducted through active participation, without theoretical modules, and aimed to identify the effects of repeated practical education and determine ways to increase participant satisfaction. Methods: Study data were analyzed using the IBM SPSS Statistics ver.29 software. First, participants' general characteristics were analyzed with frequency analysis. Second, the normality and equality of variances (Leven's test) were tested for the dependent variables prior to statistical analyses to determine the use of parametric tests. In general, normality is assumed when the sample size is 30 or more per the central limit theorem (Park et al., 2014). As our sample size of health management workers was 43, normality can be assumed. However, to ensure rigor of the study, we examined skewness and kurtosis. The results confirmed that the data were normally distributed. Third, the effects of repeated PPE training were analyzed using paired t-tests. Fourth, differences in satisfaction with PPE training according to the safety and health job position and safety and health certification were analyzed with t-test and Welch's t-test. For parameters that did not meet the assumption of equal variances, the Welch's t-test was performed. Results: Repeated PPE training improved the educational outcomes, and the improvements were significant in the 1st and 2nd respiratory PPE and safety and hygiene PPE training evaluations (p<.001). In terms of safety and health job position, repeated training led to improvements in educational outcomes, with significant improvements observed among supervisors and specialized health management institution workers in the 1st and 2nd training evaluations (p<.005). In terms of safety certification, repeated training led to improvements in educational outcomes, with significant improvements observed among both certified and non-certified individuals (p<.005). Regarding satisfaction with PPE training according to safety and health job positions, specialized health management institution workers showed greater satisfaction than supervisors, with significant differences in the satisfaction for expertise of lecture, work relevance, and lecturer's attitude (p<.001). Regarding satisfaction with PPE training according to safety and health certification, satisfaction was higher among certified individuals, with significant differences in satisfaction for work relevance and lecture attitude (p<.05) Conclusions: PPE education should be recommended to be provided as practical training. Repeated training can enhance educational outcomes for individuals with inadequate knowledge and understanding of PPE prior to education. For individuals with high levels of pre-existing knowledge and understanding of PPE, the results show that various training experiences should be provided to enhance their satisfaction. Therefore, it suggests that the workplace should actively seek educational media and methods to acquire expertise and skills in wearing personal protective equipment and improve the ability to use

• Safety and Health at Work
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• 제9권4호
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• pp.468-472
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• 2018

Background: Firefighters are required to use self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA), which impairs ventilatory mechanics. We hypothesized that firefighters have elevated arterial $CO_2$ when using SCBA. Methods: Firefighters and controls performed a maximal exercise test on a cycle ergometer and two graded exercise tests (GXTs) at 25%, 50%, and 70% of their maximal aerobic power, once with a SCBA facemask and once with protective clothing and full SCBA. Results: Respiratory rate increased more in controls than firefighters. Heart rate increased as a function of oxygen consumption ($V_{O_2}$) more in controls than firefighters. End-tidal $CO_2$ ($ETCO_2$) during the GXTs was not affected by work rate in either group for either condition but was higher in firefighters at all work rates in both GXTs. SCBA increased $ETCO_2$ in controls but not firefighters. Conclusions: The present study showed that when compared to controls, firefighters' hypoventilate during a maximal test and GXT. The hypoventilation resulted in increased $ETCO_2$, and presumably increased arterial $CO_2$, during exertion. It is proposed that firefighters have altered $CO_2$ sensitivity due to voluntary hypoventilation during training and work. Confirmation of low $CO_2$ sensitivity and the consequence of this on performance and long-term health remain to be determined.

• 한국산학기술학회논문지
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• 제20권12호
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• pp.139-147
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• 2019

본 연구는 간호대학생의 급성 호흡기 감염병을 중심으로 한 개인 보호구 관련 지식과 인식 및 태도 정도와 이들과의 관계를 규명하고자 하는 연구이다. 참여자는 임상 실습 중인 간호대학생 3학년, 4학년 학생 총 200명이었다. 자료는 2018년 9월 1일부터 10월 15일까지이고, 개인 보호구 관련 지식과 인식 및 태도는 구조화된 설문지를 이용하여 수집되었다. 자료 분석은 t-test, one-way ANOVA, Pearson 상관관계를 이용하였다. 연구 결과, 대상자의 개인 보호구 관련 개인 보호구 관련 지식 점수는 20점 만점에 17.83점, 인식 점수는 5점 만점에 3.68점, 태도 점수는 5점 만점에 4.14점이었다. 따라서 지식과 태도 수준은 높았고 인식은 보통 수준이었다. 간호대학생의 개인 보호구 관련 태도는 지식 및 인식과 유의한 정적 상관관계가 있어 개인 보호구 관련 태도는 지식 및 인식이 높을수록 높은 수준으로 나타났다. 본 연구는 간호 대학생을 위한 개인보호구 사용을 포함한 효과적인 감염관리교육프로그램 개발을 위한 기초 자료로 활용될 수 있다. 또한 간호대학생에게 개인 보호구 이용을 숙달시키기 위해 장비 및 관련 자원을 제공 할 필요가 있을 것이다.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• 제10권3호
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• pp.275-304
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• 2019

Background: Air-purifying, tight-fitting facepieces are examples of respiratory protective equipment and are worn to protect workers from potentially harmful particulate and vapors. Research shows that the presence of facial hair on users' face significantly reduces the efficacy of these devices. This article sets out to establish if an acceptable seal could be achieved between facial hair and the facepiece. The team also created and investigated a low-cost "pressure testing" method for assessing the efficacy of a seal to be used during the early design process for a facepiece designed to overcome the facial hair issue. Methods: Nine new designs for face mask seals were prototyped as flat samples. A researcher developed a test rig, and a test protocol was used to evaluate the efficacy of the new seal designs against facial hair. Six of the seal designs were also tested using a version of the conventional fit test. The results were compared with those of the researcher-developed test to look for a correlation between the two test methods. Results: None of the seals performed any better against facial hair than a typical, commercially available facepiece. The pressure testing method devised by the researchers performed well but was not as robust as the fit factor testing. Conclusion: The results show that sealing against facial hair is extremely problematic unless an excessive force is applied to the facepiece's seal area pushing it against the face. The means of pressure testing devised by the researchers could be seen as a low-cost technique to be used at the early stages of a the design process, before fit testing is viable.

• 한국환경보건학회지
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• 제43권1호
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• pp.42-54
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• 2017

Objectives: The present study was conducted to investigate farm work environments among farmers and examine the level of management of safety and health, and to subsequently produce study result to serve as foundational data for the development of guidelines on safety and health as part of the improvement of farming work environments among farmers raising Korean native cattle. Methods: The present study conducted a survey on farm work environments and the management of safety and health with 407 farmers engaged in Korean native cattle farming in selected regions in eight provinces. It also visited 10 farmers to verify the current status of farm work. Results: The survey results showed that 16.4% of the respondents experienced safety-related accidents due to farm work. The locations of the accidents were inside the cattle shed (71.4%) and facilities outside the cattle shed (19.6%). The types of accident showed collision with animals (35.7%), collision or contact with obstacles (27.1%), and musculoskeletal accidents due to heavy object handling (12.9%). The causes of the accidents were cattle (38.3%), cultivators and tractors (25.4%), facility tools in cattle sheds (9.0%), and slippery floors (6.0%). The damaged areas were hand (21.0%), spine (19.8%), lower limb (18.5%), and foot (17.3%). A self-diagnostic survey on respiratory diseases showed that 11.5% of the respondents experienced respiratory-related symptoms. The survey on safety and health during farm work showed that wearing personal protective equipment and response to emergency situations, which were needed to prevent safety-related accidents, were relatively low compared to the level of recognition of the need and awareness of safety issues. Furthermore, the field survey identified the current status of safety and health issues such as prevention management of collision accidents with cattle, how to handle heavy objects, and wearing of personal protective equipment. Conclusions: The present study identified safety-related accidents and problems in the management of safety and health among Korean native cattle farmers. In order to address the problem, it is necessary to not only provide guidelines on safety and health management which are appropriate to the characteristics of Korean native cattle farming work, but also to study the development of personal protective equipment.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• 제9권3호
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• pp.352-355
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• 2018

Hazardous work zones (i.e., hot, warm, and cold) are typically established by emergency response teams during hazardous materials (HAZMAT) calls but less consistently for fire responses to segment personnel and response activities in the immediate geographic area around the fire. Despite national guidelines, studies have documented the inconsistent use of respiratory protective equipment by firefighters at the fire scene. In this case-series report, we describe warm zone gas levels using multigas detectors across five independent fire incident responses all occurring in a large South Florida fire department. Multigas detector data collected at each fire response indicate the presence of sustained levels of volatile organic compounds in the "warm zone" of each fire event. These cases suggest that firefighters should not only implement strategies for multigas detector use within the warm zone but also include respiratory protection to provide adequate safety from toxic exposures in the warm zone.

• KIEAE Journal
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• 제5권4호
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• pp.9-16
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• 2005

The purpose of this study is to analyze the safety issues with regard to architectural elements in housing. Causes of accidents and threats to health are reviewed for 'safety' aspects. Threats to health tend to draw more attention due to recent increase of SHS and its public perceptions. The majority of victims by accidents in residential houses are on juveniles aged under 14 in bathrooms and living rooms. Non-slip finish materials are recommended to floors for access and circulation and protective pads to furniture edges. Colored glass may increase the safety of the windows in the living room. Handles and non-slip mats will be a good addition for the safety. Human scale design of the kitchen system is mandatory and appropriate size of storages for hazardous equipment are to be provided. Passive air ventilation for better air quality by dwellers in residence is occasionally used whereas large-scale apartments provide mechanical ventilation to supplement the volume of fresh air. Since the internal air quality is proved one of the major causes of atopic and respiratory diseases, steady effort to achive better air quality utilizing appropriate materials, plants and equipment is mandatory. Frequent cleaning and the use of anti-fungus materials are necessary because House Dust Mites are believed to be one of main causes of such diseases.

• 대한임상독성학회지
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• 제7권1호
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• pp.41-43
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• 2009

A 52-year-old man was found dead in the driver's seat of his tank lorry. The tank lorry was used to transport industrial wastewater to a disposal plant; the material was transferred into a storage tank with the help of compressed air. The wastewater contained methylene chloride and 2-chloropyridine. No respiratory protective equipment was used while working under these conditions. The autopsy report showed extensive edema and congestion of the brain, lung, and intraperitoneal organs. The concentrations of methylene chloride in lung and brain were reported at 398 and 67 mg/kg, respectively.