• Title/Summary/Keyword: Safe working environment

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Statement by the Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Medicine on the proposed reform of working hours in South Korea

  • Hee-Tae Kang;Chul-Ju Kim;Dong-Wook Lee;Seung-Gwon Park;Jinwoo Lee;Kanwoo Youn;Hwan-Cheol Kim;Kyoung Sook Jeong;Hansoo Song;Sung-Kyung Kim;Sang-Baek Koh
    • Annals of Occupational and Environmental Medicine
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    • v.35
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    • pp.17.1-17.6
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    • 2023
  • The current 52-hour workweek in South Korea consists of 40 hours of regular work and 12 hours of overtime. Although the average working hours in South Korea is declining, it is still 199 hours longer than the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development average of 1,716 hours per year. In view to this, the South Korean government has now proposed to reform the workweek, mainly intending to increase the workweek to 69 hours when the workload is heavy. This reform, by increasing the labor intensity due to long working hours, goes against the global trend of reducing work hours for a safe and healthy working environment. Long working hours can lead to increased cerebrovascular and cardiovascular diseases, industrial accidents, mental health problems, and safety accidents due to lack of concentration. In conclusion, the Korean government's working hour reform plan can have a negative impact on workers' health, and therefore it should be thoroughly reviewed and modified.

On the Countermeasure for Preventing the Accident of Cargo Handling in Port (항만하역관할의 원인분석 및 예방대책에 관하여)

  • 박용욱;이철영
    • Journal of the Korean Institute of Navigation
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    • v.17 no.3
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    • pp.57-68
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    • 1993
  • The economy of Korea has grown up significantly in its scale. It has, therefore, become imperative to develop countermeasures to prevent work related injuries and occupational illnesses resultining from haza-rdous working conditions and handling harmful substances. A lot of cargo handling accident in port have occurred due to the characteristics of poor working environment, diversity of working place and method, fluctuation of the amount of cargo and handling of heavy, long, harmful and dangerous cargo, etc. According to '91 industrial accident analysis carried out by the ministry of labour, the number of the stevedores injured by cargo handling accident in port were 1, 432 persons (the death accident : 22 per-sons), the amount of industrial accident compensation in port was 6.7 billion won (the amount of economic loss : 33.6 billion won), and the injury occurance rate of the stevedoring industry was higher than that of the whole industry. This paper, therefore, aims to the actual status of the stevedoring industry and to extract the main cau-ses of the accidents related to cargo handling in port through factor analysis using the data of the accide-nts in the whole habour from 1990 to 1992, and to suggest the countermeasures to prevent such accident. The main causes of the accident and countermeasures are found to be as follows through the factor analy-sis : Factor1, factor2, and factor3 related to a defect of human being and management, a defect of state and environment, and an insufficiency of education and law are extracted. The short-term countermeasures to prevent these accidents are 1) to consolidate the safety and health organization in the working spot, 2) to secure a safe condition in working spot before dock work, 3) to strengthen a dock worker's safety educa-tion. The long-term countermeasures are 1) to promote a decasualisation of dock workers, 2) to modernize the cargo working methods through constructing exclusive pier and introducing exclusive cargo handling equipment, 3) to establish a exclusive dock accident prevention organization and the dock workers law. Factor 4, factor5, factor6, and factor7 related to an unfitness, a deficiency of technical knowledge, a nonfu-lfilment of safety measures, and a bad arrangement are extracted. The countermeasures to prevent these accidents are 1) to perform a complete safety inspection of cargo handling equipments and tools and to carry out the dock work according to a working plan, 2) to publish and supply technical safety books, safety instruction book, safety check list, etc., 3) to strengthen the safety patrol at the working spot in habour and to activate a safety fund, 4) to maintain always a clean workshop with the safety consciousness in which the good arragement of the working spot is considered to be the beginning of safety.

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Factors affecting job stress and physical symptoms of dental technicians in Daegu Metropolitan City (대구지역 치과기공사의 직무스트레스와 신체증상에 영향을 미치는 요인)

  • Lee, Deog-Su;Kim, Chang-Yoon;Lee, Kyeong-Soo;Hwang, Tae-Yoon
    • Journal of Technologic Dentistry
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    • v.33 no.4
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    • pp.453-466
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    • 2011
  • Purpose: This study aims to investigate the general characteristics of dental technicians and their health behaviors and to analyze the related factors of their work stress and physical symptoms. Methods: The survey used structured self administered questionnaires for a survey targeting 741 members registered of the Dental Technician Association in Daegu Metropolitan City from September to October, 2009. Total of 518 replies and analyzed 490 questionnaire excluding 28 incomplete questionnaires. Results: The work stresses were higher in those who answered that they were under 30-years old, unmarried, lower in rank, or had longer work hours, lower monthly incomes or poor self-perceived health status. In addition, those who worked in a dental laboratory with poor work environment including insufficient ventilation, sand blaster with no powder collecting functions, etc., tended to experience higher work stress than others due to their work conditions. The total average of the respondents of the survey who answered that they suffered from some physical symptoms was 14.7 points. It was found that the factors affecting the score of physical symptoms include occupational features such as work hours, monthly income, etc., and physical work environment such as the presence or absence of ventilator, of dust-collectors within sand blaster, etc., and work stress, exerted significant influence. Conclusion: The outcomes of this study indicates that to lessen work stress and to ultimately alleviate physical symptoms, it is necessary to do the following: improve work environment of young unmarried women; adjust their daily working hours; ameliorate physical work environment. To improve overall physical symptoms, it is importance to establish a safe and healthy working environment.

Application of JSA and Checklist in Asbestos Sealing (석면 해체제거 보양작업에서 JSA 및 Checklist 적용)

  • Cho, Guy Sun
    • Journal of the Korean Society of Safety
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    • v.35 no.2
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    • pp.61-66
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    • 2020
  • As asbestos-containing buildings are getting older, asbestos deconstruction works are increasing. As a result, accident risks such as falls, cuts, electric shocks, and suffocation are increasing. Existing studies are mostly about health management and institutional policy research and there is little research on work risk. So workplace risk assessments that are easily applicable in the field are required to be applied. Sealing is the first process of asbestos deconstruction and is the first step to ensure worker's safety. Job Safety Analysis(JSA) and Checklist were used to identify the risk factors and to calculate the level of the risk. By comparing the two risk assessment tools, it was figured out that the JSA is appropriate for the initial process and change of work procedure while Checklist is appropriate for repetitive work. Because the sealing process is sort and simple, it is unlikely to cause serious injury. But since the risk of falling and cuts are exist, safety education and supervision are necessary to maintain a safe working environment.

The Effect of Safety Environment of Small and Medium-sized Logistics Companies on Safety Behavior (중소 물류기업의 안전 환경이 안전 행동에 미치는 영향)

  • Lee, Sunghee;Park, Jinsoo
    • Journal of Korea Society of Industrial Information Systems
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    • v.27 no.1
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    • pp.135-146
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    • 2022
  • A safe working environment is an important and crucial factor in the operation of a firm, and is also essential for logistics companies in supply chain management. This study confirmed that the safety climate and safety prevention activities have a positive relationship with safety behavior from the perspective of domestic small and medium-sized logistics companies that continue their business relationships by signing contracts with large logistics companies. In addition, the moderating role of regulatory uncertainty and competition uncertainty in the previous positive relationship was empirically examined.

On Safety Improvement through Process Establishment for SOTIF Application of Autonomous Driving Logistics Robot

  • Choi, Kyoung Lak;Kim, Min Joong;Kim, Young Min
    • International Journal of Internet, Broadcasting and Communication
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    • v.14 no.1
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    • pp.209-218
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    • 2022
  • Today, with the development of the Internet and mobile technology, consumers' purchasing patterns have shifted from offline to online. In addition, due to the recent COVID-19, online purchases have significantly increased, and accordingly, the courier industry for logistics delivery has also grown significantly. Various logistics robots are being operated in many industrial and can reduce the labor intensity and physical and mental fatigue of workers. However, if the logistics robot does not properly recognize the people or environment around it, it can lead to a serious accident. We conducted that how logistics robots can perform safe work in a working environment such as a logistics warehouse through the application of ISO/DIS 21448 (SOTIF) to autonomous logistics transport robots. This result is expected to contribute to the operation of unmanned logistics warehouses using AGV.

Enhancement of a Secure Remote Working Environment using CloudHSM and edge-DRM Proxy (Cloud HSM와 edge-DRM Proxy를 활용한 안전한 원격근무 환경 강화 연구)

  • Kim, Hyunwoo;Lee, Junhyeok;Park, Wonhyung
    • Convergence Security Journal
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    • v.21 no.3
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    • pp.25-30
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    • 2021
  • Due to the current COVID-19 pandemic, companies and institutions are introducing virtual desktop technology, one of the logical network separation technologies, to establish a safe working environment in a situation where remote work is provided. With the introduction of virtual desktop technology, companies and institutions can operate the network separation environment more safely and effectively, and can access the business network quickly and safely to increase work efficiency and productivity. However, when introducing virtual desktop technology, there is a cost problem of high-spec server, storage, and license, and it is necessary to supplement in terms of operation and management. As a countermeasure to this, companies and institutions are shifting to cloud computing-based technology, virtual desktop service (DaaS, Desktop as a Service). However, in the virtual desktop service, which is a cloud computing-based technology, the shared responsibility model is responsible for user access control and data security. In this paper, based on the shared responsibility model in the virtual desktop service environment, we propose a cloud-based hardware security module (Cloud HSM) and edge-DRM proxy as an improvement method for user access control and data security.

Risk assessment of gillnet fishing vessels in South Korea: a statistical analysis of occupational accidents 2016-2020

  • Yoo-Won Lee;Kyung-Jin Ryu;Su-Hyung Kim;Hyungju Kim;Kwi Yeon Koo;Chaegil Lee;Seonghun Kim
    • Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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    • v.27 no.1
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    • pp.7-16
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    • 2024
  • Fishing is considered one of the most dangerous industries alongside mining that needs further efforts to improve safety. In this study, we have investigated safety management of the gillnet fishing industry in South Korea through identifying safety level and classifying common accident types from the statements of accident com-pensation insurance payments for the last 5 years (2016-2020). There were in total 3,895 accidents and 159 fatalities with an average accident frequency of 5.34 × 10-2 per year per fisher and an average fatality of 2.18 × 10-3 fishers per year. We have also identified that 62.4% of the accidents occurred during Fishing (FS), and the most common and the most severe accident type is Slips and Trips (ST) and Other (OT) marine accidents such as collision and capsizing, respectively. The hand was most frequently injured. Finally, the risk assessment indicated that most of the accident types of gillnet fishing in South Korea have unacceptable levels of risks, and it is urgent to implement improved safety measures to reduce accidents during gillnet fishing operation. The findings of this study are expected to provide valuable data to create a safer working environment for fishers working on gillnet fishing vessels.

Working Principle of a Novel Three-directional Dumping Vehicle and Its Dumping Stability Analysis Under Ground-slope Conditions

  • Kong, Min-kyu;Park, Tusan;Shim, Sung-Bo;Jang, Ik Joo
    • Journal of Biosystems Engineering
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    • v.42 no.4
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    • pp.235-241
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    • 2017
  • Purpose: It is to develop an agricultural three-directional dumping vehicle that can help farmers reduce intensive labor when carrying heavy loads and for easy dumping. In addition, a novel mechanism was applied for controlling the direction of the tilting cargo box by using a single hydraulic cylinder and simple apparatus. The overturning safety was analyzed to provide safe-use ground slope region of the vehicle to be used at upland fields and orchards. Methods: The developed three-directional dumping vehicle was constructed using a cargo box, vehicle frame, driving components, lifting components, and controller. The novel mechanism of controlling the dumping direction involves the operation of two latching bars, which selectively release or collapse the connecting edge between the vehicle frame and cargo box. A multibody dynamics analysis software (RecurDynV8R5) was used to determine the safe-use ground slope area when tilting the cargo box at slopes. A computer analysis was conducted by increasing the ground slope while rotating the vehicle when the cargo box comprised loads of 300 and 500 kg and stacking heights of 40 and 80 cm, respectively. Results: The three-directional dumping vehicle was successfully manufactured, and the cargo box was tilted at $37^{\circ}$ and $35^{\circ}$ for dumping forward and sideways. The latching bars were manually and selectively collapsed with the vehicle frame to control the dumping direction. When forward dumping, the safe-use ground slope was over $20^{\circ}$ in all vehicle directions and loaded conditions. Conclusions: A three-directional dumping vehicle was developed to reduce labor-intensive work in the farming environment. The user can easily control the dumping direction by using the control panel. The vehicle was safe to be used in most of the Korean upland fields and orchards (area over 96%) for the forward dumping.

Quality of Working Life (직장생활에 대한 새로운 인식)

  • 김영환
    • Journal of Korean Society of Industrial and Systems Engineering
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    • v.4 no.4
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    • pp.43-61
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    • 1981
  • Interest in the Quality of working life is spreading rapidly and the phrase has entered the popular vocabulary. That this should be so is probably due in large measure to changes in the values of society, nowadays accelerated as never before by the concerns and demands of younger people. But however topical the concept has become, there is very little agreement on its definition. Rather, the term appears to have become a kind of depository for a variety of sometimes contradictory meanings attributed to it by different groups. A list of all the elements it if held to cover would include availability and security of employment, adaquate income, safe and pleasant physical working conditions, reasonable hours of work, equitable treatment and democracy in the workplace, the possibility of self-development, control over one's work, a sense of pride in craftsmanship or product, wider career choices, and flexibility in matters such as the time of starting work, the number of working days in the week, Job sharing and so on altogether an array that encompasses a variety of traditional aspirations and many new ones reflecting the entry into the post industrial era. The term "quality of working life" was introduced by professor Louis E. Davis and his colleagues in the late 1960s to call attention to the prevailing and needlessly poor quality of life at the workplace. In their usage it referred to the quality of the relationship between the worker and his working environment as a whole, and was intended to emphasize the human dimension so often forgotten among the technical and economic factors in job design. Treating workers as if they were elements or cogs in the production process is not only an affront to the dignity of human life, but is also a serious underestimation of the human capabilities needed to operate more advanced technologies. When tasks demand high levels of vigilence, technical problem-solving skills, self initiated behavior, and social and communication skills. it is imperative that our concepts of man be of requisite complexity. Our aim is not just to protect the worker's life and health but to give them an informal interest in their job and opportunity to express their views and exercise control over everything that affects their working life. Certainly, so far as his work is concerned, a man must feel better protected but he must also have a greater feeling of freedom and responsibility. Something parallel but wholly different if happening in Europe, industrial democracy. What has happened in Europe has been discrete, fixed, finalized, and legalized. Those developing centuries driving toward industrialization like R.O.K, shall have to bear in mind the human complexity in processing and designing the work and its environment. Increasing attention is needed to the contradiction between autocratic rule at the workplace and democratic rights in society.n society.

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