• Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
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• v.32 no.1
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• pp.41-52
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• 2022

Objectives: This study intends to review the impact on cleaning workers and suggest directions for improvement by reviewing the legal and institutional ways in which Article 86 Nos. 7 and 16 of the Enforcement Decree of the Occupational Safety and Health Act work on the maintenance and promotion of cleaning workers' health. Methods: The following laws and systems were reviewed and considered: First, the occupational safety and health legislation obligated or required to be applied to protect the health of cleaning workers; Second, the status of control of chemicals or mixtures used at cleaning sites through the Consumer Chemicals Product and Biocide Safety Control Act; Third, Control of consumer products according to foreign material safety data sheet related laws. Results: Legal and institutional measures necessary to protect the health of cleaning workers include the legal control of harmful substances to be controlled, work environment monitoring, and special health examinations. The application of the Consumer Chemicals Product and Biocide Safety Control Act does not satisfy the legal and practical level of health maintenance and promotion required by the Occupational Safety and Health Act, and the communication of chemical information is insufficient. Overseas, there are restrictions on the use of consumer products in the workplace without material safety data sheets. Conclusions: It is necessary to improve the system to ensure the health of workers handling consumer chemical products. The remaining laws and regulations exempted from the obligation to prepare material safety data sheets should be additionally reviewed.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.15 no.3
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• pp.368-372
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• 2024

Occupational use of cleaning products can cause asthma in healthcare workers but the cleaning agents responsible are not yet known. This study aimed to identify respiratory and other hazards in cleaning products on the National Health Service (NHS) supply chain online catalogue and used in the NHS. Information on cleaning products, their composition, and H-statements that identified hazard characteristics of chemical substances in them was obtained from chemical safety data sheets (SDSs). Furthermore, a quantitative structure-activity relationship model and a published asthmagen list were used to identify potential additional respiratory hazards. 473 cleaning products and 229 substances were identified. SDSs reported only 4 respiratory sensitizers but an additional 51 were suggested by the other 2 methods. In contrast, 25 respiratory irritants were identified using SDSs and only one from the asthmagen list. This comprehensive overview of cleaning agents' hazards has potential use in future risk assessment and epidemiological studies.

• The Journal of Korean Society for School & Community Health Education
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• v.22 no.4
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• pp.1-10
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• 2021

Background & objectives: Understanding the awareness of policy targets and implementers about safety in the local community is the crucial to establish a systematic community safety policy. The purpose of this study was to identify the perception of local citizens and civil servants regarding community safety and its related factors. Methods: For achieving this research goal, this study conducted survey targeting 538 citizens and 404 civil servants in S-si, Kyunggi-do. Self-administred and web-based survey were used to collect data from April 1^st to 16^th 2021. Results: Civil servants scored higher in community safety perception than citizens, and S city's safety interest, information, and participation scores were also higher than those of citizens. Based on the results of multiple regression, thought about in interest of safety in S-si, providing and sharing about safety information to citizens, and participation of community safety policy were significantly associated with perception of community safety. Conclusions: Setting safety as the top priority in S city policy and paying attention to safety by the mayor, public officials, and city council members is an important way to raise citizens' awareness of local safety. Also, efforts at the city level are needed to foster safety knowledge through systematic education on safety.

• The Korean Journal of Food And Nutrition
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• v.32 no.3
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• pp.202-207
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• 2019

The objective of this study was to analyze labeling improvements and evaluate willingness to pay for health functional foods with a focus on the caution for intake. For this study, we conducted a survey on health functional food intake behavior, confirmation and improvements of cautions for intake. We assessed the willingness to pay for improvement of the caution for intake. Consumers anticipate improved immune function, and fatigue improvement after consumption of health functional foods. They mainly checked the function components related to efficacy and effectiveness, ingredients and their contents, ingestion amount and method, expiry date and best mode of storage, product name, and cautions associated with ingestion of health functional foods. They has been difficulties in obtaining sufficient caution information for intake from the current labeling method. Therefore, it is necessary to improve the labeling of caution for intake. The analysis indicated that about 5.14% of the respondents were willing to pay more if new labeling was introduces. However, there is still controversy over their safety, which is damaging to the consumers. Therefore, by providing consumers with accurate and detailed information on cautions for intake, it can contribute to securing safety and improving the quality of health functional foods.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.48 no.6
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• pp.298-305
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• 2022

Background: The concentration of air pollutants as measured by the Air Quality Monitoring System (AQMS) is not an accurate population exposure level since actual human activities and temporal and spatial variability need to be considered. Therefore, to increase the accuracy of exposure assessment, the population should be considered. However, it is difficult to obtain population data due to limitations such as personal information. Objectives: The existing population defined in this study is the number of people in each region's grid. The purpose is to provide a methodology for evaluating exposure to PM_2.5 through existing population data provided by the National Geographic Information Institute. Methods: The selected study period was from October 26 to October 28, 2021. Using PM_2.5 concentration data measured at the Sensor-based Air Monitoring Station (SAMS) installed in Guro-gu and Wonju-si, the concentration for each grid was estimated by applying inverse distance weights through QGIS version 3.22. Considering the existing population, population-weighted average concentration (PWAC) was calculated and the exposure level of the population was compared by region. Results: The outdoor PM_2.5 concentration as measured through the SAMS was high in Wonju-si on all three days. Wonju-si showed an average 22% higher PWAC than Guro-gu. As a result of comparing the PWAC and outdoor PM_2.5 concentration by region, the PWAC in Guro-gu was 1~2% higher than the observed value, but it was almost the same. Conversely, observations of Wonju-si were 10.1%, 11.3%, and 8.2% higher than PWAC. Conclusions: It is expected that the Geographic Information System (GIS) method and the existing population will be used to evaluate the exposure level of a population with a narrow activity radius in further research. In addition, based on this study, it is judged that research on exposure to environmental pollutants and risk assessment methods should be expanded.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Safety
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• v.29 no.6
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• pp.158-165
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• 2014

The statistics of occupational injuries and illnesses is one of the most important indicators of worker's safety and health in the field of occupational safety and health. The conventional statistics was produced without consideration of gender difference. This study was planned to investigate the difference of occupational injuries and illnesses by gender because that recently female workers was increased through the change of industrial structure such as from manufacturing dominated to service dominated structure. Statistics of occupational injuries and illnesses collected by workmen's compensation insurance system that have no information about gender composition of population. Economically active population survey was used to calculated the rate of occupational injuries and illnesses by gender. The distribution of estimated rate of occupational injuries and illnesses by industry, occupation and the type of accident were different between male and female employees, but those by the size of enterprise, age of the injured, the duration of the first recuperation, and job tenure were similar between male and female employees. This study has shown that gender sensitive approach may be applied to policy of occupational safety and health because that gender neutral perspective may not discover the fact of gender specific problems.

• Toxicological Research
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• v.34 no.1
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• pp.49-53
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• 2018

Cyclohexanone ($C_6H_{10}O$, CAS No. 108-94-1) is a colorless oily liquid obtained through the oxidation of cyclohexane or dehydrogenation of phenol. It is used in the manufacture of adhesives, sealant chemicals, agricultural chemicals, paint and coating additives, solvent, electrical and electronic products, paints and coatings, photographic supplies, film, photochemicals, and as an intermediate in nylon production. Owing to the lack of information on repeated inhalation toxicity of cyclohexaone, in this study, we aimed to characterize the subacute inhalation toxicity. B6C3F1 mice were exposed to 0, 50, 150, and 250 ppm of cyclohexanone for 6 hr/day, 5 days/week for 4 weeks via whole-body inhalation in accordance with the OECD Test Guideline 412 (subacute inhalation toxicity: 28-day study). Mortality, clinical signs, body weights, food consumption, hematology, serum biochemistry, organ weights, as well as gross and histopathological findings were evaluated between the control and exposure groups. No mortality or remarkable clinical signs were observed during the study. No adverse effects on body weight, food consumption, hematology, serum biochemistry, and organ weights, gross or histopathological lesions were observed in any male or female mice in any of the exposure groups, although some statistically significant changes were observed in organ weights. We concluded that no observable adverse effect level (NOAEL) is above 250 ppm in mice exposed to cyclohexanone for 6 hr/day for 5 days/week.

• Journal of the Society of Disaster Information
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• v.18 no.2
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• pp.333-342
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• 2022

Purpose: This study proposes a plan for linking the Severe Accident Punishment Act and the Occupational Health and Safety Management System so that SMEs can meet the requirements of the Severe Accident Punishment Act only by maintaining and implementing the Occupational Health and Safety Management System. Method: Conduct a theoretical approach, such as a literature review. First, as a theoretical approach, the safety and health management system of the Serious Accidents Punishment Act was examined, the requirements of ISO 45001 were analyzed, and the statistics of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) from 5 to 49 to which the 2024 Serious Accidents Punishment Act was applied and the number of accident deaths were investigated. Result: No problems were found in linking with the Serious Accident Punishment Act when constructing Occupational health and safety management systems (ISO 45001). Conclusion: It is judged that the establishment of Occupational health and safety management systems (ISO 45001) and management of implementation performance will be able to satisfy the Act on the Punishment of Serious Disasters.

• Journal of the Korea Safety Management & Science
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.27-33
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• 2010

This study surveyed the reading discomforts and the reasons for discomfortable reading of the safety and health information (texts and icons) presented on the agricultural vehicles/machines, pesticides, fertilizers, and feeds. Eighty seven people residing in rural area participated in the survey interview. Questionnaire survey showed that the most discomfortable product in reading the texts was pesticides. Forty three (49%) among participants had very-discomfortable or discomfortable in reading the texts used in the label of pesticides, and the main reason for the discomfort was small text size. The reading discomforts in reading the texts (varied from 4 point to 19 point and presented in 50 cm reading distance) showed different pattern according to the age groups. Three age groups (50s, 60s and older than 70s) showed a similar discomfort pattern, but different from the group of 30s and 40s. Forty four people (51%) had a problem in understanding the meaning of the icons and the main reasons were the small size and the difficulty in inferring the meaning of the icons. Thus, the more detailed and practical guidelines for the presentation format, particularly about the text heights and the size of icons, are required. Also, more comprehensive research is needed to investigate the readability and legibility of texts and icons.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.12 no.2
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• pp.141-146
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• 2021

Background: Violence against health professionals is an increasing problem in Turkey. This study aims to determine the societal perception of violence, experience of violence, and the intentions to use violence against health professionals. Methods: This descriptive study sample comprised 484 individuals. Data were collected by using the "Descriptive Information Form" and "Intentions to Use Violence against Health Professionals Scale." Results: Of the participants, 8.3% used violence against health professionals. Most of the participants (81.2%) stated that violence was not a solution, and 65.9% believed that health professionals did not deserve violence. Past behavior of the participants was the most influential factor on the intention to use violence (β = .473, p = 0.000). Conclusions: More than half of the participants believed that health professionals did not deserve violence and violence was not a solution. We found that intention to use violence was affected by past experiences.