• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.63 no.6
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• pp.806-813
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• 2020

Objective : Lumbar disc herniation (LDH) is a common disease, and lumbar discectomy (LD) is a common neurosurgical procedure. However, there is little previous data on return to work (RTW) after LD. This study investigated the period until the RTW after LD prospectively. Clinically, the pain state at the time of RTW also checked. RTW failure rate 6 months after surgery also investigated. Methods : Patients with daily/regular jobs undergoing LD between September 2014 and December 2018 were enrolled. Pain was assessed by the Oswestri Disability Index (ODI) and the Numeric Rate Scale (NRS). Employment type was divided into self-employed, regular and contracted. Monthly telephone interviews were conducted to check RTW status and self-estimated work capability after surgery. Results : Sixty-seven patients enrolled in this study. Three patients failed to RTW, and three others resigned within 6 months after surgery. The preoperative NRS and ODI were 7.2±1.2 and 22.1±7.9, respectively. The average time to RTW was 5.1±6.0 weeks. At RTW, NRS was 1.5±1.8 and ODI was 6.3±3.9. Amongst patients that successfully returned to work were 16 self-employed workers, 42 regular employees, and three contracted workers. The time to RTW of self-employed, regular, and contracted workers were 5.9±8.8, 4.2±4.3 and 13.3±2.3 weeks, respectively (p=0.011). Thirty-six of the patients that returned to work self-reported a 22.8±15.6% reduction in work capability at 6 months. Conclusion : RTW may vary depending on the employment status. In this study, we found that while employment type may affect the length to RTW, most patients were able to RTW and >40% of patients reported no loss of work capabilities 6 months postoperatively, hopefully alleviating some patient hesitation towards LD.

• Asia-Pacific Journal of Business Venturing and Entrepreneurship
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.247-257
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• 2020

In recent years, the proportion of youth's self-employed is steadily increasing, and government policy also actively encourages youth to become an entrepreneur. However, most of the domestic precedent studies on the self-employed labor market focus on the middle-aged and the elderly, and previous studies on the self-employed labor market of young people are hardly ever studied. Above all, the study that examines the factors of entry into self-employment of young people is not sufficient and researchers usually utilize the study about for all ages to explain the self-employment market of young people. However, because the young and middle-aged people differ in labor market conditions, family backgrounds, and the level of accumulation of human capital, separate explanations and theories are needed. Therefore, this study explored the factors of entry into self-employment by separating the age group from 15~29 years old. The data used in the analysis was the 9th to 20th data of the Korea Labor Panel Survey. The youth unemployment rate and employment rate were referred to the Economically Active Population Survey of Statistics Korea. The analysis subject was limited to young people who are currently performing economic activities, and the analysis method used multi-level logit model. The main results are summarized as follows. First, the lower the unemployment rate and the higher the employment rate, the younger people tend to enter their own businesses on the structural level. Second on the individual level, young people who possess enough financial capital or pursuit personal aptitude or interest tend to enter self-employment. However, there are no statistical effects of human capital and entrepreneur capital.

• Journal of Industrial Convergence
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• v.22 no.3
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• pp.1-12
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• 2024

The purpose of this study is to categorize the adaptation of re-employed injured workers to the workplace and to explore the determinants that affect their adaptation to the workplace. In order to categorize the group of re-employed injured workers to adapt to the workplace, a latent profile analysis was conducted on 522 injured workers. As a result of the analysis, the workplace adaptation group was classified into three types: environmental dominant adaptation type (group 1), work-oriented adaptation type (group 2), and 'environmental adaptation type (group 3). In addition, as a result of conducting a mixed regression analysis to analyze the factors influencing their adaptation to the workplace after industrial accident, it was found that the work-oriented adaptation and environmental adaptation adaptation type were lower than the environmental dominant adaptation type. In addition, it was confirmed that educational background and self-esteem are factors that have an important influence on the adaptation of injured workers to the workplace. Based on the results of this study, it was suggested that the system needs to be supplemented in two aspects: customized support for individuals in the pre-reemployment stage and the employment environment after re-employment in order to increase the adaptation of injured workers to work. Specifically, there are consideration of the development and spread of rehabilitation programs and the expansion of the scope of subsidies that were paid only to the original business owners. Through this study, it is expected that more targeted policy measures can be prepared for re-employed injured workers.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.13 no.4
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• pp.482-486
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• 2022

Background: This study aimed to estimate the annual prevalence and incidence of urolithiasis stratified by work status based on a large nationwide sample. Methods: This study used data from the National Health Insurance Service-National Sample Cohort from 2002 to 2015. The prevalence and incidence of urolithiasis were estimated based on work status and gender stratification. The risk of urolithiasis among workers was calculated using age-standardized incidence ratio with stratification of work type. Results: The prevalence of urolithiasis was significantly higher in workers than in non-workers, especially men, during the follow-up period. The total estimated number of urolithiasis cases was 41,086 and the overall incidence of urolithiasis was 0.3%. The age-standardized incidence ratio of urolithiasis was significantly higher among the total workers (1.14; 95% confidence interval, 1.13-1.16), self-employed workers (1.08; 95% confidence interval, 1.06-1.11), and paid workers (1.19; 95% confidence interval, 1.17-1.21) than among the non-working population. Conclusions: Workers, especially paid workers and men, were vulnerable to urolithiasis. Further studies are required to investigate the effects of working conditions on urolithiasis.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.8 no.4
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• pp.343-346
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• 2017

Background: Long working hours adversely affect worker safety and health. In 2004, Korea passed legislation that limited the work week to 40 hours, in an effort to improve quality-of-life and increase business competitiveness. This regulation was implemented in stages, first for large businesses and then for small businesses, from 2004 to 2011. We previously reported that average weekly working hours decreased from 2006 to 2010, based on the Korean Working Conditions Survey. Methods: In the present study, we examine whether average weekly working hours continued to decrease in 2014 based on the 2014 Korean Working Conditions Survey. Results: The results show that average weekly working hours among all groups of workers decreased in 2014 relative to previous years; however, self-employed individuals and employers (who are not covered by the new legislation) in the specific service sectors worked > 60 h/wk in 2014. Conclusion: The Korean government should prohibit employees from working excessive hours and should also attempt to achieve social and public consensus regarding work time reduction to improve the safety, health, and quality-of-life of all citizens, including those who are employers and self-employed.

• Journal of Digital Convergence
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• v.20 no.2
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• pp.431-446
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• 2022

This study tested the possibility of applying the integrated social cognitive career theory for workers with disabilities to explore ways of predicting and enhancing their subjective well-being. It analyzed 952 adults who were employed for three years, among the workers who had participated in the Panel Survey of Employment for the Disabled from 2016 to 2018. The results showed that disability acceptance was positively related to occupational self-efficacy, job satisfaction, and life satisfaction with statistical significance, and that occupational self-efficacy had a partial mediating effect on the relationship between job satisfaction and disability acceptance. Moreover, both auto-regressive and cross-lagged effects between disability acceptance and job satisfaction were found to be statistically significant. These findings imply that disability acceptance and occupational self-efficacy can be regarded as important factors to increase the subjective well-being of workers with disabilities.

• Korean Journal of Occupational Health Nursing
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• v.7 no.2
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• pp.130-135
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• 1998

To investigate the working characteristics of the workers by place of duty, a study was carried out among 591 male workers aged 20-55 employed in an automobile industry in Korea. Workers participated to this study were divided into low back pain(LBP) and control group, according to the self-reports by written questionnaires. Work factors and complaint rates of low back pain were compared to the work places. The results were as follows ; 1) The complaint rates of low back pain were 49.2%(292 men) as a whole, 58.6%(34 men) in Production Control Department I, 50.2%(120 men) in Stamping Tool Department, 46.9%(138 men) in Bus Department. 2) Lifting and earring work of individual workers were directly associated with low back pain. Frequency of lifting and carring work is higher in the Final Body Section(Production Dept. I) and Body I Section(Bus Dept.). 3) LBP group were more frequently involved in working in awkward position(Quality Control Section of Stamping Tool Dept.), bending(Body I Section of Bus Dept.) and twisting posture(Sash Section and Body I Section of Bus Dept.). 4 )Workers exposed to vibration during working shows the higher complaint rate of low back pain.

• Journal of Korean Public Health Nursing
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• v.33 no.2
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• pp.163-174
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• 2019

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to identify the effects of job stress, depression and fatigue on sleep quality of care workers employed in long-term care facilities. Methods: The participants were 213 care workers who worked in 11 long-term care facilities. The collected data was analyzed by descriptive statistics, t-test, ANOVA, Pearson's correlation coefficient and multiple linear regression with using the SPSS 23.0 program. Results: We found that patient-related job stress was the greatest stressor among care workers' job stresses. A significant difference in sleep quality was observed according to the self-perceived health status of the care workers. The care workers' sleep quality was negatively correlated with job stress (r=-.16, p=.018), depression (r=-.31, p<.001) and fatigue (r=-.29, p<.001). The influencing factors of sleep quality were depression (${\beta}=-0.22$, p=.001) and fatigue (${\beta}=-0.15$, p=.047). Conclusion: It is necessary to improve the health status and sleep quality of care workers by developing and applying health promotion programs to reduce the depression and fatigue of the care worker. This will ultimately improve the quality of service care for the patients.

• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
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• v.19 no.4
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• pp.403-412
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• 2019

There has been a lively debate between self-employed and wage workers on the speed of minimum wage hikes. Minimum wage is a redistributive policy that evokes confrontation and conflict whereby individuals' views on the policy coincide with their material self-interest. With this in mind, the researcher analyzed whether an individual's labor market status was explanatory to his/her view on the speed of minimum wage hike. Moreover, in light of the likelihood that the varying degree to which self-employed can afford minimum wage hike affects their differential preferences for the policy, the researcher attempted to identify whether there was a moderation effect of income class on the relationship. In the actual analysis, the researcher investigated employment policy survey dataset using a multinomial logit model. The results suggest that, among self-employed, 'gradual increase' and 'rapid increase' of minimum wages are less preferred $vis-{\grave{a}}-vis$ 'minimal increase,' which is the reference. As to the moderation effect, when a self-employed has a middle-income class status, his/her negative preference for the policy is likely to be attenuated. One implication of this study is that subsidizing self-employed small business owners, who are most dissatisfied with the current speed at which minimum wages rise, would be an effective prescription on reducing social conflicts.

• Annals of Occupational and Environmental Medicine
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• v.35
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• pp.43.1-43.12
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• 2023

Background: Gig workers, also known as platform workers, are independent workers who are not employed by any particular company. The number of gig economy workers has rapidly increased worldwide in the past decade. There is a dearth of occupational health studies among gig economy workers. We aimed to investigate the association between exposure to violence and job stress in gig economy workers and depressive symptoms. Methods: A total of 955 individuals (521 gig workers and 434 general workers) participated in this study and variables were measured through self-report questionnaires. Depressive symptoms were evaluated by the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 when the score was greater than or equal to 10 points. The odds ratio with 95% confidence interval was calculated using multivariable logistic regression adjusted for age, sex, working hours, education level, exposure to violence and job stress. Results: 19% of gig economy workers reported depressive symptoms, while only 11% of general workers reported the depressive symptoms. In association to depressive symptoms among gig economy workers, the mainly result of odds ratios for depressive symptoms were as follows: 1.81 for workers type, 3.53 for humiliating treatment, 2.65 for sexual harassment, 3.55 for less than three meals per day, 3.69 for feeling too tired to do housework after leaving work. Conclusions: Gig economic workers are exposed to violence and job stress in the workplace more than general workers, and the proportion of workers reporting depressive symptoms is also high. These factors are associated to depressive symptoms. Furthermore, the gig workers associated between depressive symptoms and exposure to violence, job stress.