• The Journal of the Convergence on Culture Technology
• /
• v.8 no.5
• /
• pp.723-728
• /
• 2022

Most accidents at construction sites are occurring in vulnerable groups such as new workers, foreign workers, and elderly workers. These vulnerable workers often lead to accidents due to the lack of awareness of risks. Therefore, in order to reduce accidents, it is necessary to pay attention to and manage vulnerable workers. This study attempted to identify the level of safety awareness and safety management priorities for vulnerable workers through IPA analysis. New workers should be able to adapt to the field as soon as possible, and foreign workers were found to need frequent check-ups due to language communication problems. In the case of older workers, it was analyzed that it was necessary to check their health and to check whether they were performing other tasks than the prescribed ones.

• Safety and Health at Work
• /
• v.10 no.1
• /
• pp.3-20
• /
• 2019

This review aimed to identify risk factors for occupational accidents and illnesses among young workers in the Nordic countries and to attain knowledge on specific vulnerable groups within the young working force that may need special attention. We conducted a systematic review from 1994 to 2014 using five online databases. Of the 12,528 retrieved articles, 54 met the review criteria and were quality assessed, in which data were extracted focusing on identifying occupational safety, health risk factors, and vulnerable groups among the young workers. The review shows that mechanical factors such as heavy lifting, psychosocial factors such as low control over work pace, and organizational factors such as safety climate are all associated with increased injury risk for young Nordic workers. Results show that exposures to chemical substances were associated with skin reactions, e.g., hand eczema. Heavy lifting and awkward postures were risk factors for low back pain, and high job demands were risk factors for mental health outcomes. The review identified young unskilled workers including school drop-out workers as particularly vulnerable groups when it comes to occupational accidents. In addition, apprentices and young skilled workers were found to be vulnerable to work-related illnesses. It is essential to avoid stereotyping young Nordic workers into one group using only age as a factor, as young workers are a heterogeneous group and their vulnerabilities to occupational safety and health risks are contextual. Politicians, researchers, and practitioners should account for this complexity in the education, training and organization of work, and workplace health and safety culture.

• The Journal of the Convergence on Culture Technology
• /
• v.10 no.1
• /
• pp.477-482
• /
• 2024

Since the Act on Punishment of Serious Accident has been implemented, the role of construction companies in safety and health and the responsibility of CEO are strengthened. However, serious accidents still occur. Due to population decline and young people's reluctance into the construction industry, the ratio of elderly workers and foreign workers is increasing at construction sites. In this study, a survey was conducted to identify differences in the perception of importance of smart safety technology among vulnerable groups such as foreign workers, elderly workers, and workers with health conditions. Vulnerable workers recognize the importance of smart technology in the fields of foreign language support, risk warning, and body wear monitoring, and the conclusion was drawn that smart technology should be expanded for vulnerable groups in the future.

• Convergence Security Journal
• /
• v.18 no.5_2
• /
• pp.83-92
• /
• 2018

Korea is increasingly vulnerable to disasters due to changes in economic and social structure. In particular, there are a number of disadvantaged people, such as elderly people, disabled people, basic livelihood recipients, foreigners, multicultural families, etc. who are vulnerable to social problems due to aging, polarization and internationalization. These vulnerable people to disaster have difficulties in acquiring disaster information and to respond promptly by self-help. Of course, recent studies on vulnerable people to disaster have been steadily increasing, but discussions about foreigners have been relatively inadequate. This has led to a lack of understanding about the actual situation of disaster and coping methods. Once general situations set in, foreigners staying in Korea will suffer from a vicious cycle of policy-making from the viewpoint of Korean and difficulties in obtaining relevant information. In this study, we conducted in-depth interviews on the recognition and acquisition path of disaster information for foreign workers living in Korea. Based on the results of the interviews, we derived implications for practical information, such as ways to understand and actively utilize information media frequently visited by foreign workers in Korea.

• Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
• /
• v.30 no.3
• /
• pp.256-269
• /
• 2020

Objectives: Everyone has been affected in some way by the COVID-19 pandemic, while some workers face threats to their health due to their jobs as well as worries about spreading the virus to intimate family members. With these concerns in mind, this study aims to identify occupations more vulnerable to COVID-19 and suggests the necessity of providing proper control measures against the risks in a timely manner in Korea. Methods: Daily briefing reports by the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) were compiled (n=120) between January 20 and May 31, 2020. A total of 11,486 confirmed cases were included, which were sorted by occasion, area, and occupation. Among them, 2,411 cases were classified with specific occasions and/or areas of infection, while only 544 cases were determined with identifiable occupations. Guidelines for biological hazard management and COVID-19 guidelines for workplaces from domestic and international bodies were enlisted and compared. Results: It is unsurprising to find that healthcare professionals are experiencing the most immediate threat from COVID-19. In addition, service workers with face-to-face practices or indirect contact are also facing high risks. Religion facilities and eating places (dining, drinking bar, café, etc.,) follow. Guidelines and manuals for biological hazards are still lacking in Korea compared to the US and EU. Workplace manuals for managing COVID-19 are neither as comprehensive as the approaches of NIOSH's hierarchy of controls nor inclusive enough for minimizing secondary or tertiary suffering. Conclusions: The COVID-19 crisis is still ongoing and there is no doubt there will be more such events in the future. This analysis suggests that occupational health professionals, amid a pandemic including COVID-19, are urged to anticipate emerging risks related to all sorts of occupations, identify vulnerable workers and working environments, and plan and take actions to protect workers' health.

• International Journal of Advanced Culture Technology
• /
• v.6 no.2
• /
• pp.43-50
• /
• 2018

In this study, It is utilized 103 management panic data about social enterprises in Chungnam area (Chungnam, Daejeon, Sejong) region from 2011 to 2017. The organizational characteristics (organizational type, type of certification, company's region, external grants, paid employees) were set as independent variables with economic performance (sales) and social performance (employment of vulnerable class) as dependent variables. We analyzed the factors affecting the economic and social performance of social enterprises and confirmed the correlation between economic and social performance. The results of this study are as follows: First, the organizational characteristics of social enterprises showed a significant difference in sales as economic performance. External grants have no positive effect on the economic performance (sales) of social enterprises, while paid workers have a positive (+) influence on the economic performance. Second, the organizational characteristics of social enterprises showed significant differences in employment of the vulnerable class, which is social performance. Only the paid workers had a statistically significant relationship with the social performance of the social enterprise. Third, the correlation between economic performance (sales) and social performance (employment of the vulnerable class), which is the result of social enterprise, is shown. This can enhance a social enterprises' sustainable growth and self-sufficiency by improving the employment of vulnerable people, the economic performance of a social enterprise, which is sales and social performance, and ultimately can manifest the value and purpose of the social enterprise.

• Safety and Health at Work
• /
• v.14 no.4
• /
• pp.476-482
• /
• 2023

Introduction: There is a growing global interest in the issue of precarious employment. We aimed to analyze the characteristics and socio-demographic distribution of precarious employment using a summative score approach. Methods: To operationalize precarious employment, we utilized data from the Korean Working Conditions Survey and focused on three distinct dimensions: employment insecurity, income inadequacy, and a lack of rights and protections. By constructing a summative scale ranging from -16 to 2, with lower scores indicating higher precariousness, we measured employment precariousness among Korean wage workers. To compare employment precariousness according to survey participant characteristics, we employed the Wilcoxon Rank Sum Test. Results: We analyzed a weighted number of 38,432 workers. The overall sample showed a median (Q1, Q3) summative scale score of -3 (-6, -1). The median summative score was lower for women compared to men (men: -2; women: -5; p < 0.001), as well as for young or older workers compared to middle-aged workers (young: -4; middle-aged: -2; older: -5; p < 0.001). Similarly, workers with lower educational levels (middle school or below: -8; high school: -5; college or above: -2; p < 0.001) and non-white collar workers (blue collar: -5; service/sales worker: -6; white collar: -2; p < 0.001) experienced higher levels of employment precariousness. Conclusion: Our findings indicate that certain vulnerable groups, such as women, young or older adults, workers with low educational attainment, and caregiving or low-skilled elementary workers, are disproportionately exposed to high employment precariousness. Active policy interventions are needed to improve the employment quality of vulnerable groups.

• Journal of the Korean Dietetic Association
• /
• v.25 no.4
• /
• pp.295-309
• /
• 2019

The purpose of this study were to identify the dietary practices of vulnerable older adults and to assess the foodservice and food provision service programs perceived by the health and welfare service providers in the community. A survey was conducted on health and welfare service providers working in outreach community centers and community health centers in Seoul. A total of 260 nurses and social workers participated in the survey and 224 responses were used for data analysis after excluding significant missing data. The respondents consisted of nurses (58.5%) and social workers (41.5%). In terms of the dietary life of the vulnerable older adults, they perceived that the food cost was burdensome to the older adults and poor dental conditions prohibited them from eating various foods. The health and welfare service providers rated highly for 'home-delivered meal and side dish services are effective for checking older adults' conditions' but rated low for availability of menu choices. In targeting vulnerable older adults for food and nutrition service programs, the home-delivered meal service was found to be suitable for older adults living alone, those over age of 80 years, those with mobility difficulties, and those with economic difficulties. The food provision service was appropriate for older adults living with their spouse or other family members. Vulnerable older adults are a heterogeneous population with diverse needs related to food and nutrition. Home-delivered meal/side dish service and food provision services will achieve their goals when they reach the correct targets with a customized service.

• Research in Community and Public Health Nursing
• /
• v.31 no.3
• /
• pp.256-268
• /
• 2020

Purpose: This study aimed to explore ecological factors and strategies for childhood obesity prevention targeting vulnerable children using a community-based participatory research (CBPR) methodology. Methods: The CBPR was conducted by following basic process steps. Participants were 12 community stakeholders such as community child center directors (n=4), vulnerable children's mothers (n=3), community health center officials (n=2), and lay health advisors (n=4); they were purposively sampled from K municipal county in Seoul, South Korea. The qualitative content analysis was performed to explore main themes of the ecological factors and strategies by using data obtained from 5 times of focus group interview. Results: Twelve ecological factors associated with childhood obesity prevention were identified: Intrapersonal factors including emotional overeating; interpersonal factors including permissive parenting style of children's eating behaviors; organizational factors including social workers' less educational opportunities; and community/policy factors including less government financial support. Four ecological strategies for childhood obesity prevention were addressed: Developing obesity prevention programs targeting vulnerable children' lifestyles; promoting parents' active participation in education; building healthy meal service environments through empowering social workers; and building supportive community environment and securing community resources for child obesity prevention. Conclusion: Our findings may be informative in terms of providing a comprehensive understanding of multi-level ecological barriers against vulnerable children' obesity prevention and, moreover, guiding multi-level strategies for preventing childhood obesity targeting children enrolled in community child centers.

• The Journal of the Convergence on Culture Technology
• /
• v.8 no.5
• /
• pp.597-602
• /
• 2022

In construction sites, many accidents occur without supervisors during night work, early work, and lunchtime work outside of regular working hours. The purpose of this study is to measure the safety level of workers and to provide basic data for preventing accidents during vulnerable times by analyzing the opinions of expert groups on working conditions. Working conditions were divided into four areas: basic conditions, physical environment, social environment, and physiological factors. After examining the correlation between the priority considerations determined by Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) and the safety level of workers investigated in advance, management plans for each factor was derived.