• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.8 no.4
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• pp.371-377
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• 2017

Background: Social status might be a determinant of occupational health inequalities. This study analyzed the effects of social status on both work environments and health outcomes. Methods: The study sample consisted of 27,598 wage employees aged 15 years and older from among the Korean Working Condition Survey participants in 2011. Work environments included atypical work, physical risks, ergonomic risks, work demands, work autonomy, social supports, and job rewards. Health outcomes comprised general health, health and safety at risk because of work, the World Health Organization-5 Well-being Index, work-related musculoskeletal disease, and work-related injury. Multivariable logistic-regression models were used to identify the associations between social status and work environments and health outcomes. Results: Employees in the demographically vulnerable group had lower occupational status compared with their counterparts. Low social status was largely related to adverse work environments. Especially, precarious employment and manual labor occupation were associated with both adverse work environments and poor health outcomes. Conclusion: Precarious and manual workers should take precedence in occupational health equity policies and interventions. Their cumulative vulnerability, which is connected to demographics, occupational status, adverse work environments, or poor health outcomes, can be improved through a multilevel approach such as labor market, organizations, and individual goals.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.54 no.5
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• pp.370-375
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• 2021

Objectives: The number of cases of hepatitis A virus (HAV) infections has sharply increased in Korea, especially among young adults. In this study, an HAV outbreak in a facility for disabled people was investigated, and we found epidemiological differences both between 2 different generations and between generally abled and disabled groups. Methods: We analyzed the incubation period and attack rate of an HAV outbreak and investigated the prevalence of HAV antibodies among the staff and residents of a facility for the disabled. We performed a retrospective cohort study during the HAV outbreak, which lasted from February 8 to 25, 2019, including examinations of HAV antibody tests and post-exposure HAV vaccination for the staff or residents of the facility. Results: There were 9 confirmed cases in 2 staff members and 7 residents. Among 53 people (30 staff and 23 residents), except for the 9 confirmed cases and 1 staff member with a known history of HAV infection, HAV seroprevalence was seen in 16.7% of the staff under 40 years of age and 95.2% of those over 40 years of age, while the corresponding rates in the residents were 0.0% and 58.8%, respectively. Conclusions: This result implies that it is necessary to prioritize HAV vaccination for vulnerable groups and workers of residential care facilities.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.73-77
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• 2022

Background: Whole-body vibration (WBV) exposure of coal mine dumper operators poses numerous health hazards. The case-control study was aimed at assessing the relative musculoskeletal health risk of dumper operators' exposure to WBV with reference to the nonexposed group. Methods: Measurements of WBV exposure were taken at the operator-seat interface using a human vibration analyzer for 110 dumper operators in three coal mines. This vibration measurement was supplemented by a questionnaire survey of 110 dumper operators exposed to WBV and an equal number of workers not exposed to WBV. The relative risk of musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) has been assessed through the case-control study design. Results: ISO guidelines were used to compare the health risk. It was observed that the prevalence of pain in the lower back was 2.52 times more in the case group compared to the control group. The case group of Mine-2 was 2.0 times more prone to vibration hazards as compared to Mine-3. Conclusion: The case group is more vulnerable to MSDs than the control group. The on-site measurement as well as the response of the dumper operators during the questionnaire survey corroborates this finding.

• Research in Community and Public Health Nursing
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• v.15 no.4
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• pp.551-565
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• 2004

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to develop a day care center model focused on public health institutions for the elderly residing in their homes. Method: Research design for this study was a mult-level research, which consisted of a related literature review, an Internet search for knowledge of the current situation at home and abroad, on-site interviews, questionnaires collected from a sample of residents in a rural area, and a key-informants approach. Results: 1) The subjects of service - Generalized service should be provided to the elderly, 65 years and older, regardless of their assets. 2) The contents of service - Providing pre-health oriented and post-social welfare service that can integrate and satisfy a wide variety of public health and welfare needs of the elderly would strengthen the health care service of a day care center for the elderly. 3) Delivery system - Basic-level local self-governments should become a central operating body, and establishing a properly adjusted delivery system to a rural area after considering the efficiency and the access of vulnerable rural areas is needed based on modification of 'a Special Law for Agricultural and Fishery Areas' (rural public health center>rural health sub-center ${\rightarrow}$ unified health sub-center ${\rightarrow}$ public health hospital (public health center) ${\rightarrow}$ public welfare office). 4) Facility - Public health facilities such as public health centers and sub-centers should be located in areas that can easily access the facilities. 5) Funding - For day care center for the elderly in local self-government, the central government should modify a relevant implementation of subsidy in and provide some facilities and service regardless of the degree of self reliance of local self-government. 6) Human resources - It is needed to guarantee the period of workers of a day care center for the elderly, at least 3 to 5 years, with considering their specialty on aged care and avoiding circulation based positions. Furthermore, appropriate specially trained personnel such as medical workers and social workers should be placed to take care of both health service and welfare through strengthening of 'rules of law of elderly welfare,' Conclusion: future research is needed to test the model through a demonstration study using a model which may be developed in the future and to standardize the appraisal criteria of people hoping to enter a day care center for the elderly.

• Management & Information Systems Review
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• v.37 no.1
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• pp.75-101
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• 2018

Social enterprise in Korea has faced with many problems such as small size, management capability, lack of technology and weak ability to obtain resources despite its quantitative growth, raising concern over sustainability of social enterprises. Despite such tough environment, unique feature of social enterprise, differentiated from commercial enterprise is that it has clear social mission. In addition, social enterprise has the organizational feature in that vulnerable social group of workers coexists with ordinary workers, and plays a role of helping independence of vulnerable social group. Due to this feature, successful organizational socialization of members in social enterprise is a very important feature. Based on assumption that social mission of social enterprise can be utilized as the unique competitiveness of social enterprise through vision-sharing in the organization, and may give positive effects on successful organizational socialization of organization members, this study aims to conduct empirical research on relationship between vision-sharing and organizational socialization and to explore mediation effects of organizational health as organizational environmental element in relationship between vision sharing and organizational socialization. This study was conducted on 156 employees working at social enterprises. As a result of study, first, vision sharing is found to have positive effects on organizational socialization at social enterprises. Second, vision sharing in social enterprise has positive effects on organizational health. Third, vitality and community-oriented in social enterprise are found to have mediation effects among lower elements of organizational health in relationship between vision sharing and organizational socialization. In conclusion, it is confirmed that the more visions of organization are shared, the more members recognize their organization healthy, resulting in successful organizational socialization. This study is meaningful in that it presents the plans for successful organizational socialization of members of social enterprise including vulnerable groups and that it is the empirical study on plans of social enterprise on human resource management.

• Journal of dental hygiene science
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• v.16 no.3
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• pp.225-234
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• 2016

The purpose of this study was to determine the oral health condition and behavioral status of Korean adults according to occupational status. The subjects were 7,676 adults, aged between 19 and 64 years, who completed both oral examination and questionnaire survey, among those who indicated that they were currently participating in economic activities, according to the data from the Fourth Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Occupational class and employment status were selected as measures of occupational status. Complex-samples logistic regression models were used to assess the associations among oral health, behavioral, and occupational statuses. We found a significant occupational class-related difference in the oral health and behavioral statuses of both the men and women. In particular, the prevalence odds ratios of untreated dental caries in manual workers were 1.19 and 1.67 times higher than in non-manual workers, for men and women, respectively. As for oral health condition and behavioral status according to employment status, the health risk in temporary employment workers was higher than that in permanent employment workers. As for the prevalence odds ratios of the risk of dental caries, the highest values were observed for tooth brushing fewer than 3 times per day, not undergoing oral examinations, and chewing difficulty complaints. The risk of dental caries for agricultural, forestry, and fishing workers for both men and women was found to be the highest among other workers. Thus, strategies to promote workplace oral health in the microscopic and macroscopic perspectives should be developed to constantly monitor oral health problems, and to identify vulnerable social groups within occupational groups and the related factors that mediate oral health differences.

• 한국벤처창업학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2018.11a
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• pp.165-175
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• 2018

Since the 1997 financial crisis, large scale unemployment and poverty have become serious, and public and social job creation projects have been carried out. However, with the limitations of low-wage and short-term jobs, the need for long-term and high quality jobs gradually began to attract attention. In recent years, social enterprises have grown both quantitatively and qualitatively and interest in social enterprises has increased. And also it is interested in the determinants of success and failure of social enterprises in the academic field. In this study, we examined the effects of social enterprise characteristics on financial and social performance, and we analyzed empirically by using social enterprises registered in the Korea Social Enterprise Agency. The financial performance of the social enterprise is measured by the net income ratio, operating income ratio, and the return on asset. The social performance of the social enterprise is measured by total number of workers and the employment rate of the vulnerable social groups. The characteristics of the social enterprise include the CEO characteristics (gender, age, experience in operating the social enterprise), the firm size, and the elapsed time of the authentication. The results of the empirical analysis are as follows. First, as a result of analysis for the effect on financial performance, we found that the financial performance have a statistically significant positive relationship with firm size, organizational form, government subsidies and capital adequacy ratio. And it is found that the social performance have a statistically significant negative relationship with CEO age, credit debt dependence. Second, as a result of analysis for the effect on social performance, we foumd that total number of workers have a significant positive relationships with CEO gender, CEO age, and firm size, government subsidies, while total number of workers have a significant negative relationship with certification type and industry dummy. On the other hand, the employment rate of the vulnerable social groups have a siginificant positive relationship with CEO gender and certification type and It have not statistically significant relationship with the government subsidies and the firm size.

• Asia-Pacific Journal of Business Venturing and Entrepreneurship
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• v.14 no.2
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• pp.61-72
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• 2019

Since the financial crisis in 1997, large scale unemployment and poverty have become serious, but there has been a surge in public and social job creation projects. However, with the limitations of low-wage and short-term jobs, the need for long-term, high quality jobs gradually began to garner attention. In recent years, social enterprises have grown both quantitatively and qualitatively and interest in social enterprises has increased; more specifically, scholars are interested in the determinants of success and failure of social enterprises in the academic field. In this study, we examined the effects of social enterprise characteristics on financial and social performance. In particular, we empirically analyzed social enterprises registered in the Korea Social Enterprise Agency. The financial performance of the social enterprise was measured using the net income ratio, operating income ratio, and the return on asset. The social performance of the social enterprise was measured by the total number of workers and the employment rate of vulnerable social groups. The characteristics of the social enterprise included CEO characteristics (gender, age, experience in operating the social enterprise), firm size, and the elapsed time of authentication. The results of the empirical analysis are as follows. First, as a result of analysis for the effect on financial performance, we found that the financial performance has a statistically significant, positive relationship with firm size, organizational form, government subsidies, and capital adequacy ratio. And we found that the social performance has a statistically significant, negative relationship with CEO age and credit debt dependence. Second, as a result of analysis for the effect on social performance, we found that the total number of workers had a significant, positive relationship with CEO gender and CEO age, as well as firm size, government subsidies; whereas the total number of workers had a significant, negative relationship with certification type and industry dummy. Comparatively, the employment rate of the vulnerable social groups had a significant, positive relationship with CEO gender and certification type, but there was no statistically significant relationship with the government subsidies or firm size.

• Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
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• v.8 no.2
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• pp.242-253
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• 1998

South Korea has been producing asbestos over 60 years. The use of asbestos was over 50 years for production of asbestos slate and 27 years for asbestos friction materials including asbestos textile and brake-lining. Thus, it can be supposed that asbestos related diseases such as asbestosis, lung cancer and mesothelioma could be found in the vulnerable workers exposed to asbestos in 1955-1975, given the average latency period of 10-30 years. Asbestos was produced primarily by Japanese during World War II In Korea. The production of chrysotile peaked to 4,815 tons in 1944. From 1978 to 1984, 10,000 tons of asbestos were produced annually. However, the production was interrupted by raising labor costs and extinction of mine reserves, and finally they had to depend on import for the need of asbestos. In 1945, there were 16 asbestos mines, in total, with the addition of new asbestos mines in South Korea. Imports of asbestos was increased from 74,000 tons to 95,000 tons during the period of 1976 - 1992. But the imports was reduced to 88,000 tons in 1995. Since, in addition to the import of asbestos itself, the imports of asbestos products were increased as well and the accumulation of asbestos reached to 30,000 tons during the period of 1964 to 1993. In 1965, there was only one asbestos company with 207 employees. But the size of asbestos industry has been expanded so much that 118 asbestos companies could be found in 1993 with 1,476 workers. However, there was no record on the survey of asbestos concentration to which workers were exposed in any companies in 1983. The record of the air-borne concentration of the asbestos in textile working places in 1984 showed 6.7 fibers/cc by geometric mean(GM), but it was reduced to 1.2 fibers/cc in 1993. GMs of asbestos in working places for construction materials and asbestos textiles were also decreased from 1.7 fibers/cc to 0.55 fibers/cc during the period of 1984 - 1996.

• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
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• v.19 no.7
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• pp.546-558
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• 2019

Health inequality means health gaps that can be affected adverse effects to the vulnerable groups in a society. Many scholars argue that it is needed social interventions to reduce health gaps between the vulnerable and the privileged in a society, because social inequalities can be caused and resulted health inequality among them. In this context, this article introduces Korean out of school children health check-up as part of the policies to reduce health inequality in the society. For a long time, many out of school children have been alienated from the national health checkup systems. That means they are not only marginalized groups in Korean society, but also excluded from the benefits of health promotion and health management. Many runaway youths are struggling to live by themselves, who are escaped from their families and they don't have enough resources to keep their health. They are also young and low waged workers who are expelled to the streets, while they don't have any support and protection from the communities. Out of school children health checkup has been conducted to the adolescents who stay in the shelters or study in alternative schools. To get meaningful results as the health inequality reduction policy, it is needed to expand out of children health checkup to the runaway teenagers.