• IE interfaces
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.222-228
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• 2003

Computer-dominated jobs and industrial automation have rapidly created work-related musculoskeletal disorders(WMSDs) and WMSDs are also founded in employees of other general industries. WMSDs has been growing problems for Korean industries with higher incidence rate every year. The objective of this paper is to analyze the effects of the neck muscle workload according to postures(joint angle) and load weights. Seven male students participated in this study. Neck workload was rated on each person using a Borg's CR-10 scale. ANOVA showed that the CR-10 ratings were statistically significant according to postures and load weights. To reduce the large number and severity of WMSDs, which employees have been experiencing, we need to redesign the job in workplace so that we can control hazards that are reasonably likely to be causing or contributing to the WMSDs. The results of this study can be used to establish the safety criteria of joint angle and weight of neck workload.

• Journal of the Ergonomics Society of Korea
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• v.30 no.4
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• pp.465-472
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• 2011

Objective: The aim of this paper is to introduce ergonomic evaluation methods for agricultural work. Background: Work-related Musculoskeletal Disorders(WMSDs) became a major problem in agriculture industry recently. A number of ergonomics evaluation methods have been developed in order to evaluate the work load for preventing WMSDs. The workload evaluation methods were developed for manufacturing industry. Therefore, these ergonomic evaluation methods were used carefully in agriculture industry because work type in agriculture different from work type in manufacturing. Method: Various references of ergonomic evaluation methods such as OWAS, REBA, RULA, NLE and Snook table have been reviewed for agricultural work. Results: This paper presents the characteristics, the selection and application procedure of ergonomic evaluation methods for agricultural work. Application: These results can be used to provide baseline information for ergonomic evaluation methods.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.12 no.2
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• pp.225-229
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• 2021

Background: The socioeconomic burden of musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) is significant, and kitchen work is a high-risk occupation for MSDs due to the intensive manual workload and repetitive movements that are involved. However, there are very few studies on MSDs and rest breaks as a workplace intervention among kitchen workers. This study examined the relationship between insufficient rest breaks and increased MSD risk among Korean kitchen workers. Methods: Sociodemographic and occupational factors of 1,909 kitchen workers were collected from the 3rd-4th Korean Working Conditions Survey data. Five items on rest breaks at work were categorized into two groups, "sufficient" and "insufficient." The number of MSDs and work-related MSDs (WMSDs), an outcome variable, was obtained from the sum of MSDs/WMSDs in three anatomical sites (back, neck, and upper limb, lower limb). The association between rest breaks and MSDs was estimated using zeroinflated negative binomial analyses, with adjustments for age, education level, and weekly working hours, and the analyses were stratified by sex. Results: After adjustment, significant associations were found between insufficient rest breaks and an increased risk of MSDs (odds ratio [OR] 1.68 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.11-2.54) and WMSDs (OR 1.40 95% CI 1.01-1.96) among female kitchen workers. Insufficient rest breaks were significantly associated with MSDs in female kitchen workers in all three anatomical sites. Conclusion: This study emphasizes the need for rest breaks as a workplace intervention for preventing MSDs in kitchen workers. Further studies to reveal the causality of this relationship are required.

• The Journal of the Korea institute of electronic communication sciences
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• v.9 no.3
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• pp.311-322
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• 2014

This study was conducted to assess the impact of work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs) on health related quality of life (QoL) in the firefighter under the recent IT environment. The data were collected by face to face interview using a structured questionnaire in the 366 respondents. WMSDs symptoms were measured by a self-assessed questionnaire on symptom table of NIOSH and health-related QoL was measured by SF-36. The prevalence of WMSDs was 38.0% in upper limbs, 35.5% in the low back, 21.6% in lower limbs, and 59.3% in two or more parts of the body. Subjects with symptoms of WMSDs had significantly lower scores in 7 dimensions of QoL except 'emotional role limitation' than those without symptoms of WMSDs at the area of upper extremities (neck, shoulder, arm/wrist, and hand/wrist/fingers). On the other hand, subjects with symptoms of WMSDs had significantly lower scores on all QoL dimensions than those without symptoms of WMSDs at the area of lower back or lower extremities. These results suggest that WMSDs had a negative effect on QoL. Therefore, prevention of WMSDs should be considered intervention strategies for improvement of QoL, especially in firefighters.

• Journal of the Korea Safety Management & Science
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• v.13 no.2
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• pp.83-90
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• 2011

It has been very important to have an exact evaluation for risk factors in order to prevent WMSDs(Work-related Musculoskeletal Disorders). However, most WMSDs evaluation methods have always been some problems of possibilities associated with subjective evaluation. Therefore, this study tried to conduct a sort of usability analysis on three major evaluation methods(OWAS, RULA, REBA). Specifically, major subjects in the study consisted of three parts as follows; comparison of the results between experienced and inexperienced observers, analysis for the consistency of the results in terms of different evaluation times, and analysis for the consistency of the results in terms of different job characteristics(based on the part of the automobile). The results of the study were summarized as follows; 1) There was statistically significant difference of the results by RULA and by REBA between experienced and inexperienced observers. This might be due to the fact that experienced observers have had better ability to detect the important working posture during evaluation. However, the results by OWAS did not give any significantly different results between experienced and inexperienced observers, 2) All three checklists applied by experienced subjects did not show any single result significantly different in terms of different evaluation times. This might have to do with high intra-observer reliability from some of previous studies, 3) The five parts of an automobile were selected as five major jobs with different job characteristics in the automobile industry. Specifically, they were door part, front part(hood, etc.), inside part(dash board, seats, etc.), rear part(trunk etc.), and bottom part. All three methods did not show any significant differences for the results from each observers. Further study on this subject would eventually provide a sophisticated evaluating guidelines for WMSDs regarding determination of observer-specific evaluation, identification of repetitive number of evaluations for stable results for each checklist, determination of job-specific evaluation methods, and so on.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Safety
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• v.24 no.4
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• pp.90-95
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• 2009

The purpose of this study is to investigate industrial safety and health experts' opinions on the examination system of WMSDs(work related musculoskeletal disorders) risk factors. For doing this, a questionnaire study and two FGIs(focused group interview) were conducted. A questionnaire with open questions about the examination system was developed, and sent to 42 experts consented bye-mail. Of the experts, 24 experts responded, whose data were used in the analysis. The FGIs were performed for the persons in charge of industrial safety and health in industries and ergonomists. The questionnaire study revealed that most experts(91.3%) agreed with legalization of employers' duty for preventing WMSDs, necessity of the 11 tasks designated by Ministry of Labor, the examination system and ergonomics program, and pertinency for the examination system classification of periodic and occasional one. However, more than half experts disagreed with timeliness and appropriateness of the legal system. This was validated by the low approval rates for appropriateness of the 11 tasks, methods of the examination, charge person in the examination and ergonomics program. FGIs showed that it was desirable for the examination system to be legalized, and that the system was generally properly performed. It was suggested that the system be partially revised with reflecting problems disclosed during its enforcement rather than whole revision. It is expected that when revising relevant legal system, the results of this study would be used as valuable data.

• Korean Journal of Occupational Health Nursing
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• v.14 no.1
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• pp.5-15
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• 2005

Purpose: The purpose of this study are to identify the influencing factors on work-related musculoskeletal disorders of women workers. Method: Data were collected by questionnaires from 616 women workers from in such industries as electronics, food product, garment product and analyzed using descriptive statistics, multiple logistic regression. Result: As its result, 71.3% of female manufacturing workers had musculoskeletal symptom. When Multiple logistic regression analysis on factors relating to musculoskeletal symptoms was carried out, age, work posture, job demand, type of industry, working hour, type of work, family support were statistically significant variables. Conclusion: In conclusion, this study identifies that age, work posture, job demand, type of industry, working hour, type of work, family support are important factors affecting WMSDs.

• Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.83-89
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• 2005

This study aims to compare a self-reported and expert-observed method on ergonomic risk factors of Work-related Musculoskeletal Disorders (WMSDs). The checklist was developed based on the results of previous studies, and the symptoms of WMSDs were obtained using a self-reported questionnaire from 1,029 shipyard workers. The risk factors were assessed through the self-report by workers and video analysis by ergonomists. The symptom prevalence at the low back (59.2%), shoulders (50.8 %), and knees (49.7%) were relatively higher than those at other body parts. Odds ratios (ORs) by body parts were 2.48 to 2.90 for the risk job, and the ORs were significantly different from those of the low risk job. The risk factor scores by body parts between workers and ergonomist were very high correlation(r=0.82 to 0.92). The rates of self-report from risk job were 54.0% (elbow and arm) to 72.1 % (low back), but sometimes overestimated(105.7 to 122.6%) than those by ergonomists. The checklist, developed in this study, will be an efficient tool for the evaluation of risk jobs using self-report by workers.

• Journal of the Ergonomics Society of Korea
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• v.32 no.2
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• pp.199-205
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• 2013

Objective: The aim of this study is to investigate the job rotation implementation at medium- or small-industries and to identify the viewpoint on job rotation as preventive activity of work-related musculoskeletal disorders(WMSDs). Background: Job rotation has been implemented in many industrial areas in order to prevent the WMSDs as one part of ergonomic program. Generally, the cases of implementation of ergonomic program or successful cases of job rotation were reported on the side of major or large company. Therefore, this study tried to inspect the current state of job rotation implementation at medium- or small-industries. Method: Survey was carried out for randomly contacted forty seven mangers responsible for safety. Survey contained the questionnaires on the general state of company, shift-work and job rotation. Results: The ratio of work-shift in medium- and small-industry was 34.0% and the ratio of job rotation was 19.1%. For manufacturing industry, the ratio was 37.9% and 17.2%, respectively. Conclusion: The implementation ratio of job rotation was relatively low considering the results of previous studies. Many managers appealed the quality decreasing of goods and the injuries of workers due to job rotation, though agreed to train the multi-functional worker and to prevent the WMSDs. Application: The results can be used for the fundamental data how the job rotation will be properly implemented in medium- and small-industry as an administrative control for MSDs.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Safety
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• v.20 no.1 s.69
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• pp.148-152
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• 2005

The purpose of this paper is to investigate risk factors and ergonomically improve the manufacturing lines of compressors for prevention of work-related musculoskeletal disorders, enhancement of productivity, and workers satisfaction We executed questionnaire survey, ergonomic risk factors investigation of manufacturing lines and ergonomic intervention of work methods, workplace and hand tools. The results of the questionnaire showed that $7.9\%$ of respondents were positive in WMSDs symptom survey. In ergonomic evaluation, the analysis methods such as RULA and NIOSH lifting equation were used and 28 processes in the lines were evaluated to be potentially hazardous. We ergonomically improved the processes to reduce potential WMSDs hazards : manual material handling, carts, work tables, transport methods, working posture and hand tools.