• Journal of the Ergonomics Society of Korea
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.57-63
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• 2005

Ergonomic intervention techniques were adopted to assess and control potential risk factors of work-related musculoskeletal disorders(WMSDs) in the automated light assembly manufacturing system. Ten different kinds of assembly workstations implemented with a conveyor system and twelve female workers were observed and evaluated with careful video film analysis. Several close examinations using sets of checklists established by qualified safety and health organizations, such as NIOSH, OSHA, and ANSI, were conducted and every workers and staffs in the site participated in the self-report questionnaires and off-line interviews. Typical risk factors and symptoms of the upper extremity musculoskeletal disorders were found and categorized into specific parts of body. To reduce risk factors of WMSDs and improve system productivity new revised workstation standards, physical dimensions, were suggested accordant with anthropometric characteristics of workers and a heuristic decision strategy of rotating shift work schedules according to work contents has proposed to mitigate cumulative physical stress. Finally, ergonomic programs of entire company to prevent WMSDs were structured.

• Journal of the Ergonomics Society of Korea
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• v.29 no.4
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• pp.455-463
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• 2010

Work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs) are recognized as leading causes of significant human suffering, loss of productivity, and economic burdens on our society. WMSDs are associated with work patterns that include fixed or constrained body positions, continual repetition of movements, force concentrated on small parts of the body, cold environment and vibration. Main effort to protect workers from WMSDs should focus on avoiding repetitive patterns of work through engineering controls which may include mechanization, ergonomic design of tools and equipment, and workplace layout. Where elimination of the risk factors is not practical, administrative controls involving job rotation, job enlargement and enrichment, teamwork should be considered.

• Korean Journal of Occupational Health Nursing
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.28-40
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• 2010

Purpose: The purpose of the study >was to examine the prevalence of work-related musculoskeletal disorders(WMSDs) and to identify the relationship between work-related psychosocial and acculturative factors and WMSDs among Korean-Chinese workers living in Korea. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted with 195 Korean-Chinese workers who have worked full-time for the past 6 months. A structured questionnaire, including measures for musculoskeletal symptoms, physical demand, work-related psychosocial(job demand, job control, interpersonal conflict), acculturative (acculturation strategy and acculturative stress), and personal factors, was used. Descriptive statistics and logistic regression analysis were conducted using the SPSS WIN 17.0. Results: The prevalence of WMSDs was 64.1%. In comparison to Korean workers, job demand of this group was lower while both interpersonal conflict and lack of job control were higher among them. Integration was the most commonly used acculturation strategy and mean scores of acculturative stress were below the median. Acculturative stress was positively correlated with integration and assimilation while negatively correlated with separation and marginalization. Interpersonal conflict and integration appeared to be related to WMSDs among male and female Korean-Chinese workers, respectively. Conclusion: The WMSD interventions need to be planned in consideration of different influences of work-related psychosocial and acculturative factors on WMSDs by gender.

• Journal of the Ergonomics Society of Korea
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• v.29 no.4
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• pp.423-433
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• 2010

The presence of musculoskeletal burden tasks and work related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs) at Industrial workers was not well-known until 2000 in Korea. Since The Occupational Safety & Health Law was registered a business of proprietor duty in preventing work-related MSDs of workers In July of 2003 WMSDs became a big issue in Korea. A social previous interest was focused on the manufacturing industry just like auto and shipping industry in manufacturing sectors but nowadays it is spreading out to non-manufacturing fields gradually. Nevertheless, we have WMSD prevention Law and System in Korea to reduce WMSDs effectively and systematically we recognized some mistakes and problems of WMSD Law and System. In this paper we study these recent problems in Korea from about 10 years experience and proposed some proposals as discussion.

• Journal of the Ergonomics Society of Korea
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• v.30 no.4
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• pp.535-540
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• 2011

Objective: The aim of this paper is to survey the gender differences Work-related musculoskeletal disorders among agriculture workers. Background: The number of occupational injuries has been decreasing trend in Korea, but it has been increasing in agriculture. The ratio of women worker shows steady increasing trend among the agricultural worker in Korea. Method: This study investigated through the questionnaire to 358 agricultural workers who are working for agriculture located in Gyeongnam, Gyeongbuk and Jeju. Results: The task types occurring frequently and the weight of a heavy object handled according to the sex were showed statistically significant difference. The estimation of WMSDs patients by sex appeared statistically very significant difference. Conclusion: The prevalence rate of WMSDs in female was about 21 percent higher than the prevalence rate of WMSDs in male. Application: The result of this study will help improvement of work environment and prevention of WMSDs in agricultural work.

• Journal of the Ergonomics Society of Korea
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• v.29 no.4
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• pp.709-713
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• 2010

The objective of this paper is to report how workers' actively participate in a participatory ergonomics (PE) program, and how this program resulted in improved working conditions and decreased occurrence of work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs). A major tire manufacturing company in Korea was studied. Most of the activities in the PE program were designed and actually practiced by the workers and their union. The results revealed some positive effects of applying a PE program to the employees. It was shown that incidence of the WMSDs as well as the lost work days and the economic cost incurred by the WMSDs decreased with the PE program.

• Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.114-123
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• 2005

We analyzed the demographic and job features of 197 shipyard workers with work-related musculoskeletal disorders(WMSDs) compensated by the Industrial Accident Compensation Insurance Act, and the features of the disorders, the causes of operation and the induced behaviors. The three shipbuilding companies surveyed were located in Busan Metropolitan city and Gyungsangnam-do. The results were as follows. 1. The ages of WMSDs patients in shipyard were $43.6{\pm}8.6$ and the job tenure was $14.3{\pm}5.6$. The 40's of them was 40.1%, and the 30's was 29.4%. Patients less than 5 year-work duration were 85.3%, and ones more than 16 year-work duration 6.6%. In occupations, welders were 32.5%, pre-welders 17.3%, and setting engineers 6.6%. 2. The causes of WMSDs in shipyard were works(95.4%) and outer crash or accident shock (3.6%). Based on the standard of the NIOSH induced behaviors, the causes were awkward posture (62.9%), excessive movement(19.3%) and repetitive movement(13.7%). 3. The compensated WMSDs by body part was the highest, 36%, in the spines, 32.0% in both the upper limbs and the spines, and 14% in the upper limbs. The number of cases of WMSDs in body were 96 in the cervical, 79 in the lumbar and 72 in the shoulders. 4. As a result of chi-square test(${\chi}^2$) between diagnosis and operation in body, welding and spot welding had the most diagnoses in all parts of the body among other occupations. Chi-square test(${\chi}^2$) between diagnosis and induced behavior in body showed that awkward postures recorded the highest rate and repetitive movements was the second. 5. The most hazardous occupation was the welding(incidence rate=9.7) and the most hazardous behavior was the awkward posture.

• Journal of the Ergonomics Society of Korea
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• v.27 no.1
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• pp.1-7
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• 2008

Work related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs) have become a hot issue within the Korean workplace for the past several years. Recently, the effect of job related stress on WMSDs, cerebro-cardiovascular diseases, and psychiatric disorders has been steadily increasing. The study conducted questionnaire of Korea version job stress model, WMSDs from NIOSH, CES-D (Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale), and STAI (State-Trait Anxiety Inventory) against train drivers. The results of this study show that the job stress score of the train drivers is high in the areas of physical environment, job latitude, interpersonal conflict, job insecurity, and organization system. The relation between job stress and WMSDs nd, interpersonal conflict, job insecurity and organizational system. The relation between job stress and depressive disorders showed statistical significance in the areas of job demand, job insecurity and low reward. Finally, the relation between job stress and anxiety disorders showed statistical significance in areas of job demand, interpersonal conflict, job insecurity, organizational system and low reward.

• Research in Community and Public Health Nursing
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• v.18 no.4
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• pp.624-633
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• 2007

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to develop and test a structural model on work-related musculoskeletal disorders of women workers. Method: Data were collected from 237 women workers from industries such as electronics, food production and garment production, and analyzed by LISREL 8.54. Result: The fitness indices of the model are GFI=.87, NNFI=.91, PNFI= .74. Eight out of the ten paths were proved to be statistically significant: work environment$\rightarrow$social support, work environment$\rightarrow$health behavior, work environment$\rightarrow$-WMSDs, domestic work$\rightarrow$health behavior, social support$\rightarrow$health behavior, social support$\rightarrow$job satisfaction, health behavior$\rightarrow$job satisfaction, and job satisfaction$\rightarrow$WMSDs. Work environment. social support, health behavior and job satisfaction significantly influenced WRMDs. WRMDs were accounted for 35% by the predictor variables. Conclusion: In conclusion, this study identifies that work environment, social support, health behavior and job satisfaction are important factors affecting WMSDs. Therefore, in order to prevent WRMDs, it is most important to improve both physical work environment for female workers such as appropriate work station and tools fit for them and psychological environment such as less job demand and more decision latitude(worker control).

• Journal of the Ergonomics Society of Korea
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• v.29 no.4
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• pp.465-471
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• 2010

Work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs) have been the most common health problem covered by worker's accident compensation insurance for several years in Korea. Korean government has strengthened related regulations since 2003. People looked forward to decreasing the incidence and prevalence of WMSDs. At first, the expectation could be realized. However, we were bumped against to limit at present. The authors think it is due to the negligence of psychosocial factors for WMSDs. Many researchers reported that the various psychosocial factors were associated with WMSDs or symptoms. Job demand, social support, job satisfaction and decision latitude are the major risk factors in job stress aspect. Work pressure, lack of rest, qualified workload, workload variability and monotonous job are the significant risk factors in work context of work organization. Employment flexibility, downsizing, lean production, contingent work and pay for by the piece are also the risk factors in an organizational context. Furthermore, these risk factors are associated with each other across different dimensions of work organization. Suggestive possible pathways between these risks and WMSDs have been taken note of increasing muscle strain or ergonomic stress and of a cognitive aspect. The authors suggest these risk factors could explain the limitation of the regulation system for WMSDs. In conclusion, the strategy to manage psychosocial factors is the one of the essential approach to prevent WMSDs.