• Title/Summary/Keyword: Worker Safety

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Mystery Shopping and Well-Being of Service Workers in South Korea

  • Shin, Heeju
    • Safety and Health at Work
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    • v.10 no.4
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    • pp.476-481
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    • 2019
  • Background: Mystery shopping is a method in which a company monitors quality of service and employee conduct and compliance with regulations using an evaluator posing as a customer. It is a typical tool of customer-centered bureaucratic control insofar as it provides overall and standardized evaluation of intangible elements of customer service as well as physical elements of service environments. The purpose of this study is to examine how mystery shopping is related to the health status of service workers in South Korea. Methods: Data from semistructured interviews with 15 workers were collected from January to April 2019 to obtain information on service worker experiences with mystery shopping. Data were analyzed using the constant comparison method. Results: Mystery shopping limits worker autonomy and stiffens the workplace environment by standardizing and monitoring labor processes for service workers. In addition, mystery shopping heightens work stress through increased labor intensity. Five mechanisms by which mystery shopping affects service worker health are identified and comprise (1) multifaceted and multilayered surveillance, (2) evaluator subjectivity and irrational requirements, (3) standardized rules combined with high pressure to achieve sales, (4) self-esteem degradation because of evaluator results, and (5) musculoskeletal disorders because of strict adherence to labor processes based on evaluator results. Conclusion: Mystery shopping as an evaluation method should be reconsidered not only in terms of health problems but also in terms of organizational efficiency and issues of human rights.

The recognition and the attitude about the hazard materials and occupational disease in the asbestos related industry (석면취급 근로자의 직업병에 대한 인식 및 태도)

  • Yi, Gwan-Hyeong;Rhee, Kyung-Yong
    • Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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    • v.25 no.3 s.39
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    • pp.269-286
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    • 1992
  • The purpose of this study is to investigate the present state of worker's recognition and attitude about hazard materials and occupational disease in his workplace. In general worker's view of hazard materials and occupational disease that sis recognition and attitude is related to worker's health behavior for preventing occupational disease and improving his health status. The study subject is composed of workers in the asbestos related industry for example brake lining manufacturing industry, asbestos fiber manufacturing industry, and asbestos slate manufacturing industry. The result of the study are follows : 1. The most of workers in the asbestos related industry have taken health education and safety education, and the more than half of workers recognized the usefulness of preventive device, and ventilatory device in workplace. 2. About 70% of workers have always taken the preventive device. 3. About 80% of workers have recognized occupational disease in the asbestos related industry, and about 64% of workers have recognized that hls workplace have harmful effect on his health. 4. Recognition about the usefulness of ventilatory device in work place has not related with any variables. But recognition about the usefulness of repiratory protector has related with recognition of hazard materials in his workplace, for example asbestos. 5. Attitude about severity and susceptability of occupational disease in the asbestos related industry have related with knowledge about hazard materials and occupational disease.

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A Study on the Development of Industrial Robot Workplace Safety System (산업용 로봇 작업장 안전시스템 개발에 대한 연구)

  • Jin-Bae Kim;Sun-Hyun Kwon;Man-Soo Lee
    • Journal of the Korea Safety Management & Science
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    • v.25 no.3
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    • pp.17-22
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    • 2023
  • As the importance of artificial intelligence grows rapidly and emerges as a leader in technology, it is becoming an important variable in the next-generation industrial system along with the robot industry. In this study, a safety system was developed using deep learning technology to provide worker safety in a robot workplace environment. The implemented safety system has multiple cameras installed with various viewing directions to avoid blind spots caused by interference. Workers in various scenario situations were detected, and appropriate robot response scenarios were implemented according to the worker's risk level through IO communication. For human detection, the YOLO algorithm, which is widely used in object detection, was used, and a separate robot class was added and learned to compensate for the problem of misrecognizing the robot as a human. The performance of the implemented system was evaluated by operator detection performance by applying various operator scenarios, and it was confirmed that the safety system operated stably.

Analysis of Workplace Accidents in Automotive Repair Workshops in Spain

  • Lopez-Arquillos, Antonio;Rubio-Romero, Juan Carlos
    • Safety and Health at Work
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    • v.7 no.3
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    • pp.231-236
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    • 2016
  • Background: To analyze the effects of the factors associated with different types of injury (superficial wounds, dislocations and sprains, bone fractures, concussion and internal injuries, burns scalding and freezing) caused by occupational accidents in automotive repair workshops. Methods: Study of a sample consisting of 89,954 industry accidents reported from 2003 to 2008. Odds ratios were calculated with a 95% confidence interval. Results: Belonging to a small company is a risk factor for suffering three of the five types of injury studied. Women are less likely to suffer burns and superficial wounds, and more likely to suffer dislocations or sprains. Foreign workers are more likely to suffer concussion and internal injuries. Conclusion: Health and safety strategies and accident prevention measures should be individualized and adapted to the type of worker most likely to be injured in each type of accident. Occupational health and safety training courses designed according to worker profile, and improving the participation of the workers in small firms creating regional or roving safety representatives would improve working conditions.

Research of specification development & application methods for Occupational Health and Safety management System in industry (산업안전 및 보건(OH&S)경영체제 인증규격 개발과 적응 방법에 관한 연구)

  • 문재승;유왕진;우태희
    • Journal of Korean Society for Quality Management
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    • v.29 no.1
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    • pp.184-190
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    • 2001
  • Industrial structure is more developed, the economical value of human resources and the cases which risks worker's Health & Safety is expended. The Safety & Health issues are focused on elements of control for management activity simultaneously with work environment as well as the risk elements which risks worker's life and body. The activity for combination of basic management System and Safety & Health management is progressing with active discussion in ILO, BS 8800 is specified the guidance of Occupational Safety & Health Management System in UK. 1996. This research refers to BS 8800:1996, specification as a basic model, and introduce of the result of certification development result in Occupational Safety & Health management System with in ISO 14001 Environmental System Standards & ISO 9001 Quality Management System Standards and Systemic Factors. Through this applicability and efficiency evaluation, we make an effort to support and to improve the specification. Also applicability evaluation of Occupational Safety & Health management System and the specification developed for the purpose of the third party certification is applied with expending in industry, and the method is presented through the case which is required to support for method review and activities.

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Customized Safety Information Delivery System for Unskilled Construction Worker Training

  • Jo, Junhyeon;Baik, Sangeun;Pedro, Akeem;Lee, Doyeop;Park, Chansik
    • International conference on construction engineering and project management
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    • 2022.06a
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    • pp.525-532
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    • 2022
  • Accidents at construction sites in Korea account for more than half of all industrial accidents. To solve this problem, a policy to strengthen safety education was implemented to ensure the safety of workers. However, it was analyzed that there is a high possibility of accidents because workers did not receive proper safety information for each risk factor due to general lecture-style education. In addition, statistics show that the accident status of workers with fewer years of period is high, indicating that a customized information delivery method needs to be proposed for unskilled workers with fewer years of period. Research on the importance of education has been conducted, but no information delivery method has been identified. For unskilled workers to effectively receive safety information, appropriate delivery formats (text, photos, illustrations, 4D-BIM, 360-based panorama, video, animation) were analyzed, and a new method of education was proposed. If customized safety information is provided according to this proposal, effective information delivery to unskilled workers will be possible, and it is expected to be verified in various ways.

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Severity Analysis for Occupational Heat-related Injury Using the Multinomial Logit Model

  • Peiyi Lyu;Siyuan Song
    • Safety and Health at Work
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    • v.15 no.2
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    • pp.200-207
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    • 2024
  • Background: Workers are often exposed to hazardous heat due to their work environment, leading to various injuries. As a result of climate change, heat-related injuries (HRIs) are becoming more problematic. This study aims to identify critical contributing factors to the severity of occupational HRIs. Methods: This study analyzed historical injury reports from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). Contributing factors to the severity of HRIs were identified using text mining and model-free machine learning methods. The Multinomial Logit Model (MNL) was applied to explore the relationship between impact factors and the severity of HRIs. Results: The results indicated a higher risk of fatal HRIs among middle-aged, older, and male workers, particularly in the construction, service, manufacturing, and agriculture industries. In addition, a higher heat index, collapses, heart attacks, and fall accidents increased the severity of HRIs, while symptoms such as dehydration, dizziness, cramps, faintness, and vomiting reduced the likelihood of fatal HRIs. Conclusions: The severity of HRIs was significantly influenced by factors like workers' age, gender, industry type, heat index , symptoms, and secondary injuries. The findings underscore the need for tailored preventive strategies and training across different worker groups to mitigate HRIs risks.

Wearable oxygen saturation measurement platform for worker safety management (작업자의 안전관리를 위한 웨어러블 산소포화도 측정 플랫폼)

  • Lee, Yun Ju;Song, Chai Jong;Yoo, Sun Kook
    • Smart Media Journal
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    • v.11 no.9
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    • pp.30-38
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    • 2022
  • It is important to grasp biometric data in real time for prompt action in the event of a safety accident at a work site where the risk of safety accidents exists. Among them, blood oxygen saturation is the most important factor in maintaining human life, so real-time oxygen saturation measurement and monitoring is necessary according to the situation as a preemptive response for worker safety management. By receiving real-time bio-signals from workers wearing health and life-risk protective clothing, and sharing and analyzing the worker's risk status in an external system, it is possible to diagnose the worker's current condition and efficiently respond to emergencies that may occur to the worker. In this paper, we propose a wearable oxygen saturation measurement platform technology that can monitor the risk of harmful gases and oxygen saturation of the wearer in real time and ensure the wearer's activity and safety in order to cope with emergency situations at the scene of an accident. If we overcome the limitations identified through the results of the proposed system later and apply improved biodata such as motion correction to the platform, we expect that it will be usable not only in hazardous gas environments, but also in hospitals and homes for emergency patients.

Development of Collaborative Robot Control Training Medium to Improve Worker Safety and Work Convenience Using Image Processing and Machine Learning-Based Hand Signal Recognition (작업자의 안전과 작업 편리성 향상을 위한 영상처리 및 기계학습 기반 수신호 인식 협동로봇 제어 교육 매체 개발)

  • Jin-heork Jung;Hun Jeong;Gyeong-geun Park;Gi-ju Lee;Hee-seok Park;Chae-hun An
    • Journal of Practical Engineering Education
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    • v.14 no.3
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    • pp.543-553
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    • 2022
  • A collaborative robot(Cobot) is one of the production systems presented in the 4th industrial revolution and are systems that can maximize efficiency by combining the exquisite hand skills of workers and the ability of simple repetitive tasks of robots. Also, research on the development of an efficient interface method between the worker and the robot is continuously progressing along with the solution to the safety problem arising from the sharing of the workspace. In this study, a method for controlling the robot by recognizing the worker's hand signal was presented to enhance the convenience and concentration of the worker, and the safety of the worker was secured by introducing the concept of a safety zone. Various technologies such as robot control, PLC, image processing, machine learning, and ROS were used to implement this. In addition, the roles and interface methods of the proposed technologies were defined and presented for using educational media. Students can build and adjust the educational media system by linking the introduced various technologies. Therefore, there is an excellent advantage in recognizing the necessity of the technology required in the field and inducing in-depth learning about it. In addition, presenting a problem and then seeking a way to solve it on their own can lead to self-directed learning. Through this, students can learn key technologies of the 4th industrial revolution and improve their ability to solve various problems.