• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.13 no.3
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• pp.286-293
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• 2022

Background: The death rate of workers due to industrial accidents in South Korea (3.61 persons in 2017) is higher than the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development average (2.43) and the fifth highest among Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development member countries. Although the pandemic of novel coronavirus (COVID-19) has changed, the socioeconomic aspects of Korean society, the number of Koreans suffering accidents and the number of deaths in 2020 have increased. It is necessary to take measures to prevent accidents and make comprehensive efforts to return to work. This study proposes research questions about the effect of workers' positive perception on whether to work after accidents and the impact of the experience of rehabilitation services on the return to work. Methods: This research performed a panel logistic regression analysis using data on workers' compensation insurance in Korea for two years (2018-2019). Results: This research finds that workers' positive perceptions of workability and life satisfaction contributed affirmatively to their re-employment. Several factors related to employment (e.g., work period, the number of job qualifications) also positively affect their return to work. However, the experience of rehabilitation services did not have a significant effect on re-employment. The variables of their health conditions (e.g., disability grade, feelings of health problems, age) negatively influenced their return to jobs. Conclusion: These results suggest the importance of workers' mental recovery and the need to innovate rehabilitation services for their employment. Positive thinking and self-rehabilitation could be critical for workers, parallel with social welfare policies.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.2 no.3
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• pp.260-272
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• 2011

Objectives: The promotion of health and safety (H&S) awareness among hospital staff can be applied through various methods. The aim of this study was to assess the risk level of physical hazards in the hospital sector by combining workers' perception, experts' evaluation and objective measurements. Methods: A cross-sectional study was designed using multiple triangulation. Hospital staff (n = 447) filled in an H&S questionnaire in a general hospital in Athens and an oncology one in Thessaloniki. Experts observed and filled in a checklist on H&S in the various departments of the two hospitals. Lighting, noise and microclimate measurements were performed. Results: The staff's perception of risk was higher than that of the experts in many cases. The measured risk levels were low to medium. In cases of high-risk noise and lighting, staff and experts agreed. Staff's perception of risk was influenced by hospital's department, hospital's service, years of working experience and level of education. Therefore, these factors should be taken into account in future studies aimed at increasing the participation of hospital workers. Conclusion: This study confirmed the usefulness of staff participation in the risk assessment process, despite the tendency for staff to overestimate the risk level of physical hazards. The combination of combining staff perception, experts' evaluation and objective measures in the risk assessment process increases the efficiency of risk management in the hospital environment and the enforcement of relevant legislation.

• Korean Journal of Construction Engineering and Management
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• v.20 no.4
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• pp.77-85
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• 2019

Death accidents rates in construction industry is increasing high recently. Such a phenomenon may be seen as a limitation of current management methods and legal actions. Therefore, purpose of this study was to find priorities of construction Workers safety activities related to motivational factors and to check perception differences between construction workers and construction engineers and to find a main factor of workers attitude, behavioral causes and find a way to reduce the accidents causing in construction industry. For the research, we did a survey with construction workers and construction engineers asking about 3 top motivators 'economic, environmental, safety, cultural, and administrative factors' in 21 details. According to the survey, the biggest difference between construction workers and construction engineers was about a working environment and safety cultural factors. Also, workers and engineers were both positive about safety incentive. Based on the results of this study, safety accidents will be reduced through worker-oriented management.

• Fashion & Textile Research Journal
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• v.24 no.4
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• pp.471-478
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• 2022

In roadside workplaces, more attention should be paid to the safety of workers. The roadside workers underestimate the effect of the brightness of their clothes and judge that drivers will recognize them easily, and the drivers misjudge that the roadside workers are far away and that the vehicle can be stopped in sufficient time. Therefore, customized safety education reflecting this and wearing work clothes with certified visibility functions are required. In Korea, it is not compulsory for roadside workers and vehicle guide attendants to wear work clothes with a visibility function. In this study, the distance ahead perceived by drivers was measured using manikins wearing certified and non-certified reflective safety vests. The perception distance of the non-certified reflective safety vest was 1.4 times longer than that of the certified reflective safety vest, thus confirming the importance of wearing a certified reflective safety vest. To prevent roadside workers from suffering traffic accidents, we propose the enactment of a law that makes it mandatory for them to wear high-visibility safety clothing. Specifically, Article 32 of the Enforcement Regulation of the Road Traffic Act should include high-visibility safety clothing in life protection equipment, and additionally, to prevent secondary accidents, we propose the enactment of a law requiring the installation and wearing of certified reflective safety vests in vehicles.

• Journal of the Korea Institute of Building Construction
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• v.17 no.6
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• pp.567-576
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• 2017

The purpose of this study is to analyze safety perception level of workers in construction site according to NOSACQ-50. To achieve the objective of this study, First, literature review is conducted to clearly define the concept of safety climate. Second, NOSACQ-50 is used to survey the level of safety climate of workers. Third, statistical analysis based on collected data is conducted to examine the level of safety climate. As a result, the level of safety climate in South Korea was found to be serious comparing with the standard value proposed in NOSACQ-50. Finally, the improvements were suggested after investigating the key factors on the level of safety climate. In the future, this study will be used as a baseline for developing safety awareness assessment tools such as NOSACQ-50 for domestic construction sites.

• Journal of the Korea Institute of Building Construction
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• v.24 no.1
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• pp.97-108
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• 2024

This research delves into the escalating concerns of accidents and fatalities in the construction industry over the recent five-year period, focusing on the development of a Safety Perception Model to augment safety measures. Given the rising percentage of elderly workers and the concurrent drop in productivity within the sector, there is a pronounced need for leveraging Fourth Industrial Revolution technologies to bolster safety protocols. The study comprises an in-depth analysis of statistical data regarding construction-related fatalities, aiming to shed light on prevailing safety challenges. Central to this investigation is the formulation of a Safety Perception Model tailored for small-scale construction projects. This model facilitates the quantification of safety risks by evaluating safety grades across construction sites. Utilizing the DWM1000 module, among an array of wireless communication technologies, the model enables the real-time tracking of worker locations and the assessment of safety levels on-site. Furthermore, the deployment of a safety management system allows for the evaluation of risk levels associated with individual workers. Aggregating these data points, the Safety Climate Index(SCLI) is calculated to depict the daily, weekly, and monthly safety climate of the site, thereby offering insights into the effectiveness of implemented safety measures and identifying areas for continuous improvement. This study is anticipated to significantly contribute to the systematic enhancement of safety and the prevention of accidents on construction sites, fostering an environment of improved productivity and strengthened safety culture through the application of the Safety Perception Model.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.13 no.2
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• pp.155-162
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• 2022

Background: Workers are exposed to several risks in academic laboratories due to the presence of potentially hazardous substances. The main objective of this study was to assess the prevalence of accident occurrence and associated risk factors among laboratory workers at the scientific laboratories of the public university in Lebanon and the impact of safety measures training and availability. Methods: In this observational study, a survey was conducted for one year in scientific laboratories at faculties of the public university. Results: Among the participants (N = 220), 45.0% have had accidents; the main cause was exposure to chemicals (73.7%) and more specifically by inhalation (45.4%). Females (85.9%) were more exposed to accidents than males. Laboratory workers with a master's degree, a full-time schedule, and more than ten years of experience were significantly more exposed to accidents (p < 0.05). A significant association was found between accident occurrence and training on management of hazardous products (p = 0.044), risks related to workplace (p = 0.030), eyewash and emergency shower (p < 0.001), first aid (p = 0.012), and facial protection availability (p = 0.019). In spite of the lack of safety culture and efficient training on laboratory safety, participants have shown a very good perception regarding safety measures to be applied in case of work accidents. Conclusion: Based on our findings, the prevalence of accident occurrence is elevated among lab workers at the public university. The impact of regular training on laboratory safety preventive measures is of great importance to ensure the efficiency of occupational health and safety in scientific laboratories.

• Journal of the Korea Safety Management & Science
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• v.26 no.1
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• pp.75-89
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• 2024

The objective of this study was to conduct research and analysis using Group Focus Interview to survey the between construction site workers and managers implementing for the Severe Accident Punishment Act. Focused on measures to improve safety management effectiveness for the effectiveness of establishing a safety management system. A plan to improve the efficient safety management system was presented to 50 construction industrial managers and workers. In order to ensure the industrial accident prevention policies appropriately, it is necessary to be aware of safety obligations for workers as well as business operators. In addition, despite the existence of a commentary on the Serious Accident Punishment Act, confusion in the field still persists, so in the event of a major accidents, the obligation to take safety and health education is strengthened, and effective case education is proposed by teaching actual accident cases suitable for actual working sites. It is necessary to make all training mandatory, and it is necessary to reconsider awareness through writing a daily safety log, awareness of risk factors, etc., and writing down risk information. Above all, at the construction ordering stage, it is necessary to keep the construction safety, request corrections and supplements for problems issues that arise, and consult between the orderer and the construction company about the problems issues. Rather than having only the construction company correct or supplement the safety management plan, the contents should be shared with supervisors and workers to establish a more practical solution. Results of this study will contribute to improving the effectiveness of the serious accident and construction safety management system.

• Journal of Fashion Business
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• v.14 no.2
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• pp.110-126
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• 2010

The purpose of this study is for finding the demand and perception about color situation of the working environment including work places and working clothes according to the workers in the machinery automobile shipbuilding companies. Data were collected by questionnaire surveying 679 workers. The collected data were analysed through frequency, mean, cross tabs analysis by SPSS for windows 17.0. As a result, most of the workers responded that they were not satisfied with the current working environment and the colors of their working clothes. However, the workers held a perception that influence that the colors of the working environment has on their psychology and safety or the colors' role was relatively significant. And they had a very positive expectation for the effect of the working clothing's color planning. The study would serve as the beneficial information for formulating the safer and more pleasant working environment in industrial work places as well as a basic material for the subsequent research on colors.

• Journal of the Society of Disaster Information
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• v.19 no.4
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• pp.869-881
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• 2023

Purpose: This study aims to come up with improvement measures to improve the effectiveness of child safety measures. Method: The current status of child safety accidents was investigated and implications were deduced by analyzing major child safety measures by government department in the past. In addition, a perception survey was conducted on 1,000 people including children, guardians, and children's facility workers who are subject to child safety policies. Result: Regarding the safety of children's living space(environment), 35.3% of guardians answered that more than 1/3 of them were not safe. Both guardians(95.3%) and children's facility workers(89%) answered that there was the highest risk of 'traffic accidents', and the second risk factor was parents(carelessness of workers at children's facilities) and children's facility workers(careless of guardians at home). Looking at the risks by place, "road and sidewalk" was the most dangerous place and for child safety, guardians(64.3%) and workers (78.3%) both said that the role of "parent" is the most important. For improvements to prevent child safety accidents, the response rate of "strengthening safety management of road traffic facilities" is the most necessary with 75.8% for guardians and 65% for child use facilities. Conclusion: The reinforcement measures to strengthen the effectiveness of child safety measures are as follows. First, in order to ensure the continuity of child safety measures, it should be operated effectively so that those subject to the establishment of the Comprehensive Plan for Child Safety, which took effect in August 2022, can feel it. Second, in order to improve the sensitivity of children's policy targets, promotion measures that take into account the characteristics of each child safety field should be continuously strengthened. Third, it is necessary to expand safety infrastructure for each field to secure child safety. Fourth, it is necessary to strengthen safety education that can ensure safety for children themselves and to come up with detailed measures to make safety education for parents(guardians) mandatory.