• Korean Journal of Occupational Health Nursing
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• v.27 no.4
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• pp.224-234
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• 2018

Purpose: In this study, we attempted to analyze the occupational accident experience rate by working life cycle of Korean workers considering entrance and turnover in their jobs. The specific goal of this study was to calculate the accident experience rate according to workers' turnover history and previous accident experience. Methods: We constructed a cumulative data set of 90,338 cases of workers' accident experiences in their jobs from the Fourth Korean Working Conditions Survey. The accident experience rates according to workers' turnover and previous accident experiences were analyzed using descriptive statistics and analysis of variance. Results: In this study, the cumulative accident experience rate of Korean workers was found to be 5.2%. It was confirmed that the accident experience rate of workers increased as the turnover frequencies increased. In addition, we analyzed only the data of the workers who had experienced turnover and found that the accident experience rate after turnover increased about 7.5 times when workers had experienced accidents in the past. Conclusion: To prevent occupational accidents in workers, safety strategies should consider a worker's previous job history and injury experiences. It will also be necessary to focus preventive efforts on new and young workers through ongoing monitoring and on-the-job training.

• Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
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• v.32 no.2
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• pp.89-101
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• 2022

Objectives: By comparing and examining how important issues concerning industrial health information for workers are viewed in other advanced countries, it is intended to ascertain problems in the approach found in Korean legislation and obtain legal and policy implications. Methods: The results of a survey were introduced and analyzed through a comparative method for each case after investigating in detail what and how important issues surrounding workers' right to know industrial health information are reflected in the legislation of Germany, the U.S., the U.K., and Japan. Based on the results of this comparative analysis, theoretical and policy implications and legal policy improvement tasks were drawn to strengthen workers' right to industrial health information for each case in Korea. Results: For access to industrial health information, most of the other advanced countries clearly stipulate a right to access for current and past workers and/or their representatives. As a result, workers or their representatives do not need to use the Information Disclosure Act to access exposure records, and there is no debate over the Information Disclosure Act. In other words, industrial health information is focused on ensuring free access to workers or their representatives and is not interested in reporting it to the government. Conclusions: In order to strengthen workers' right to know about industrial health, it is most important to address the legal issues related to this right, which is considered insufficient by comparative law. This should start with a concrete and effective definition of what and how to guarantee workers' rights to industrial health, such as the right to freely access industrial health information, including for retired workers and bereaved families of deceased workers.

• Journal of Intelligence and Information Systems
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• v.29 no.3
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• pp.103-123
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• 2023

This study empirically investigated the relationship between workers' safety behavior and safety leadership, trust in leader, workers' involvement, and safety knowledge in the enterprise, and analyzed the role of the factors to identify and analyze factors that enhance workers' safety behavior that contribute to the prevention of major accidents in the enterprise. When industrial accidents occur, companies have to bear huge loss costs due to direct costs of compensating the victims and indirect costs such as human loss, material loss, production loss, and time loss. Based on the results of previous studies, this study investigated the effects of managerial safety leadership and workers' trust in leader on safety behavior through the mediation of workers' involvement and safety knowledge among production, technical, and labor workers in the manufacturing industry. Statistical analysis was conducted on 271 manufacturing workers using SPSS and PLS. The results showed that safety leadership and trust in leader can lead to workers' involvement and have a positive effect on workers' safety knowledge acquisition, which can lead to workers' safety behavior.

• Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
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• v.33 no.3
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• pp.284-290
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• 2023

Objectives: Work environment assessments were conducted to investigate epidemiologically several cases of lung cancer and COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) among workers in domestic quarries. Methods: We visited three quarries in South Korea where an epidemiological investigation was requested and measured total dust, respirable dust, and crystalline silica on rock drilling workers (4 people) and rock chipping workers (13 people). Measurement and analysis were conducted according to NIOSH (National Institute for Occupational Safety & Health) method 0500, NIOSH method 0600 for respirable dust, and NIOSH method 7500 for crystalline silica. Results: Among rock drilling workers the AMs (arithmetic mean) of total dust concentrations, respirable dust concentrations, and crystalline silica concentrations were 3.462 mg/m³ (range: 0.764~6.085 mg/m³), 0.613 mg/m³ (range: 0.153~1.251 mg/m³), and 0.105 mg/m³ (range: 0.012~0.228 mg/m³), respectively. Among rock chipping workers, the AMs of total dust concentrations, respirable dust concentrations, and crystalline silica concentrations were 2.446 mg/m³ (range: 0.156~8.494 mg/m³), 0.488 mg/m³ (range: 0.028~1.536 mg/m³), and 0.099 mg/m³ (range: 0.004~0.274 mg/m³), respectively. Conclusions: Although it cannot be said that the dust concentrations were high for both rock drilling workers and rock chipping workers, the concentrations of crystalline silica were found to be high. If such work is performed for a long period of time, diseases such as lung cancer and COPD may occur, so the work environment needs to be improved.

• Journal of Korean Public Health Nursing
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• v.7 no.1
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• pp.67-79
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• 1993

This study was designed to identify the general health conditions and high risk factors of the male & female environmental workers. Thereby. the results of this study were to provide useful data as a contribution to knowledge for health protection and promotion. The data used for this study were environmental workers' physical examination cards; the male environmental workers were 52 persons. and the female environmental workers 52 persons. The data were analyzed by descriptive statistics, t-test, Pearson correlation, and distinction analysis, using the SPSS program. The results of this study can be summarized as follows; 1. Thers was a significant statistical difference between the two groups as to height. eyesight. serum GPT, hematocrit. The variables having little difference between two groups were weight. systolic blood pressure. total cholesterol. creatinine. 2. The rate of revealed in significant health examination was extra-health discrimination rate $28.8\%$, significant result of illness rate $12.5\%$. injury-inflicting rate $7\%$. second-time urine test $5.7\%$. antigen positive 3.8%. hearing impairment $2.8\%$, urine protein positive $1.9\%$. and urine sugar positive $1.9%$. 3. The workers diagnosed as extra-health discrimination were 30 persons or $28.8\%$. There was a difference between two groups on the prevalence. In the male environmental workers. ten times live problems and six times pulmonary tuberculosis and three times circulatory problems were revealed the higher than thoes of the female environmental workers. 4. In the male environmental workers, the relationship between age and systolic blood pressure revealed a significant correlation (r=0.22. p<0.05). In the female environmental workers. there was a negative correlation between age and weight (r= 0.25, p<0.05). the relationship between age and total cholesterol correlated positively (r=0.30, p<'0.05). 5. In the male environmental workers, there was a negative correlation between working career and creatinine(r=-0. 22, p<0.05) In the female environmental workers, there was a positive correlation between working career and total cholesterol (r= 0.58, p<0.01). 6. There were significant differences on working career and creatinine accdording to the male and female environmental workers who had any problems through x-ray inspection. 7. There were significant differences on height. eyesight. serum GPT according to the male and female environmental workers who were diagnosed as extra-health discrimination. 8. The female environmental workers who were diagnosed as 'care' were positively correlated with weight (r= 0.26. p<0.05)' and systolic blood pressure (r= 0.30. p<0. 05). on the other hand. the left and right eyesight correlated nagatively(r=-0.15. r=-0.33. p<0.01). 9. The most influential variables on the male and female environmental workers' health condition were working career, height. and weight. And these three variables could help determine the two groups at the level of 81. 8 percentage.

• Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.152-160
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• 2006

Genotype of ALAD and VDR yields two alleles, respectively and it has been implicated in susceptibility to lead toxicity. Also genotype known to variety by race. To evaluate the genetic susceptibility of ALAD and VDR gene on health effect of lead exposure, this study was done with new workers who entered lead industries from 1992 to 2001. Among database of lead industries of Soonchunhyang University Institute of Industrial Medicine, only new workers were selected for this study. The total of eligible workers for this category was 3,540 workers including non lead exposed workers of same lead industries. Genotype of ALAD and VDR were measured from stored blood in specimen bank of Soonchunhyang University, blood lead and other relevant information were obtained from database of each workers which were gathered at their first year of employment. Among 3,540 new employed study subjects during period of 1992-2001, 3204 workers(90.5%) had ALAD genotype 1-1; whereas 336 workers(9.5%) had variant type of ALAD (1-2 or 2-2). Lead exposed workers, 9.8%(n=243) male and 8.1%(n=16) female were heterozygous for the ALAD allele. Also non lead exposed workers, 8.9%(n=67) male and 9.3%(n=10) female were heterozygous for the ALAD allele. For VDR genotype, 2,903 workers(89.7%) out of total tested 3,238 workers were belonged to type bb and 335 workers(10.3%) were type bB or BB. Lead exposed workers, 10.4%(n=235) male and 12.2%(n=24) female were heterozygous for the VDR allele. Also non lead exposed workers, 9.2%(n=64) male and 12.5%(n=12) female were heterozygous for the VDR allele. No significant differences were seen in mean blood lead levels by ALAD and VDR genotype, nor was significantly associated with blood lead except age in multiple regression analysis.

• Korea Journal of Hospital Management
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• v.12 no.3
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• pp.120-144
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• 2007

In 1997, in the course of overcoming economic crisis caused by the shortage of foreign currency there was a significant phenomenon, the irregularization of human labour resources. There was no exception in hospital, either. Most hospitals put a lot of thought to solve the problem about irregular workers. Between employee and employer the problem of irregular workers has been raised as a main topic of all. The objectives of this study were to inspect the actual state of irregular workers and to understand the positive effect of protecting irregular workers, recently established and revised, on the human resources management of hospitals. After enacting irregular labours protection acts there were many opinions that the labour rules of hospitals would be changed.(56.7%). The plan to solve irregular worker's wage issues would he carried out step by step, but some hospitals have not examined the plan yet,(81.9%). Many hospitals had a plan that irregular worker's wage would be actualized in two or three years.(78.3%) The method, to solve the problem of irregular workers arc as follows: 1) the introduction of functional wage system, 2) the convert from automatic rising wage system to annual wage system, 3) the incentive grade system according to management result, 4) lower functional group wage system, 5) non-term contract wage system. From the point of the opening medical market and securing competitive power of hospitals, it is prospected that irregular works would be increased also in future. So to manage irregular workers effectively would be essential in maintain hospital's competitive power and improve medical service. The result, of this study were a, follow: (1) In hospital, the ratio of irregular workers in hospitals was lower than that of all irregular workers in Korea. (2) In hospital, the wage level of irregular workers was higher than that of irregular workers in Korea. (3) In hospital, the social insurance application ratio of irregular workers was higher than that of all workers in Korea. (4) In hospital, there seems to be no appropriate and active measures to improve labour condition of irregular workers, yet. (5) In many hospitals, the policy of irregular workers would be expected to revised for the law standards. In this study the actual conditions and problems of irregular workers were proposed and it was expected to contribute decisions-making in hospital management, especially when using human resources.

• Journal of Biomedical Engineering Research
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• v.42 no.3
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• pp.86-93
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• 2021

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to find out the cognizance of medical device safety information (MDSI) monitoring in the hospital and oriental hospital workers, and the different aspect of MDSI between oriental medical devices and medical devices. Methods: The survey was performed both in the oriental medicine hospital and general hospital. The survey had 16 items; 2 items basic questions, 5 items in the awareness of MDSI, 5 items in the education of MDSI, 4 items in the necessity of defining oriental medical devices and differences between general and oriental medical devices. A total of 120 hospital worker were participated; 60 oriental medicine hospital workers and 60 general hospital workers. They had worked in the oriental medicine or general hospital associated with 'Medical Device Safety Monitoring Center, Dongguk University Ilsan Hospital' in 2019 and 2020. Results: The cognizance of MDSI was high both in oriental medicine hospital and general hospital workers and there were no significant differences between oriental medicine and general hospital workers. When we divided the hospital workers into the senior workers who had worked for over 3 years and junior workers for less than 3 years, the senior workers had higher awareness of MDSI than junior workers. However, the cognizance of education of MDSI was high which was not different between senior and junior workers. Both hospital workers thought that it was necessary to define oriental medicine device legally and the oriental medical device might have low risk and less side effect than medical device. Conclusion: The cognizance of MDSI was high and there was no significant differences between oriental medicine and general hospital workers. Because the senior hospital workers had higher recognition of MDSI, we need to provide the continuous education program for junior hospital workers. Although oriental medical device are thought to be safer than medical device, we need to have a legal definition.

• Annals of Occupational and Environmental Medicine
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• v.35
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• pp.4.1-4.11
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• 2023

Background: Shift work has been shown to increase the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) based on several evidences. The classic risk factors of CVD include age, hypertension, smoking, obesity and diabetes. Recently, the serum homocysteine level has been reported to be a valuable indicator of CVD risk. This study aimed to determine the variation in serum homocysteine level as a cardiovascular risk indicator among female workers according to shift work. Methods: The data of regular health examination of workers at an electronic manufacturing services company in Yeongnam region, South Korea in 2019 were examined in this study. The investigation was based on a cross-sectional study conducted on 697 female workers (199 day workers and 498 shift workers). The sociodemographic and biochemical characteristics were compared between day workers and shift workers. Through a logistic regression analysis, the odds ratio (OR) of the increased serum homocysteine level in relation to shift work was determined. Results: Compared to female day workers, female shift workers showed significantly higher level of serum homocysteine (8.85 ± 2.16 vs. 9.42 ± 2.04 μmol/mL; p = 0.001). The OR of day workers against shift workers was 1.81 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.25-2.63). With the adjustment of variables that may influence the level of serum homocysteine, the adjusted OR was 1.68 (95% CI: 1.09-2.60). Conclusions: The serum homocysteine level was significantly higher in shift workers than in day workers. It is thus likely to be a useful predictor of CVD in shift workers.

• Transactions of the Korean Society for Noise and Vibration Engineering
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• v.23 no.9
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• pp.831-840
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• 2013

The noise levels of workers in tunnel sites are likely to be high because tunneling work places are confined space. However, research on the noise exposure levels of tunneling workers have not been performed intensively due to restricted accessibility to tunnel construction sites. The aim of this study is to evaluate the noise exposure levels for workers engaged in tunneling work sites. Noise dosimeters were used for monitoring workers' noise exposure level in 5 tunneling work sites in accordance with the Notification of the Ministry of Labor. Among 5 tunneling work sites, 4 of them used NATM tunneling method and 1 work site used shield TBM tunneling method. The average noise exposure levels of NATM tunneling workers was 81.1 dB(A) and 15.4 % of the workers' noise level were exposed more than 90 dB(A) which is the exposure limit value. In Shield TBM tunneling method, 4.3 % of the workers were exposed more than 90 dB(A) of noise level, the average noise exposure levels of TBM tunneling workers was 84.1 dB(A).