• Journal of the Ergonomics Society of Korea
• /
• v.30 no.4
• /
• pp.525-534
• /
• 2011

This paper describes the current status of musculoskeletal disorders(MSDs) and its ergonomic risk factors, including the preventive intervention in terms of the working conditions and health promotion among agricultural workers. Korean agricultural workers have been exposed to the poor working condition. They have suffered from a variety of work-related injury and diseases more than the general population or the other occupational group. MSDs are one of the most prevalent problems threatening the agricultural worker's health and quality of life. Low back pain, osteoarthritis of hip and knee joint and carpal tunnel syndrome are well known MSDs that was found easily and frequently among agricultural workers. MSDs are worsened by poor ergonomic working conditions such as heavy weight lifting, repetitive movement and awkward posture which involves squatting with long sitting work on the ground, long working hours and heavy workload which are inherent in the greater part of agricultural works. Even though Korean agricultural workers are very weak population in terms of occupational safety and health, no many studies were conducted in the past and no many social and institutional supports were provided sufficiently. We need more interests and efforts in agricultural fields to improve its working condition and to promote health status of agricultural workers.

• Korean Journal of Agricultural Science
• /
• v.33 no.2
• /
• pp.159-166
• /
• 2006

Threshing loss was increased due to dropping of the threshing efficiency when the 4 row head-feed combine harvested 5 row rice to improve harvesting performance of a combine. Reasonable design criteria were examined to determine the ranges of both of feed rate and the length of threshing drum for the 4 row head-feed combine being used as a 5-row combine. Harvesting performance increased as working width or working speed increased, it resulted in 15% increase when the working width increased from 4 row to 5 row. Harvesting operations of the 4 row combine performed normally in the 4 row rice in threshing loss less than 1%, however, threshing loss increased to 2.25% in the 5 row due to poor threshing efficiency. The length of threshing drum was increased from 710 mm to 810 mm as well as the speed of crop feed chain was increased from 0.61 m/s to 0.75 m/s so as to improve the poor threshing efficiency resulted from the enlarged working width from the 4 row to the 5 row, which would decrease threshing loss less than 1%.

• Research in Community and Public Health Nursing
• /
• v.31 no.spc
• /
• pp.525-533
• /
• 2020

Purpose: Workers in special employment relationship (WSERs) are workers in nonstandard employment arrangements who lack worker protection accorded in standard employment arrangements. This study aimed to describe self-rated health (SRH) and depressive symptoms (DS) among Korean WSERs in comparison to regular wage workers (RWW) and identify associations between working conditions and those outcomes. Methods: In this study, secondary data analysis using the 5th Korean Working Conditions Survey was used. The sample totaled 29,120, including 1,538 WSERs and 27,564 RWWs. Sociodemographic and work-related characteristics were employed as explanatory variables and SRH and DS as dependent variables. Using multiple logistic regression, the determinants of fair/poor SRH and DS were identified. Results: The prevalence rates for fair/poor SRH and DS in WSERs were 25.2% and 28.3%, respectively, and 20.7% and 25.0% in RWWs, respectively. Compared to RWWs, WSERs had 31% (aOR=1.31, 95% CI=1.14~1.49) and 20% (aOR=1.20, 95% CI=1.06~1.36) higher odds of SRH and DS, respectively. Some factors, such as a lack of rest guarantee and sickness presenteeism, had a larger influence in the WSER than in the RWW group. Conclusion: Compared to RWWs, WSERs reported having poorer working conditions and were more likely to report poor general and mental health. Therefore, in Korea, public health policymakers should consider measures to protect the working conditions and health of WSERs, a growing segment of the working population. The study produced new epidemiological evidence regarding the relationships between employment arrangements and health.

• Journal of the Korean Dietetic Association
• /
• v.9 no.1
• /
• pp.13-21
• /
• 2003

Dietitians' satisfaction between elementary school and high school in KangWon Do region were surveys with questionnaires. 61 elementary school dietitians and 30 high school dietitians participated. The dietitians in elementary schools had higher scores in age, marital status, years at work, types of employment, average annual income and had lesser hours of work. In overall, elementary schools had higher percentage on self operation and on the period of their food distribution to students. High schools had higher percentage on conventional systems, freedom in the amount of food distribution, number of meals per day and the meal charge. It was clear that dietitians in high schools showed more interests in changing their careers due to the poor working environment and salary. The highest score was on the relationship with other coworkers and the lowest score was on the poor working environment and salary. In general, dietitians in both types of schools are not satisfied with their career, especially with the working environment and salary.

• Safety and Health at Work
• /
• v.10 no.2
• /
• pp.188-195
• /
• 2019

Background: Mine workers in South Africa face challenges relating to poor health and safety, including fatigue risks, and poor socioeconomic and living conditions. Fatigue results in impaired mental and physical performance. The aim of this study was to assess contributors to fatigue of mine workers in South Africa. Methods: Data collection took place at four gold mines and one platinum mine in South Africa. A total of 21 focus groups were held with individuals in management, union representatives, and mine workers, and 564 questionnaires were completed by mine workers to gather information about fatigue and potential contributors to fatigue at these mines. Results: Qualitatively (through focus groups), fatigue was attributed to extended working hours, harsh working conditions, high workloads, production pressure, and resource constraints, along with aspects relating to demographic and socioeconomic factors, living conditions, lifestyle, health, and wellness. Greater fatigue was significantly associated with younger age, indebtedness, a lack of exercise, poor nutrition, less sleep, increased alcohol use, poor self-reported health, more sick leave, higher stress, and lower job satisfaction. Conclusion: The aim of the study was achieved; numerous work-, sociodemographic-, lifestyle-, and wellness-related factors were linked to fatigue in the participating mine workers. Contributors to fatigue should be addressed to improve health, safety, and sustainability in the industry.

• Korean Journal of Occupational Health Nursing
• /
• v.24 no.2
• /
• pp.132-141
• /
• 2015

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationships between psychosocial working conditions and psychological well-being depending on the gender among Korean interactive service workers. Methods: This study was a secondary analysis of the data extracted from the 2011 Korean Working Conditions Survey. For the present analysis, 15,669 workers who interact with others at work were selected. Based on the existing literature, a set of variables was chosen from the KWCS. Psychological well-being was measured using the WHO-5 well-being index. Results: The prevalence of poor psychological well-being was significantly higher among men (43.1%) than women (39.6%). Women were more likely to be exposed to demands for hiding emotions, bullying, and discrimination, whereas men were more likely to be exposed to psychological job demands, cognitive demands, demands for responsibility, role conflict and long working hours. Most factors were associated with poor well-being among women and men except demands for hiding emotions, skill discretion and development, physical violence, and sexual harassment. Conclusion: Based on these results, some practical suggestions are offered to help interactive service workers adjust to their duties.

• Korean Journal of Social Welfare
• /
• v.59 no.1
• /
• pp.251-274
• /
• 2007

Although linkages between poverty and disability are often noted, until recently they have not been systematically examined in Korea. Many people with disabilities tend to become poorer because they lack access to jobs. And income support programs are not sufficient. But more severe is people with disabilities in labor market tend to be poor. The purposes of this study were to explore the characteristics of working poor with disabilities and to identify the major determinants of poverty. For this, '2005 Survey on the Workers With Disabilities' was used. The data was analyzed by descriptive statistics, t-test, logistic regression. The results showed that gender, age, education level, marital status, region where they live, the number of the household member, the severity of disability, the onset of disability are significant predictors in determining their poverty status. Also employment status, occupation type, industry type, numbers of years in current job are major determinants of their poverty status. Finally, based on these results several policy implications were presented.

• Korean Journal of Social Welfare
• /
• v.65 no.1
• /
• pp.175-199
• /
• 2013

This study was to investigate working experience of poor female-headed families in social enterprise focusing on empowerment process. For this study, nine female-headed women were interviewed and the collected qualitative data were analyzed through phenomenological research method. Main results of this study provided eight main construct factors, such as the intersection of hope and unhappy, economic independence through being alone, finding myself strong and worthy, consciousness of horizontal bondage, trouble situation, professionalism and pride, capacity to problem solving and self-importance of contribution to society. Based on the results of this study, working experience of poor female-headed families in social enterprise was strengthened from personal level and relational level to social level. Therefore, various policies and practical programs should be prepared to improve empowerment of female-headed families in poverty working in social enterprise.

• Journal of the Korean Home Economics Association
• /
• v.39 no.7
• /
• pp.115-124
• /
• 2001

The purpose of this study was to analyse on the clothing practice of automaker's uniform and to investigate the relationship between wearing sense of worker's uniform and overall comfort according to working environment and working types. The data were collected from 184 automakers using questionnaire and interview of a officer for uniform management. Working environment was relatively comfortable, but the worker in special working area needed to control the working environment and adopted the protective equipment. The dissatisfaction of clothing practice of uniform was shown high in design and material. The order of preference in the color was blue, navy, blue, gray, green. In case of taking care of uniform, sewing durability and shape stability were poor in comparison with washing easiness. The correlation between overall comfort and wearing sense of uniform as sense of wearing and taking off, texture and movement function, was relatively high, but it appeared the low correlation in physiological comfort.

• Proceedings of the KSME Conference
• /
• 2008.11a
• /
• pp.1361-1366
• /
• 2008

Failure mechanism of the poor contact is analyzed on the basis of used connectors and this poor contact of connectors is reappeared by the new forced fretting wear method. As the result of failure analysis and reappearance, fretting wear and corrosion of the contact interface causes the contact resistance degradation and the poor contact of connectors. The amount of degradation depends on the fretting stroke. Changes in contact resistance of static contacts are likely to be small and gradual, while motions of contact interface may result in larger and discontinuous changes in resistance and voltage. This voltage drop by fretting motions is large enough to cause the distortion of sensor signal and mis-working of electric components.