• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.54 no.5
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• pp.370-375
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• 2021

Objectives: The number of cases of hepatitis A virus (HAV) infections has sharply increased in Korea, especially among young adults. In this study, an HAV outbreak in a facility for disabled people was investigated, and we found epidemiological differences both between 2 different generations and between generally abled and disabled groups. Methods: We analyzed the incubation period and attack rate of an HAV outbreak and investigated the prevalence of HAV antibodies among the staff and residents of a facility for the disabled. We performed a retrospective cohort study during the HAV outbreak, which lasted from February 8 to 25, 2019, including examinations of HAV antibody tests and post-exposure HAV vaccination for the staff or residents of the facility. Results: There were 9 confirmed cases in 2 staff members and 7 residents. Among 53 people (30 staff and 23 residents), except for the 9 confirmed cases and 1 staff member with a known history of HAV infection, HAV seroprevalence was seen in 16.7% of the staff under 40 years of age and 95.2% of those over 40 years of age, while the corresponding rates in the residents were 0.0% and 58.8%, respectively. Conclusions: This result implies that it is necessary to prioritize HAV vaccination for vulnerable groups and workers of residential care facilities.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.46 no.2
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• pp.62-73
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• 2013

Objectives: An outbreak of hepatitis A occurred at a residential facility for the disabled in July 10, 2011. This investigation was carried out to develop a response plan, and to find the infection source of the disease. Methods: A field epidemiologist investigated the symptoms, vaccination histories, living environments, and probable infection sources with 51 residents and 31 teachers and staff members. In July 25, 81 subjects were tested for the hepatitis A virus antibody, and specimens of the initial 3 cases and the last case were genetically tested. Results: Three cases occurred July 10 to 14, twelve cases August 3 to 9, and the last case on August 29. Among the teachers and staff, no one was IgM positive (on July 25). The base sequences of the initial 3 and of the last case were identical. The vehicle of the outbreak was believed to be a single person. The initial 3 patients were exposed at the same time and they might have disseminated the infection among the patients who developed symptoms in early August, and the last patient might have, in turn, been infected by the early August cases. Conclusions: The initial source of infection is not clear, but volunteers could freely come into contact with residents, and an infected volunteer might have been the common infection source of the initial patients. Volunteers' washing their hands only after their activity might be the cause of this outbreak. Although there may be other possible causes, it would be reasonable to ask volunteers to wash their hands both before and after their activities.

• Journal of Korean Society for Quality Management
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• v.51 no.2
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• pp.315-327
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• 2023

Purpose: Recently, research has continued to predict the time of failure of the facility through measurement data obtained by attaching a sensor to the facility. However, depending on the facility, it may be difficult to attach a sensor. The purpose of this study is to propose a power generation maintenance plan system based on failure record data obtained from Continuous Ship Unloader, one of the facilities that is difficult to attach sensors. Methods: This study uses data collected from 2012 to 2022 from the 'CSU-1B' model among Continuous Ship Unloader operated by Korea Midland Power Co., LTD. By fitting fault record data to the Weibull distribution, appropriate maintenance cycles and ranges for each target facility subsystem are derived. In addition, maintenance group between subsystems is selected through Euclidean distance, a metric often used for time series data similarity. Through this, a system for establishing an maintenance plan for power generation facilities is proposed. Results: The results of this study are as follows. For the 17 subsystems of the Continuous Ship Unloader, proper maintenance cycles and ranges were determined, and a total of four maintenance groups were chosen. This resulted in the creation of an power generation maintenance plan system and the establishment of an maintenance plan. Conclusion: This study is a case study of power generation facilities. We proposed a maintenance plan system for Continuous Ship Unloader among power generation facilities.

• Journal of Korean Society for Quality Management
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• v.47 no.1
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• pp.87-96
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• 2019

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to determine an optimal production time for economic production quantity model with preventive maintenance and random defective rate as the function of a machinery deteriorates. Methods: If a machinery shifts from "in-control" state to "out-of-control" state, a proportion of defective items being produced increases. It is assumed that time to state shift is a random variable and follows an arbitrary distribution. The elapsed time until process shift decreases stochastically as a production cycle repeats and quasi-renewal process is used to implement for production facilities to deteriorate. Results: When the exponential parameter for exponential distribution increases, the optimal production time increases. When Weibull distribution is considered, the optimal production time is closely affected by the shape parameter of Weibull distribution. Conclusion: A mathematical model is suggested to find optimal production time and optimal number of production cycles and numerical examples are implemented to validate the patterns for changes of optimal times under different parameters assumptions. The real application is implemented using the proposed approach.

• Health Policy and Management
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• v.32 no.4
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• pp.368-379
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• 2022

Background: This study aimed to establish a strategy to improve the poor working environment and working conditions among long-term healthcare workers in Korea. Methods: A total of 600 questionnaires with which long-term health care workers participated in the targeted base areas of each city and province nationwide were distributed directly and 525 responses were collected and 506 responses were analyzed. Surveys, on-site field visits, and in-depth interviews were also conducted to understand the working environment as well as conditions and establish a strategy for improving the working environment among long-term healthcare workers to understand the demands of working conditions and working conditions. Results: Korean long-term care workers firstly and mostly enumerated their risk factors for ill-health when lifting or moving elderly recipients directly by hand (69.9%), followed by increased physical workload with old beds, tools, and facilities (42.3%) in the workplaces, shortage of manpower (32%), and source of infection (30%). To improve the working environment as well as conditions, Korean long-term care workers considered improving low-wage structures, ergonomic improvements to solve excessive physical loads, and increasing various bonus payments as well as implementing the salary system, positive social awareness, and increasing resting time. Of 506 responses, 92.3% replied that the long-term care insurance system for the elderly should be developed to expand publicization at the national level. Conclusion: This study proposes to improve the low-wage structure of Korean long-term care workers, automation and improvement of facilities, equipment, and tools to eliminate excessive physical loads (beneficiary elderly lifting), and reduction of night labor.

• Proceedings of the KSME Conference
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• 2008.11b
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• pp.2845-2849
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• 2008

Long Term Asset Management(LTAM) means a plan developed by using LCM(Life Cycle Management) process for optimum life cycle management of significant plant assets at each plant across the fleet. As a part of development of LTAM Strategies on nuclear turbines, a method so as to determine the future failure rates for low pressure turbine facilities at a nuclear plant was studied and developed by using both plant specific and industry-wide performance data. INPO's EPIX data were analyzed and some failure rate evaluation values considering preventive maintenance practices were calculated by using EPRI's PM Basis software. As the result, failure rate functions applicable to a priori and a posteriori replacement of low pressure turbines at a nuclear plant were developed and utilized in an assessment of economics of LCM alternatives on the nuclear turbine facilities in the respects of 40-year and 60-year operation bases.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.8 no.1
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• pp.49-58
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• 2017

Background: This study determined current status of laboratory biosafety in Nigerian veterinary research facilities. Methods: A questionnaire was developed to obtain information from researchers across Nigeria from July 2014 to July 2015. Information regarding demographics, knowledge of laboratory biosafety, availability and proper use of personal protective equipment (PPE), any priority pathogens researched, attitude on and use of standard laboratory practices, and biosafety awareness was obtained using a numeric scoring system. Data were analyzed with descriptive statistics, and univariate and multivariate logistic regression. Results: A total of 74 participants from 19 facilities completed the questionnaire. General knowledge scores ranged from 3 to 28 (out of 28 possible points), with 94.6% of respondents receiving low scores (scores < mean + 1 standard deviation). Very few (17.6%) reported availability or use PPE. Many participants (63.5%) reported no access to biosafety level (BSL)-1-3 facilities. None reported availability of a BSL-4 facility. Knowledge scores pertaining to biosafety management practices ranged from 0 to 14 (out of 14 possible points) with 47.3% of respondents receiving good scores (scores > mean + 1 standard deviation). Only 16.2% of respondents (from four facilities) reported having biosafety officers. Rabies virus was the most researched pathogen (31.1% of respondents). The majority (71.6%) were unaware of laws guiding biosafety. Researchers [odds ratio (OR) = 18.0; 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.63, 198.5; p = 0.023], especially in BSL-2 (OR = 258.5; 95% CI: 12.71, 5256; p < 0.001) facility of research institute (OR = 25.0; 95% CI: 5.18, 120.6; p < 0.001), are more likely to have adequate access to and properly utilize biosafety devices and PPE. Conclusions: Current knowledge of laboratory biosafety is limited except among a few researchers.

• Fire Science and Engineering
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• v.34 no.2
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• pp.120-130
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• 2020

This study aimed to provide an empirical analysis of the effect of preventive fire administration (PVFA) and prepared fire administration (PPFA) on response fire administration (RPFA) in fire service organizations in Korea. To this end, panel data was collected from 16 metropolitan councils from the period of 2008 to 2018 and statistically analyzed using PVFA, PPFA, and RPFA. The independent variables were PVFA and PPFA, while the dependent variable was RPFA. The analysis of the current situation of the specific target for firefighting (STFF), public use facilities, proof of completion of safety families for public use facilities, and special fire inspection were sub-variables of PVFA. Fire safety education (FSE) and the mobilization for fire suppression (MFS) were sub-variables of PPFA and RPFA, respectively. In the results, STFF and FSE had a significant positive influence on the MFS. This study will contribute to the basic research regarding the investigation of the effectivity of fire service organizations in Korea.

• Journal of Applied Reliability
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• v.18 no.2
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• pp.114-121
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• 2018

Purpose: This study proposes a process for evaluating the preventive maintenance policy for a system with degradation characteristics and for calculating the appropriate preventive maintenance cycle using time- and condition-based maintenance. Methods: First, the collected data is divided into the maintenance history lifetime and degradation lifetime, and analysis datasets are extracted through preprocessing. Particle filter algorithm is used to estimate the degradation lifetime from analysis datasets and prior information is obtained using LSE. The suitability and cost of the existing preventive maintenance policy are each evaluated based on the degradation lifetime and by using a minimum repair block replacement model of time-based maintenance. Results: The process is applied to the degradation of the reverse osmosis (RO) membrane in a seawater reverse osmosis (SWRO) plant to evaluate the existing preventive maintenance policy. Conclusion: This method can be used for facilities or systems that undergo degradation, which can be evaluated in terms of cost and time. The method is expected to be used in decision-making for devising the optimal preventive maintenance policy.

• The Korean Journal of Emergency Medical Services
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• v.7 no.1
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• pp.199-212
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• 2003

Fire is a disaster of uncertainty, but since it is an artificial disaster essentially, this study is to emphasize that prevention and suppression of fire should be done more efficiently to develop the national love and trust of fire fighting. And it examines small neighboring living facilities which can be the typical dead ground of fire fighting based on researcher's experiences, intuition and related materials. The main course of the study defines the concept of fire fighting administration, dead ground and small neighboring living facilities. compares and analyzes fire fighting at small neighboring living facilities and the whole fire fighting cases and divides the causes of dead ground of fire fighting into preventive administration and suppressive administration sides. Those causes were resulted from discrepancies of political and social structures, but some of them can be improved depending on firemen's efforts. In addition, the means available for preventing the dead ground of fire fighting based on analyzed causes are suggested. Institutional approaches should be consulted with related agencies and legalized, but most managerial approaches can be introduced easily. Other means are approached for PR.