• Journal of the Korean Society of Hazard Mitigation
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• v.9 no.3
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• pp.59-65
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• 2009

To investigate a posttraumatic stress, social support and work burden and to identify high risk group and related factors which were exerted influence on posttraumatic stress of firefighters. Data were gathered from total 264 firefighters consisting of 85 fire distinguishers & rescue workers, 96 emergency medical personnel and 83 in ambulance & fire truck drivers in C province and were analyzed 22 items by IES-R, 20 work burden items by Choi(2000), 8 social support items by Oh(2006) using SPSSWIN 14.0 program. Posttraumatic stress of general characteristics by work was showed significant difference in age, marriage status, education, position, office duration, mobilization frequency and experience of traumatic events. Posttraumatic stress were showed significant difference in 3 groups and fire distinguishers & rescue workers is the highest group. Posttraumatic stress was correlated with work burden(r=.317, p<0.01) for fire distinguishers & rescue workers, social support(r=-.331, p<0.01) and work burden(r=.522 p<0.001) for emergency medical personnel and work burden(r=.454, p<0.01) for ambulance & fire truck drivers. The high risk groups are fire distinguishers & rescue workers(60%), emergency medical personnel(55.2%)and ambulance & fire truck drivers(45.8%). Related factors are the experience seeing victim's danger for fire distinguishers & rescue workers(odds ratio=1.216, 95% confidence interval:1.068-1.383), and are work burden(odds ratio=1.100, 95% confidence interval:1.043-1.159) and office duration(odds ratio=1.010, 95% confidence interval 1.001-1.018) for emergency medical personnel, and are the experience seeing victim's danger(odds ratio=1.178, 95% confidence interval:1.010-1.373), age(odds ratio=1.129, 95%confidence interval:1.020-1.249), work burden(odds ratio=1.103, 95% confidence interval:1.034-1.177) for ambulance & fire truck drivers.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.1 no.2
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• pp.124-133
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• 2010

Objectives: This study was conducted to develop a model describing the interaction between lifestyle, job, and postural factors and parts of the upper extremities in shipyard workers. Methods: A questionnaire survey was given to 2,140 workers at a shipyard in Ulsan City. The questionnaire consisted of questions regarding the subjects' general characteristics, lifestyle, tenure, physical burden, job control, posture and musculoskeletal symptoms. The overall relationship between variables was analyzed by a structural equation model (SEM). Results: The positive rate of upper extremity musculoskeletal symptoms increased in employees who worked longer hours, had severe physical burden, and did not have any control over their job. Work with a more frequent unstable posture and for longer hours was also associated with an increased positive rate of musculoskeletal symptoms. Multiple logistic regression analysis showed that unstable posture and physical burden were closely related to the positive rate of musculoskeletal symptoms after controlling for age, smoking, drinking, exercise, tenure, and job control. In SEM analysis, work-related musculoskeletal disease was influenced directly and indirectly by physical and job stress factors, lifestyle, age, and tenure (p < 0.05). The strongest correlations were found between physical factors and work-related musculoskeletal disease. Conclusion: The model in this study provides a better approximation of the complexity of the actual relationship between risk factors and work-related musculoskeletal disorders. Among the variables evaluated in this study, physical factors (work posture) had the strongest association with musculoskeletal disorders.

• Journal of Welding and Joining
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• v.25 no.4
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• pp.79-85
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• 2007

The industrial disaster caused by a work-related disease like a Musculoskeletal Disorders(MSDs) becomes a big social problem and increases rapidly. This leads to the degradation of the labor desire and the productivity. Welding work belongs to the work with a high intensity. This paper aims to analyze the welding work in the various positions from a view-point of the burden of the human musculoskeletal system and to propose the desired position with lower burden. For this purpose the real welding work was observed in the shipyard and analyzed using the RULA method, a powerful ergonomics tool. The 3-dimensional simulation model fur this work was also developed. In this model, ergonomics human model and welding work environment were built. This model was verified through the comparison to the real work. This paper showed that the improvement of welding position by changing the location of a stool and using some auxiliary tool can reduce the work intensity remarkably and lead to the decrease of MSDs.

• The Korean Journal of Emergency Medical Services
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• v.12 no.3
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• pp.5-15
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• 2008

Purpose : This study is a descriptive research to provide basic factors of posttraumatic stress in Firefighters. This study was carried out to develop the effective program for the fire fighters to cope with the posttraumatic stress following the disasters. Methods : The questionnaires were collected among fire fighters who serviced in K and I community from April 1 to June 30 in 2008. Total 304 questionnaires were analyzed by SPSS WIN program for descriptive statistics, Pearson's correlation coefficient and t-test. Results : 1. 48.0% of 300 fire fighters were at the age of 31-40, and 42.3% were under 30. 2. Work burden had a significant difference of 2.30 in low-risk group, 2.60 in high-risk group(t-value=-3.85, p=0.00). However, life event had no significant difference 0.79 event in low-risk group, 1.41 event in high-risk group(t-value=-2.27, p=0.24). 3. Concerning posttraumatic stress factors, there was positive correlation between mobilization impact level r=0.38(P<0.01), work burden r=0.38(p<0.01), and life event r=0.27(p<0.01). 4. According to the Symptom Check List-Revised(SCL-90-R), somatization had a significant differences(t-value=5.46, p=0.00), obsessive-compulsive(t-value=7.16, p=0.00), interpersonal sensitivity(t-value=6.15, p=0.00), depression(t-value=6.62, p=0.00), anxiety (t-value=7.33, p=0.00), hostility(t-value=5.94, p=0.00), phobia anxiety(t-value=6.85, p=0.00), paranoid ideation(t-value=5.55, p=0.00), psychotism(t-value=6.52, p=0.00) in low-risk and high-risk group. Conclusion : As a consequence, mobilization impact, work burden, and life event were the influential factors on posttraumatic stress. Also, high-risk group revealed significantly higher score on all 9 scales. The information obtained from surveys made recommendation to develop the intervention of stress management to control mobilization impact and posttraumatic stress.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Hazard Mitigation
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.29-35
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• 2011

This study not only investigates emergency medical personnel's posttraumatic stress(PTS), social support, work burden, and coping style but also identifies related factors which were exerted influence on PTS and active coping method of emergency medical personnels among the firefighters. The data were gathered from 143 emergency medical personnels who were receiving training. The data were collected by IES-R, consisting of twenty-two questions that determine the level of PTS, method used in Cho's research(2000) that deal with work burden, method used in Oh's article (2006) relating to social support, and sixty-two questions that deals with coping methods. Then the data gathered were analyzed using SPSSWIN 14.0 program. PTS of general characteristics showed significant difference in age, marriage status, education, and position. High risk group of PTS was 74(51.7%). Work burden, active and passive coping method, and three symptoms in PTS are significantly high(p=0.000) in high risk group. PTS was correlated with work burden(r=0.508, p=0.000), active coping method(r=0.375, p=0.000), and passive coping method(r=0.505, p=0.000) but not with social support. Related factors of PTS were work burden(0.371) and passive coping method(0.366). Also related factors of high risk group of PTS were work burden(odds ratio=1.064, 95% confidence interval:1.031-1.103) and passive coping(odds ratio=1.050, 95% confidence interval:1.022-1.080). Related factors of active coping method were PTS(0.392) and social support(0.158). To minimize the PTS of emergency medical personnels, the new policy should decrease their work burden and passive coping method and strengthen the social support to encourage active coping method.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Clothing and Textiles
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.19-35
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• 1993

This study was designed to devise work wear for plastic house worker. It was carried out (1) research on the clothing actual condition through interviewings with plastic house worker and observations, (2) thermal manikin test to measure thermal resistance of experimental clothes and (3) clothing comparing test in the laboratory and in the plastic house. In the laboratory experiment, it was choosen general type (A) and new devised types (B, C) made of microporous fabric for experimental clothes. Experimental clothes were made of 6 combinations including 3 type work wears (A, B, C) and 2 type underwears (1, 2). In the plastic house experiment, it was choosen general types of A (without rest place) and B (with rest place), and devised type C (with rest place), which was appeared good effect in the laboratory experiment. The results were as followings. 1. Work environment of the plastic house in summer and winter was very different from the outer environment. Work motion in the plastic house was burden to the plastic house workers. 2. Plastic house workers had on the general type's work wear. 3. As a result of thermal manikin test, thermal resistance was appeared B1>B2>C2>C1>A1>A2 in orders. 4. In the laboratory experiment, experimental clothes A was appeared smaller burden than B, C. Effect of mesh underwear was not appeared in this study condition. In subjective sensation, experimental clothes C was lower vote than A. Therefore experimental clothes C was superior to A in subjective wearing sensation. 5. In the plastic house experiment, the experimental conditions with rest place were appeared smaller burden than without rest place. General type B was appeared more positive physiological reactions than devised type C but significances between two types was not appeared.

• Korean Journal of Human Ecology
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• v.19 no.5
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• pp.805-816
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• 2010

This study examined the affect of work environment and work-related stress on the mental health of employees. It further sought to provide insights into how employees' work environment and mental health might be improved. Results showed that the relationship between parents of work environment is related to the obsession, depression, working burden is related to the obsession, depression, concern. The lower parts of the relationship with parents and working burden effects every factors. Furthermore, levels of financial compensation and working stability also seemed to have adverse affects on mental health. Secondly, excessive working hours and duty trouble have lots of mutual relationship with the mental health. The lower parts of working stress: excess working hours, duty trouble, and imprecise responsibilities affects the mental health. Especially, the excessive working hours affected all nine parts of mental health level which were examined.

• The Journal of Korean Society for School & Community Health Education
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• v.15 no.3
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• pp.95-103
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• 2014

Objectives: To identify work stress and affecting factors of the emergency medical technicians(EMT) and to provide basic data for work circumstance improvement and emergency medical service and duty efficiency elevation. Methods: The data were collected by questionnaire from 635 emergency medical technicians throughout the whole country from August 5 to September 20 2013 and analyzed by using the SPSS(version 18.0) program. Factors affecting stress were analyzed by Multiple Linear Regression Analysis(${\alpha}=0.05$). Results: Mean level of job stress was markedly high in the spot situation(3.43 point), user awareness(3.31 point), burden related to work(3.21 point), role and conflict as a professional job(3.10 point), unsuitable treatment(2.95 point) but was lowest in specialty demand of knowledge and skill(2.76 point). Conclusions: To diminish work stress, understanding and cooperation of the residents and reduction of burden related to work must be improved. Above all, positive interest of 119 and related organ and duty environment improvement will and effort and continuous measure establishment and support and cooperation of the government are needed.

• Journal of the Korean Data and Information Science Society
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• v.28 no.4
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• pp.769-781
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• 2017

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of nurses' perceived burden from work and health problems on the presentism of nurses. The study subjects were recruited from four general and tertiary hospitals in K province and D metropolitan city. A quarter of nurses had shoulder, back, and neck pain and average number of health problems was 3.62. The nurses' presenteeism score was $43.37{\pm}12.43$ points out of 100 points. There was a statistically significant relationship between nurses' perceived burden, numbers of health problems, and presenteeism. The numbers of health problems and perceived burden of nurses had significant effects on presenteeism of nurses while controlling demographic factors such as length of work experience, job position, types of hospital, and gender. These results suggested that the less burden from work and the lower number health problems could result in the lower level of presenteeism of nurses. Therefore, it is necessary to develop diverse strategies to reduce the burden of nurses and health problems at both individual and organizational levels as a way to increase productivity of hospital.

• The Korean Journal of Emergency Medical Services
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• v.5 no.1
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• pp.147-164
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• 2001

The purpose of this study was to examine the hypothetical model designed to explain the post-traumatic stress and burnout in firefighters. Six exogenous variables such as career, control, impact mobilization frequency, life event, work burden, social support, and four endogenous variables, eg., mobilization impact, coping, post-traumatic stress, burnout were considered for the study. The target population for the distribution of the questionnaire was 428 firefighters in Daejeon, Chungnam Province, Seoul and Kyonggi Province. The data was collected about five weeks, July 12-August 25, 1999. The survey instrument was 8 control items by Seo(1995), 10 life event items by Brugha and Cragg(1990), 20 work burden items by Choi(2000), 12 social support items by Park(1985), post-traumatic stress of 17 items by Foa et al.(1998) and 45 items by Kang(1997). The reliability of the survey instrument and the cronbach's alpha was .62 - .93 level. SAS PC Program and LISREL 8.12a program were used for descriptive statistics and linear structural relationship(LISREL) modeling. Based on the data collected, the following results were obtained. 1. The overall fit of the hypothetical model to the data was good (${\chi}^2=54.65$ [df=17, p=0.000007], RMSEA=0.07, standardized RMR=0.03, GFI=0.98, AGFI=0.91, NFI=0.90, NNFI=0.75). 2. After considering statistical significance and theoretical meaningfulness of paths of the model, a modified model was sought. Compared to the hypothetical model, the modified model has become parsimonious and had a better fit to the data(${\chi}^2=55.90$ [df=20, p=0.0003], RMSEA=0.06, standardized RMR=0.03, GFI=0.98, AGFI=0.93, NFI=0.90, NNFI=0.80). 3. The results of statistical testing of hypotheses were as follows: (1) Work burden, career had a significantly direct effect on mobilization impact. These variables explained 9% of the total variance of mobilization impact. (2) Control, social support, work burden, mobilization impact had a significantly direct effect on coping. These variables explained 15% of the total variance of coping. (3) Control, work burden, social support, coping had a significantly direct effect on post-traumatic stress. These variables explained 49% of the total variance of post-traumatic stress. (4) Coping, post-traumatic stress had a significantly direct effect on burnout. These variables explained 60% of the total variance of burnout.