• Journal of the Korean Institute of Gas
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.60-66
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• 2012

With diversification of research and development activity according to fusion of state-of-the-art technology, potential hazard and risk factors in new forms have been increased in the laboratories. Also, as there are many cases where the experimental condition is extremely high/low temperature and pressure, many many accidents producing loss of life and/or injuries occur due to the extreme condition. In this study, The common fact questionnaire as the survey tool for the establishment of the accident prevention countermeasure in laboratory have been developed to safety security of the laboratory workers. The current status of chemical materials and the realization of important on laboratory safety management using the questionnaire investigated by an electronic mail and visiting survey in the laboratories and universities. The collected data was analyzed with Excel program and it can be utilized as basic data for accident prevention in laboratories.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Gas
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• v.6 no.1 s.17
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• pp.66-73
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• 2002

In this study a new SIS evaluation method based on the reliability analysis has been developed. It evaluates the Safety Integrity Level (SIL) using the Fault Tree Analysis (FTA), and when the SIL falls short of the systems target level, through the reliability analysis and system retrofit, this method will satisfy the aimed SIL. A hazard evaluation was carried out on the 415V Diesel BUS to verify the SIL evaluation method based on the reliability analysis. The availability of the original 415V Diesel BUS was $99.40\%$, which comes under the category of SIL 2. After exchanging the diesel generator and the isolator switch using the developed evaluation method, the availability rose to $99.94\%$, SIL 3. By applying the method presented in this study, not only will it reduce the maintenance cost due to the prevention of accidents and reduction of loss, but also maximize the reliability of the system.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.9 no.1
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• pp.84-94
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• 2018

Background: This paper describes a simple-to-use and reliable screening tool called Critical Task Exposure Screening (CTES), developed by a chemical company. The tool assesses if the exposure to a chemical for a task is likely to be within acceptable levels. Methods: CTES is a Microsoft Excel tool, where the inhalation risk score is calculated by relating the exposure estimate to the corresponding occupational exposure limit (OEL) or occupational exposure band (OEB). The inhalation exposure is estimated for tasks by preassigned ART1.5 activity classes and modifying factors. Results: CTES requires few inputs. The toxicological data, including OELs, OEBs, and vapor pressure are read from a database. Once the substance is selected, the user specifies its concentration and then chooses the task description and its duration. CTES has three outputs that may trigger follow-up: (1) inhalation risk score; (2) identification of the skin hazard with the skin warnings for local and systemic adverse effects; and (3) status for carcinogenic, mutagenic, or reprotoxic effects. Conclusion: The tool provides an effective way to rapidly screen low-concern tasks, and quickly identifies certain tasks involving substances that will need further review with, nevertheless, the appropriate conservatism. This tool shows that the higher-tier ART1.5 inhalation exposure assessment model can be included effectively in a screening tool. After 2 years of worldwide extensive use within the company, CTES is well perceived by the users, including the shop floor management, and it fulfills its target of screening tool.

• Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.139-152
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• 2009

According to the third study on the distribution of chemical substances carried out by the Department of Environment in 2006, there were a total of 900 chemical substances whose respective annual usage amount exceeded 1,000 tons and, among them, 90 substances belonged to the 168 hazardous substances requiring management(53.6%). The work-related illnesses caused by hazardous substances requiring management in Korea between $1992{\sim}2005$ can be classified into four groups depending on the type of the chemical substances. These four groups are 23 organic substances including benzene, 12 metals including lead, 3 acids and bases including hydrogen chloride, and 6 gaseous substances including carbon monoxide. These hazardous substances requiring management were again classified depending on the threshold limit values. The chemicals whose TLV was lower than or equal to 0.005 ppm included 4 organic substances including methylene bisphenyl isocyanate and toluene-2,4-diisocyanate (TDI). The chemicals whose TLV was larger than 51 ppm included 22 organic substances including diethyl ether and 1,2-dichloroethylene. When we classified these hazardous substances requiring management according to the categories of GHS health hazards, we found that isobutyl acetate and magnesium oxide didn't belong to the 13 health hazard categories. Among the substances whose TLV is set and whose annual usage amount is more than 0.1 million ton, we recommended 12 chemical species including 4,4'-Methylenedianiline as new hazardous substances requiring management. All the recommended substances were found to be hazardous when we classified their health hazards.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.143-157
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• 2021

Expansive soil is the most predominant geologic hazard which shows a large amount of shrinkage and swelling with changes in their moisture content. This study investigates the macro-mechanical and micro-structural behaviours of dredged natural expansive clay from coal mining treated with ordinary Portland cement or hydrated lime addition. The stabilised expansive soil aims for possible reuse as pavement materials. Mechanical testing determined geotechnical engineering properties, including free swelling potential, California bearing ratio, unconfined compressive strength, resilient modulus, and shear wave velocity. The microstructures of treated soils are observed by scanning electron microscopy, x-ray diffraction, and energy dispersive spectroscopy to understand the behaviour of the expansive clay blended with cement and lime. Test results confirmed that cement and lime are effective agents for improving the swelling behaviour and other engineering properties of natural expansive clay. In general, chemical treatments reduce the swelling and increase the strength and modulus of expansive clay, subjected to chemical content and curing time. Scanning electron microscopy analysis can observe the increase in formation of particle clusters with curing period, and x-ray diffraction patterns display hydration and pozzolanic products from chemical particles. The correlations of mechanical properties and microstructures for chemical stabilised expansive clay are recommended.

• Journal of the Korea Institute of Military Science and Technology
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• v.22 no.1
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• pp.135-140
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• 2019

Upon chemical agent release, it is of importance to study the characteristic persistence and evaporation of chemical agents from surfaces for the prediction of dispersion hazard. We have recently developed a fast and near real-time wind tunnel system proving the controlled environment(air flow, temperature, and humidity), continuously collects agent vapor and analyzes it. A thermal sorber/desorber is unnecessary to collect the vapor in the system we have developed. Instead, a tandem thermal sorber collects the vapor, which is then directly transferred to a fast gas chromatography(GC) for analysis. As a proof of concept, the evaporation of sulfur mustard agent(HD) was studied from glass, sand and concrete. The results were in an excellent agreement with those obtained from the conventional wind tunnel system.

• Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
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• v.32 no.4
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• pp.340-349
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• 2022

Objectives: The importance of MSDS is emphasized for communicating hazardous information due to the increase in the types and usage of chemical substances. The purpose of this study is to assess the reliability of MSDS by collecting and examining paint thinners commercially available in South Korea. Methods: Twenty-five paint thinners were purchased at paint stores and the provision of MSDS was checked. Quantitative and qualitative analysis was performed on the chemical constituents of the thinners using GC-MSD and GC-FID. Reliability was evaluated by the MSDS collection rate for the paint thinners and calculating the rate of matching between laboratory analysis results and the contents and composition of chemical constituents given in the MSDS. Results: Unlike a study conducted in 2006, MSDS were provided for all 25 thinners. As a result of qualitative analysis using GC-MSD, 104 chemical substances were detected. The substances with the highest detection rate were identified in the order of toluene, butyl acetate, acetone, xylene, and ethyl benzene. A component matching rate of 41% was found by comparing the differences between the number of substances detected in laboratory testing and the number of substances listed in the MSDS. Benzene, a carcinogen not listed in the MSDS, was detected in two thinners produced by a small company. The detected benzene contents were 0.039 and 0.040%. When benzene is used, it should be strictly handled according to the Industrial Safety and Health Act. However, since it is not listed on the MSDS, it is judged that benzene was not being managed as a carcinogen in the workplaces where it is used. Conclusions: Since the reliability of MSDS, which play an important role in hazard communication, was evaluated to be low, it is necessary to systematically and continuously secure this reliability. In particular, carcinogens should be managed more strictly.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.48 no.3
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• pp.183-194
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• 2022

Background: No study has examined the regulatory factors associated with fatal health problems due to the use of humidified disinfectants (HD) in South Korea. Objectives: This study aimed to identify and discuss the deficiencies and limitations found in the Toxic Chemical Control Acts (TCCA) that failed to prevent the health risk of chemicals in HD products. Methods: The South Korean TCCA was reviewed focusing on acts in operation from 1994 through the end of 2011, the period when HD was allowed in manufacturing and marketing. Results: The TCCA was the act intended to regulate the toxicity of chemicals in HD products. We found the TCCA to lack three key legal clauses which would have been essential to controlling the health risk of HD. First, there was the exemption of toxic and hazard testing for existing chemicals, including chloromethylisothiazolinone (CMIT), methylisothiazolinone (MIT), and benzalkonium chloride (BKC). Secondly, there were no articles requiring industry to provide animal inhalation test result for polymers such as polyhexamethylene guanidine (PHMG) and Oligo(2-)ethoxyethoxyethyl guanidine chloride (PGH). Finally, there was a lack of articles on examining the risk of products as well as on addressing changes in the usage of products. These articles were found to be generally provided in the US Toxic Substance Chemical Act (TSCA) and the EU Registration, Evaluation and Authorization of Chemicals (REACH). Conclusions: In conclusion, the Ministry of Environment of South Korea had not updated key articles for regulating hazardous chemicals, causing large-scale health problems due to HD which had been fundamentally addressed in chemical-related acts in other countries.

• Proceedings of the KIEE Conference
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• 1996.07a
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• pp.83-85
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• 1996

Major cause of defects in steam generator tubes at nuclear power plant is the accumulation of magnetite and other byproducts of corrosion in the crevice gap between support plates and tubes. Since damaged tubes result in contamination of the secondary coolant by the radioactive primary coolant, they represent a safety hazard. Early detection of magnetite buildup is, therefore, imperative in order to take remedial measures such as chemical flushing. Although the eddy current testing is being used for the inspection of steam generator tubes, the interpretation of resulting signals is generally a difficult task. This paper uses the phase of sensor coil emf as the test signal to find a way of easier signal interpretation. Numerical study using FEM shows that the shape of resulting signal is good for identifying the relative position of the probe to the support plate, and for discreminating the different shapes and degrees of magnetite buildup in the crevice gap region.

• Proceedings of the Korean Operations and Management Science Society Conference
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• 2000.04a
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• pp.625-629
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• 2000

The objective of ECMS(Environmentally Conscious Manufacturing Systems) is to consider environmental effects through the entire product life cycle from product development stage to design, manufacturing, supplying, using and disposing stage. Recently, environment-oriented recycling, reusing and manufacturing technologies have been researched actively in every engineering fields. In the field of chemical engineering, HHS (Health Hazard Scores) which classifies and analyzes hazardous materials in production processes has been presented. Metal cutting processes also have a lot of harmful factors, and especially hazardous components in cutting fluids have been known to have a bad effect on workers and working area. However, research works such as HHS have been little accomplished in metal cutting processes. In this research, a environmentally conscious machining process is presented by classifying hazardous components in cutting fluids, by using LCA(Life Cycle Assessments) and HHS method, and by evaluating environmental effects from cutting fluids.