• Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
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• v.6 no.1
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• pp.144-155
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• 1996

During the 1990s the workplace has grown more complex and business competition has increased world-wide. All organizations, whether for-profit or non-profit have been forced to respond to market changes. More advanced information and technology, greater product diversity, shorter product life cycles, increased quality requirements, more regulation oversight, decreasing productivity, more competitors, and increasing overhead costs have motivated organizations to focus on ways to deliver products cheaper, better, and faster. Many organizations are searching for ways to reduce costs through downsizing, reengineering business processes, implementing quality management, outsourcing, and improving cost management. Support departments that provide services internal to an organization such as human resources, legal, and environmental, safety, and health (ES&H) are often the first organization targeted for cost reduction and cost control initiatives because these functions are part of a rapidly increasing overhead cost. Recently, ES&H functions are incresingly being integrated into the business of business to contribute value to organization beyond mere compliance with ES&H regulations. The discussions and development of the ISO compatible Environmental Management Standards or Occupational Safety and Health Management Standards is another impetus to integrate ES&H function into the business of business. Thus, ES&H professional need new skills to analyze the cost of their function and communicate the value of the products and services they provide. In recent years, the need for and the importance developing cost management and business skills by ES&H professionals have been emphasized in the literature. Communicating with decision makers in terms of cost and value to the organization, and by using business language and business arguments is the first step toward effectively integrating ES&H activities into the business of business. Activity-based costing (ABC) is a cost management method that measures the cost of a product or service based on the actual use of resources by activities, and based on the actual amount of activities used to produce a product or service. ABC is recommended as a tool for managers of ES&H organizations to determine the cost of developing and providing ES&H products within a for-profit firm or non-profit agency. This paper discusses the trend of integration of ES&H functions into the mainstream of business activities within an organization. The general principles of treditional cost accounting are presented as a bases for understandging why and how ABC will provide more accurate estimates of cost. The principles and concepts of ABS are presented as a tool for determining more accurately the true cost of ES&H products and services.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.36 no.5
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• pp.391-401
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• 2010

A reduction in risk of occupational exposure to chemical hazards within the workplace has been the focus of attention both through industry initiatives and legislation. The aims of this study were to develop an exposure matrix by industry and process, and to apply this matrix to control the risk of occupational exposure to Dichloromethane (DCM). The exposure matrix is a tool to convert information on industry and process into information on occupational risk. The exposure matrix comprised industries and processes involving DCM, based on an exposure database provided by KOSHA (the Korean Occupational Safety and Health Agency), which was gathered from a workplace hazards evaluation program in Korea. The risk assessment of the exposure matrix was performed using Hallmark risk assessment tool. The results of the risk assessment were indicated by a Danger Value (DV) calculated from the combination of hazard rating (HR), duration of use rating (DUR), and risk probability rating (RPR) of exposure to the chemical, and were divided into four control bands which were related to control measures. The applicability of the risk assessment of the exposure matrix was evaluated by a field study, and survey of the employees of the exposure matrix groups. Among 45 industries examined, this study found that greater attention should be paid to two industries: the manufacture of other optical instruments and photographic equipment, and the manufacture of printing ink, and to one process among 47 examined, the packing process in the manufacture of printing ink, because these were regarded as carrying the highest risk. This tool of a risk assessment for the exposure matrix can be applied as a general exposure information system for hazard control, risk quantification, setting the occupational exposure limit, and hazard surveillance. The exposure matrix includes workforce data, and it provides information on the numbers of exposed workers in Korea by agent, occupation, and level of exposure and risk.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.52 no.2
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• pp.131-139
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• 2019

Objectives: Self-reporting can be used to determine the incidence and prevalence of hypertension (HTN). The present study was conducted to determine the validity of self-reported HTN and to identify factors affecting discordance between self-reported and objectively measured HTN in participants in the Ravansar Non-Communicable Diseases (RaNCD) cohort. Methods: The RaNCD cohort included permanent residents of Ravansar, Iran aged 35-65 years. Self-reported data were collected before clinical examinations were conducted by well-trained staff members. The gold standard for HTN was anti-hypertensive medication use and blood pressure measurements. The sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values, and overall accuracy of self-reporting were calculated. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression were used to examine the discordance between self-reported HTN and the gold standard. Results: Of the 10 065 participants in the RaNCD, 4755 (47.4%) were male. The prevalence of HTN was 16.8% based on self-reporting and 15.7% based on medical history and HTN measurements. Of the participants with HTN, 297 (18.8%) had no knowledge of their disease, and 313 (19.9%) had not properly controlled their HTN despite receiving treatment. The sensitivity, specificity, and kappa for self-reported HTN were 75.5%, 96.4%, and 73.4%, respectively. False positives became more likely with age, body mass index (BMI), low socioeconomic status, and female sex, whereas false negatives became more likely with age, BMI, high socioeconomic status, smoking, and urban residency. Conclusions: The sensitivity and specificity of self-reported HTN were acceptable, suggesting that this method can be used for public health initiatives in the absence of countrywide HTN control and detection programs.

• Journal of Food Hygiene and Safety
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• v.38 no.6
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• pp.409-419
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• 2023

Okadaic acid (OA) group toxins, including OA and its analogs, such as dinophysis toxins (DTXs), have been reported to cause diarrheal shellfish poisoning (DSP). These toxins are primarily produced by dinoflagellates and are accumulated in bivalves. Recently, the presence of Dinophysis sp., a causative alga of DSP, has been reported along the coasts of Korea, posing a potential risk of contamination to domestic seafood and exerting an impact on both the production and consumption of marine products. Accordingly, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) and the World Health Organization (WHO) have established standards for the permissible levels of OA group toxins in marine products for safety management. Additionally, in line with international initiatives, the domestic inclusion and regulation of DTX2 among the substances falling under the purview of management outlined by the 2022 diarrheal shellfish toxin standard have been implemented. In this study, we reviewed the physicochemical properties of OA group toxins, their various exposure routes (such as acute toxicity, genotoxicity, reproductive and developmental toxicity), and the relative toxicity factors associated with these toxins. We also performed a comparative assessment of the methods employed for toxin analysis across different countries. Furthermore, we aimed to conduct a broad review of human exposure cases and assess the international guideline for risk management of OA group toxins.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.49 no.3
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• pp.201-212
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• 2016

Due to growing problems securing stable mineral and energy resources with international political and economic changes, China has dedicated itself to strategies and policies to enhance its stable mineral and energy resources security. China has established a rare earth elements(REE) industry policy after the abolition of the REE exports quota system. China's six large REE companies have also been integrated into REE mining, smelting and refining companies. Efforts have been increased to enhance China's energy security through unconventional oil and gas exploration and development investment, as well as effort in R&D. The country will focus on technology development and exploration to promote commercial production of unconventional oil and gas based on countries with shale gas. China is making long-term contracts and joint ventures to ensure the acquisition of reliable mineral and energy resources from abroad. Government of China has proposed a range of initiatives, such as the integration of resources development strategies and environmental development strategies, internationalization of resource management, supply diversification and advancement, strengthening industry linking strategy, grouping and diversification strategy.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Landscape Architecture
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• v.51 no.3
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• pp.122-138
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• 2023

Today, fishing villages are on the verge of extinction due to severe aging within the population and outward migration. Recent projects and studies targeting fishing villages viewed the fishing villages from an outsider-centered perspective, without a local-centered understanding of the village as a daily living space. Therefore, to understand the settlement environment of fishing villages, this study analyzed empirical data on the usage behavior of fishing village residents to gain insight into the characteristics of the outdoor space uses of residents in fishing villages. In this regard, a face-to-face survey was conducted among residents, and a village map drawn by the villagers showedthe spatial perception of the villagers. Empirical data on the behavior of fishing villagers using the village space was collected and analyzed through GPS. The study results suggested that residents of fishing villages tend to focus on productive activities, such as fishing, leading to a lack of awareness of other leisure activities and spaces. This monotonous pattern of space utilization within the village appears to stem from an absolute lack of available facilities within the target area. Therefore, in future village regeneration projects aimed at improving the quality of life for residents in fishing villages, it is essential to consider the residents' perception and utilization of space as a priority. The results of this study can be considered valuable foundational data for understanding the utilization of spaces within fishing villages and can be effectively utilized in planning initiatives to enhance quality of life.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Biology
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• v.40 no.2
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• pp.224-238
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• 2022

North Korea has actively participated in the international community related to environmental agreements. It has proposed various environmental policies internally since the Kim Jong-un regime. In particular, it emphasizes activities related to climate change response, the Sustainable Development Goals, and the conservation of ecosystems including forests and wetlands. In this study, a new security cooperation plan was proposed with an understanding of the climate crisis and environmental regime as a starting point. To this end, trends and recent activities for climate-environment cooperation in the international community and on the Korean Peninsula were analyzed. In addition, North Korea's conditions for cooperation on the Korean Peninsula, technology demand, and the projected future environment of the Korean Peninsula were dealt with. Ultimately, through advice of experts, we were able to discover cooperation agendas by sector and propose short-term and long-term environmental cooperation strategies for the Korean Peninsula based on them. In this study, conditions and directions for cooperation in fields of climate technology, biological resources, air/weather, water environment, biodiversity, renewable energy, bioenergy, and so on were considered comprehensively. Among 21 cooperation agendas discovered in this study, energy showed the largest number of areas. Renewable energy, forest resources, and environmental and meteorological information stood out as agendas that could be cooperated in the short term. As representative initiatives, joint promotion of 'renewable energy' that could contribute to North Korea's energy demand and carbon neutrality and 'forest cooperation' that could be recognized as a source of disaster reduction and greenhouse gas sinks were suggested.

• Journal of the Korean Geographical Society
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• v.48 no.1
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• pp.151-165
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• 2013

This article addresses potential errors in accounting greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions based on the International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives' (ICLEI's) International Local Government Greenhouse Gas Emissions Analysis Protocol (IEAP). The IEAP seems to provide practical guidelines for local governments so that they can measure their GHG emissions. The outcomes are immediately convertible for any national GHG inventory analysis when one is constructed based on the methodology drafted by Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Further, it provides a societal foundation at the global level in order for local governments to collectively deal with 'double-counting' and 'allocation' problems. However, ICLEI's IEAP overlooks two major issues: (1) the protocol does not consider carbon dioxide emissions due to burning biological fuel as a type of GHG emission; and (2) it overlooks the possibility of indirect double-counting when producing emission factors at the local level. Thus, the limitations must be fixed so that the local governments can measure their GHG emissions more precisely, while the accurate GHG inventory will ultimately support reducing the local governments' emissions to mitigate anthropogenic climate change.

• Ocean and Polar Research
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• v.25 no.4
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• pp.545-555
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• 2003

It is widely known that compare to many other countries, the U.S.A. has a strong framework for efficient implementation of mitigation policy to protect wetlands. As indicated in many strong mitigation initiatives, mitigation policy primary requires avoidance rule for wetland damage and if a developer inevitability damages wetlands, the development should be minimize, and as a last resort, the policy impose legal duty that a developer should compensate wetland corresponding to the damaged wetlands. However, the legal system fur Korea's mitigation system does not provide any legal duty for the compensatory mitigation, although the possibility of creation of tidal flat is casually expressed in several Korean legal systems. Therefore, without any strong and enforceable legal system, Korean mitigation system cannot efficiently protect Korea's vast and productive wetlands. To introduce mitigation policy similar to the U.S.A. in Korea, we suggest that there (a) should be a strongly policy which regulate legal duty for the compensatory mitigation, (b) should be an improve management system for actively corresponding to special knowledge relating to environment, and lastly, (c) should be a system which consider a class action introduced in environmental regime for a long term protection of tidal wetlands for future generation.

• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• v.10 no.6
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• pp.635-640
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• 2016

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: This study was conducted to evaluate the feasibility of a sodium reduction program at local restaurants through nutrition education and examination of the health of restaurant owners and cooks.SUBJECTS/METHODS: The study was a single-arm pilot intervention using a pre-post design in one business district with densely populated restaurants in Seoul, South Korea. The intervention focused on improving nutrition behaviors and psychosocial factors through education, health examination, and counseling of restaurant personnel. Forty-eight restaurant owners and cooks completed the baseline survey and participated in the intervention. Forty participants completed the post-intervention survey. RESULTS: The overweight and obesity prevalences were 25.6% and 39.5%, respectively, and 74.4% of participants had elevated blood pressure. After health examination, counseling, and nutrition education, several nutrition behaviors related to sodium intake showed improvement. In addition, those who consumed less salt in their baseline diet (measured with urine dipsticks) were more likely to agree that providing healthy foods to their customers is necessary. This study demonstrated the potential to reduce the sodium contents of restaurant foods by improving restaurant owners' and cooks' psychological factors and their own health behaviors. CONCLUSIONS: This small pilot study demonstrated that working with restaurant owners and cooks to improve their own health and sodium intake may have an effect on participation in restaurant-based sodium reduction initiatives. Future intervention studies with a larger sample size and comparison group can focus on improving the health and perceptions of restaurant personnel in order to increase the feasibility and efficacy of restaurant-based sodium reduction programs and policies.