• Journal of the Korea Safety Management & Science
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• v.7 no.1
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• pp.57-76
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• 2005

A standardized ergonomics kit is suggested to evaluate and reduce musculoskeletal hazards that yield large socioeconomic burdens in the work system. This kit comprises basic and detailed analysis tools with proper tool selection rules. The basic tool includes a checklist for various risk factors to screen potentially hazardous jobs among manual works. Selective detailed analysis tools can then be applied to the screened job lists for more quantitative and precise evaluation. The tool selection rules are devised for using the basic and detailed analysis tools in a mutually supplemental way. To validate the standardized ergonomics kit, it was applied to evaluate jobs related to the musculoskeletal hazards in a paper-making industry. Among 101 manual jobs investigated, 44 potential hazardous jobs were screened during basic investigation phase and finally 16 hazardous jobs were identified by the detailed analysis phase. The result provided fairly promising ideas of ergonomic interventions for the hazardous jobs.

• Journal of the Ergonomics Society of Korea
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• v.30 no.4
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• pp.491-494
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• 2011

Objective: to improve agricultural working environment using tools and equipments. Background: most existing tools currently used, in fact, are discrepant from human factor guidelines so that they are still exposed to the musculoskeletal disease. Method: the provided tools and equipments are mostly designed considering human factor engineering or usability engineering in a way to avoid musculoskeletal disease. Results: propose the top-down procedure and usability engineering steps to evaluate them for the system design suitability. Conclusion: apply them conveniently into rural environment to help farmers working environment.

• Journal of the Ergonomics Society of Korea
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• v.24 no.4
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• pp.79-83
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• 2005

Efforts to identify jobs or tasks having known risk factors for work-related musculoskeletal disorder can provide the groundwork for changes aimed at risk reduction. An effective identification method is the ergonomic job hazard analysis which breaks a job into its various elements or actions, describes them, measures and quantifies the ergonomics risk factors. Some analytical methods including OWAS, RULA, REBA, and NLE have been used as tools in quantifying the risk factors. But these traditional methods using worksheet or paper are difficult to explain to participants for performing the job hazard analysis in the field, and take a long time. We develop some software tools to implement the analytical methods using EXCEL programs or computer program. These tools developed in this study are faster and easier to perform the ergonomic job analysis than the traditional methods using worksheet.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Safety
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.136-142
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• 2000

One of the major requirements in preventing Work-related MusculoSkeletal Disorders(WMSDs) is to know definitely what vigorous exertion requirements are contained in a job. This requires improved job analysis tools which can accurately evaluate potentially harmful stresses to the musculoskeletal system. But to simply evaluate the level of stress at a joint, or in a muscle is not enough to motivate job changes. Therefore, the development of ergonomic evaluation tools for the jobs are important to ergonomics. The main objective is compared of the results that made by the ergonomic evaluation tools (e.g., BRIEF and RULA) in actually shoes manufacturing. These were developed in the foreign. So, it is priory needed to research of the ergonomics about Korean characteristic work by physiology and biomechanics.

• Journal of the Ergonomics Society of Korea
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• v.25 no.3
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• pp.61-66
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• 2006

Awkward work postures in workshop highly affect on work-related musculoskeletal disorders(WMSDs). Especially, in automobiles assembly process, these awkward work postures of workers may cause serious injury and illness. This study is to compare the performance among the evaluation tools which can measure the work-loads caused by the awkward work postures in automobiles assemble process. RULA, REBA and TVAL(Toyota Verification of Assembly Line) are used as the evaluation tools. The 85 jobs selected in the automobiles assembly process are applied to the three tools and their performances are analyzed after the evaluation of the work-load in each job. Through various measures of performance such as statistical test, DUNCAN test, regression test etc., the tendencies and characteristics among them are analyzed in detail.

• Journal of the Ergonomics Society of Korea
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• v.19 no.3
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• pp.93-107
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• 2000

The excessive exposure to powered hand tools can cause damage to nerves, impair blood circulation, and musculoskeletal damage. The symptoms associated with hand-arm vibration syndrome (HAVS) include numbness, tingling, pain and subsequent reduced dexterity of the hands. This study was performed to report the prevalence of the HAVS and evaluate its related factors among the workers using powered hand tools. Total 282 workers in 11 plants of Kyungki and Inchon areas were examined. A standard symptom questionnaire was developed and administered to collect information on personal characteristics, work history, operating conditions, tool characteristics, and subjective symptoms of HAVS. Mean values (standard deviations) of the age, the duration of powered hand tools used, and the daily hours using powered hand tools were 38.3(8.9) years, 79.3(62.2) months and 6.0(2.6) hours, respectively. 132 workers(46.8%) showed vibration-induced white finger symptoms according to the Taylor-Pelmear classification, and 30 workers(10.6%) were interfered with the work. The results of a multiple logistic regression analysis controlling for age and daily working hours showed that smoking, work duration, weight of tools, and continuous work over 2 hours were significantly associated with the symptom of HAVS.

• Journal of the Ergonomics Society of Korea
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.55-69
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• 1999

It is very common to use the powered hand tools to enhance the productivity in various types of industry. But the use of the powered hand tools could cause health problems such as cumulative trauma disorders and vibration white fingers. In this study. the effects of hand-arm vibration and anatomical hand position on localized muscle fatigue were analyzed. Eight healthy male subjects volunteered for the study. Vibration frequencies of 0, 40, 80, 100, 150, and 200Hz and hand position of flexion and ulnar deviation were selected for the independent variables of the experiment. Median frequency shifting was used as a dependent variable. The results indicated that at the vibration frequency of 40Hz and accelation of 2g, the muscle fatigue was the greatest. For the hand position. there was significant difference between neutral and flexion. and neutral and ulnar deviation, but no difference between flexion and ulnar deviation. These results could be applied in designing powered hand tools to minimize the health problems.

• Journal of the Ergonomics Society of Korea
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• v.30 no.4
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• pp.481-489
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• 2011

Objective: The aim of this study was to develop an ergonomic checklist (AULA: Agricultural Upper-Limb Assessment) which can assess the risks of the work-related upper limb disorders of farming tasks in Korea. Background: There are few assessment tools that reflect the current condition of agricultural works as of now. Method: AULA was developed as following three stages. First of all, a physiological experiment was conducted with selected 14 upper limb postures which are frequently occurred in farming tasks and then, an ergonomic checklist was developed with determining risk levels of each body posture based on the experimental findings. Lastly, the ergonomic checklist was validated by comparing with the existing assessment tools. Results: When comparing the AULA which was developed in this study with the existing assessment tools, it was found that the AULA may get over limits of the existing ones which are sensitive to particular postures, but aren't sensitive to the rest of them. Conclusion: It is predicted that the developed upper limb posture assessment tool which gets over the existing tools' limits and is proper for domestic farm work conditions, will help to reduce musculoskeletal disorders caused by farm works, by assessing farm works more easily and objectively. Application: By further developing the theoretical groundwork on the induction of muscular skeletal system symptoms relating to agricultural works, it is expected to improve the level of preventing and managing such muscular skeletal system symptoms in the field of agricultural and farming works, which is relatively less advanced in terms of labor difficulties.

• Journal of the Ergonomics Society of Korea
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• v.29 no.6
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• pp.933-942
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• 2010

Objective: To develop an ergonomic evaluation tool which can be apply to assess the lower-limb postures associated with farming tasks. Background: In general, most of existing ergonomic assessment tools was developed to investigate the work-related musculoskeletal disorders of the upper-limb postures in manufacturing industry. Methods: As the first step of development of the evaluation tool, 13 lower-limb postures that were commonly observed in farming task were investigated by the subjective discomfort ratings, heart rates, and muscle activities. And then, an ergonomic evaluation tool for the lower-limb postures was developed based on results of the first experiment. Lastly, the ergonomic checklist which was developed in the current study was compared with other existing ergonomic assessment tools. Results: Based on the results of comparisons between a newly developed assessment tool and other existing assessment tools, it was found that a newly developed tool can perceive more sensitively for the various lower-limb postures than other assessment tools. Conclusions: Lower-limb posture assessment tool which can evaluate and assess risks of lower-limb WMSDs which were prevalent in farming tasks more easily and accurately was developed in this study. The lower-limb assessment tool can also be utilized to prevent WMSDs related with lower-limbs as well as improve working environments.

• Journal of the Ergonomics Society of Korea
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• v.30 no.3
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• pp.427-435
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• 2011

Objective: The objective of this study was to evaluate a work of building cleaners using the ergonomic methods. Background: Previous studies about cleaning worker describe typical physical demands of this work. They found that the most significant risk factors associated with the physical work of cleaners are static loads and repetitive movements and high output of force. Method: A head of ergonomics estimation was work analysis(define of combined task, work tool, work time and frequency of combined task) and posture analysis of worker. Results: The results showed that combined task of building cleaners was classification sweeping, mopping(wet), mopping(oil), moving barrels/carts, dumping trash bags, scrubbing, arrangement of cleaning tool, arrangement of circumferential, moving of cleaning tool, and waiting. The work time of combined task such as mopping(wet) and scrubbing indicated high ratio. The posture analysis of building cleaners indicated high value in bending of the head, lower arm, and hands. Conclusion: The findings appear to indicate that building cleaner were related to high risk of work-related musculoskeletal disorders. So, building cleaner would be required an interventional strategy, improvement of cleaning tools and working environment. Application: If ergonomics rule can be integrated into existing cleaning tools and work environments, the risk of occupational injuries will be reduced.