• Safety and Health at Work
• /
• v.14 no.2
• /
• pp.163-173
• /
• 2023

In many industrial sectors, workers are exposed to manufactured or unintentionally emitted airborne nanoparticles (NPs). To develop prevention and enhance knowledge surrounding exposure, it has become crucial to achieve a consensus on how to assess exposure to airborne NPs by inhalation in the workplace. Here, we review the literature presenting recommendations on assessing occupational exposure to NPs. The 23 distinct strategies retained were analyzed in terms of the following points: target NPs, objectives, steps, "measurement strategy" (instruments, physicochemical analysis, and data processing), "contextual information" presented, and "work activity" analysis. The robustness (consistency of information) and practical aspects (detailed methodology) of each strategy were estimated. The objectives and methodological steps varied, as did the measurement techniques. Strategies were essentially based on NPs measurement, but improvements could be made to better account for "contextual information" and "work activity". Based on this review, recommendations for an operational strategy were formulated, integrating the work activity with the measurement to provide a more complete assessment of situations leading to airborne NP exposure. These recommendations can be used with the objective of producing homogeneous exposure data for epidemiological purposes and to help improve prevention strategies.

• Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
• /
• v.29 no.1
• /
• pp.21-26
• /
• 2019

Objective: The aim of this study is to analyze an excess trend for domestic permissible exposure limit of trichloroethylene based on previous literature review. Materials and Methods: The research object is a trichloroethylene among 13 chemical substances regulated with PEL(Permissible Exposure Limit) in Occupational Safety and Health Act. The information utilized from this study is the work environment measurement data from 2004 to 2013. The highest level among concentration data measured at various workplaces was selected as a representative value through data process. N.D. (Not Detected) data was considered as 1/2 of LOD(Limit Of Detection). Results: Among work environment measurement data between 2004 and 2013, the highest number of excess workplace and excess rate(24 sites & 1.15%) was observed in 2008's data when applying the PEL(50 ppm) of trichloroethylene. When they are compared with the ACGIH's TLV-TWA(10 ppm), 2008's data showed the highest number of excess workplace and excess rate(175 sites & 8.37%). The number of excess workplace and excess rate related to PEL of trichloroethylene showed increase trend in 2005 but tended to decrease after 2008. Conclusions: Based on the results obtained from this study, the exposure level of trichloroethylene in case of domestic workers is not considered as a safe phase regardless of the year of work environment measurement year. Thus, a strictly preventive management in workplace should be provided for reducing exposure level of trichloroethylene.

• Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
• /
• v.1 no.2
• /
• pp.154-163
• /
• 1991

Particulate matter exposure leva1 of welders and grinding workers was evaluated in Banwol and Changwon industry complexes. Full period single sample and full period consecutive samples were collected with personal air samplers attached to workers. Compliance difference with 8-hour time weighted average (TWA) was compared by Korean strategy and the classification system recommended by OHSA for employee exposure to particulates. And difference of compliance was compared according to precision of measurement and analysis (total precision). Compliance rate was depended on the total precision, therefore, quality control of measurement and analysis was important.

• Electronics and Telecommunications Trends
• /
• v.34 no.3
• /
• pp.86-92
• /
• 2019

New products and services, such as 5G and wireless power transmission equipment, have recently brought about changes in the field of electromagnetic technology. There is a need for the evaluation and measurement of the health effects of such technology. To address this need, the development of international standards related to human exposure to electromagnetic waves of these new technologies are currently being discussed. This article briefly introduces the International Standard Organization standards for human exposure to electromagnetic waves, and focuses on the major standard trends for SAR measurement techniques that employ vector probes, wireless power transfer, and 5G base station measurement.

• Journal of the Ergonomics Society of Korea
• /
• v.31 no.3
• /
• pp.445-453
• /
• 2012

The aim of this paper was to prove that if the risk level in combined tasks was improved through evaluation of postural load of liquid weight measurement process, the workload level and ratio of exposure time would be changed, and the time of process would be seen concurrently. Background: According to results of epidemiological studies conducted by Korea Occupational Safety & Health Agency, 122 musculoskeletal disorders occurred during 1992 to 2008, in which manufacturing industry covers 96(78.7%) of total. However, this is an insufficient level and only occupies 39% based on the South Korea's manufacturing standard industrial classification(246 industries). Method: Firstly, the number of batches weighed on one day(460min) was investigated based on the work performed and Weight measured weekly. VCR recording was taken based on the level of liquid ingredients prescribed for 1batch using the Camcorder. After dividing a 356 sec video into 1 sec using the screen capture function in Gom player, the job classification was performed by analyzing the change of working postures, which revealed 148 working postures. Time measurement was decided by time of the postures was being maintained. Then, the REBA analysis was performed for the working postures. The ratio of Exposure time was calculated based on the measurement time and REBA Score. In addition, the recommendations were designed and implementation was carried out for the working postures with REBA Score higher than 3. Finally, after the intervention, REBA measurement, time measurement, and ratio of exposure time were calculated for the comparison of works before and after improvement. Results: The number of work elements was decreased by 30.4% from 148 to 103 after improvement. The results of time measurement showed that the time was reduced by 46.3% from 356 sec to 191 sec. And the ratio of exposure time was also improved by 52.1% from 0% to 52.1% after improvement. Conclusion: The reduction of time was found to improve the productivity of management. Furthermore, because the reduction of ratio of exposure time and the improvement of workload level are the improvement of discomfort, it would contribute to the improvement of the worker's psychological working posture. Application: These results would contribute to musculoskeletal disease prevention and management performance. Further studies for other industries would be needed based on this case study.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society for Noise and Vibration Engineering Conference
• /
• 2009.10a
• /
• pp.421-426
• /
• 2009

This paper presents vibration analysis of maskless exposure module in Printed Circuit Board (PCB) manufacturing system. In order to complete exposure process in PCB, masking type module has been widely used in electronics industries. However, masking process confronts some limitations of application due to higher production cost for masking as well as lower printing resolution. Therefore, maskless exposure module is started to be in the spotlight for flexible production system to meet the needs of fabrication in variable patterns at low cost. Since maskless exposure process adopts direct patterning to PCB, vibration problems become more critical compared to conventional masking type process. Moreover, movements of exposure engine as well as stage generate vibration sources in the system. Thus, it is imperative to analyze the vibration characteristics for the maskless exposure module to improve the quality and accuracy of PCB. In this study, vibration analysis using the Finite Element Analysis is conducted to identify the critical structural parts deteriorating vibration performance. Also, Experimental investigations are conducted by single/dual encoder measurement process under the operating module speed. Measurement points of vibration are selected by three places, which are base of stage, exposure engine and top of stage, to check the effect of vibration from the exposure engine. Comparisons between analysis results and experimental measurement are conducted to confirm the accuracy of analysis results including the developed FE model. Finally, this studies show feasibility of optimal design using the developed FE analysis model.

• Transactions of the Korean Society for Noise and Vibration Engineering
• /
• v.19 no.12
• /
• pp.1322-1328
• /
• 2009

This paper presents vibration analysis of maskless exposure module in printed circuit board(PCB) manufacturing system. In order to complete exposure process in PCB, masking type module has been widely used in electronics industries. However, masking process confronts some limitations of application due to higher production cost for masking as well as lower printing resolution. Therefore, maskless exposure module is started to be in the spotlight for flexible production system to meet the needs of fabrication in variable patterns at low cost. Since maskless exposure process adopts direct patterning to PCB, vibration problems become more critical compared to conventional masking type process. Moreover, movements of exposure engine as well as stage generate vibration sources in the system. Thus, it is imperative to analyze the vibration characteristics for the maskless exposure module to improve the quality and accuracy of PCB. In this study, vibration analysis using the finite element analysis is conducted to identify the critical structural parts deteriorating vibration performance. Also, Experimental investigations are conducted by single/dual encoder measurement process under the operating module speed. Measurement points of vibration are selected by three places, which are base of stage, exposure engine and top of stage, to check the effect of vibration from the exposure engine. Comparisons between analysis results and experimental measurement are conducted to confirm the accuracy of analysis results including the developed FE model. Finally, this studies show feasibility of optimal design using the developed FE analysis model.

• Health Policy and Management
• /
• v.30 no.4
• /
• pp.505-512
• /
• 2020

Background: In monitoring exposure to environmental smoke (ETS), biomarkers can overcome the subjectivity and inaccuracy of self-reporting measurements, and have the advantage of reflecting ETS exposure in all places. This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of ETS exposure measurement using biomarkers such as urine cotinine. Methods: This study used the Korea National Health and Nutrition Survey data from 2009 to 2018. A total of 28,574 non-smokers with urine cotinine data were selected for the study. The cotinine concentration and ETS exposure rate using urine cotinine was estimated and then compared with the self-reporting measurements. The degree of agreement among measurements of ETS exposure was confirmed. Results: As a result of measuring ETS exposure with urine cotinine, 23,594 (83.8%) out of 28,574 subjects were classified as to exposure groups. This estimate differs significantly from measurements made by self-reporting. In addition, the average concentration of cotinine in non-smokers has decreased to a 10th level over the past 10 years. Based on the biomarker, the sensitivity of the self-reporting was 8.5%-29.0%, the specificity was 16.4%-19.5%, and the kappa value was 2.0%-5.8%. Conclusion: The findings of our study show that self-reporting measurement does not well reflect the extent to which non-smoker's exposure to smoking materials. Whereas cotinine concentration has decreased significantly over the past 10 years, the ETS exposure rate has not reduced. It strongly suggests the need for intervention in the group of non-smokers exposed to low concentrations of smoke. Therefore, an assessment using biomarkers such as cotinine-based measurement should be made in the Health Plan 2030.

• Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
• /
• v.33 no.3
• /
• pp.375-383
• /
• 2023

Objectives: Coal-fired power plants feature diverse working conditions, including multi-layered employment structures and irregular work cycles due to outsourcing and non-standardized tasks. The current uniform occupational environment measurement systems have limitations in accurately assessing and evaluating these varied conditions. This study aims to propose alternative measurement and assessment strategies to supplement existing methods. Methods: Major domestic coal-fired power plants were selected as the study targets. To prepare for the study and establish strategies, work processes were identified and existing occupational environment measurement results were compared and analyzed. The study proceeded by employing three strategies: specific exposure groups (SEGs) measurement, continuous monitoring, and supplementary measurements, which were then compared and discussed. Results: Previous exposure index evaluations (5,268 cases) indicated that crystalline silica, a type of respirable particulate matter, had detection limits below the threshold (non-detectable) in 82.6% (4,349 cases) of instances. Exposures below 10% of the exposure limit were observed at a very low concentration of 96.1%. Similar exposure group measurements yielded results where detection limits were below the threshold in 38.2% of cases, and exposures below 10% of the limit were observed in 70.6%. Continuous monitoring indicated detection limits below the threshold in 12.6% of cases, and exposures below 10% of the limit were observed in 75.6%. Instances requiring active workplace management accounted for more than 30% of cases, with SEGs at 11.8% (four cases), showing a higher proportion compared to 3.0% (four cases) in continuous monitoring. For coal dust, exposures below 10% of the limit were highest in legal measurements at 90.2% (113 cases), followed by 74.0% (91 cases) in continuous monitoring, and 47.0% (16 cases) in SEGs. Instances exceeding 30% were most prevalent in SEGs at 14.7% (five cases), followed by legal measurements at 5.0% (eight cases), and continuous monitoring at 2.4% (three cases). When examining exposure levels through arithmetic means, crystalline silica was found to be 104.7% higher in SEGs at 0.0088 mg/m³ compared to 0.0043 mg/m³ in continuous monitoring. Coal dust measurements were highest in SEGs at 0.1247 mg/m³, followed by 0.1224 mg/m³ in legal measurements, and 0.0935 mg/m³ in continuous monitoring. Conclusions: Strategies involving SEGs measurement and continuous monitoring can enhance measurement reliability in environments with irregular work processes and frequent fluctuations in working conditions, as observed in coal-fired power plants. These strategies reduce the likelihood of omitting or underestimating processes and enhance measurement accuracy. In particular, a significant reduction in detection limits below the threshold for crystalline silica was observed. Supplementary measurements can identify worker exposure characteristics, uncover potential risks in blind spots of management, and provide a complementary method for legal measurements.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
• /
• v.42 no.5
• /
• pp.314-323
• /
• 2016

Objectives: Time location data are critical for accurately estimating personal exposures. This review papers summarized various measurement methods of time location pattern for air pollution exposure assessment. Methods: Forty manuscripts (papers, books and reports) were reviewed to comprehensively describe time location measurement methods. Results: This review included traditional methods such as time activity diary, questionnaire, observation, focus group and newly developed technical methods including global positioning system, web, radio frequency identification and ultrasound detection. Some research applied a combination of methods. Conclusion: Although various methods have been used to collect time location data, further development of accurate measurement methods for time location data is needed.