• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.53 no.11
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• pp.3505-3516
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• 2021

During nuclear facility decommissioning, workers are continuously exposed to high-level radiation. Hence, adequate path planning is critical to protect workers from unnecessary radiation exposure. This work discusses recent development in radioactive path planning and the algorithms recommended for the task. Specifically, we review the conventional methods for nuclear decommissioning path planning, analyze the techniques utilized in developing algorithms, and enumerate the decision factors that should be considered to optimize path planning algorithms. As a major contribution, we present the quantitative performance comparison of different algorithms utilized in solving path planning problems in nuclear decommissioning and highlight their merits and drawbacks. Also, we discuss techniques and critical consideration necessary for efficient application of robots and robotic path planning algorithms in nuclear facility decommissioning. Moreover, we analyze the influence of obstacles and the environmental/radioactive source dynamics on algorithms' efficiency. Finally, we recommend future research focus and highlight critical improvements required for the existing approaches towards a safer and cost-effective nuclear-decommissioning project.

• Transactions of the Korean Society for Noise and Vibration Engineering
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• v.20 no.11
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• pp.1001-1008
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• 2010

The architectural, facility makes the housing environment more pleasant, while too much noise coming from machinery room is detrimental to the workers physically and mentally. Therefore, more sound insulation and sound proof policies are increasingly required. However, as the annoyance caused by facility noise is influenced by various human listening characteristics as well as physical characteristics such as sound pressure level, it requires subjective evaluation characteristics through acoustic-psychological approach. For this purpose, the facility noise in the machinery room was actually measured and analyzed in the field to understand physical characteristics, and the correlation between physical evaluation value and psychological response value through listening test. Further, this study aims at presenting the data to set the standards of 'Just noticeable difference' of the facility noise together with reasonable evaluation with psychological reaction, through the grading of facility noise using trend formula. In the result, 13 stages of physical properties were forecasted for each evaluation method, together with 'Just noticeable difference' using the grading of architectural facility noise.

• Journal of Korean society of Dental Hygiene
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• v.22 no.1
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• pp.63-72
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• 2022

Objectives: This study was conducted to prepare basic data to propose the necessity and utilization of oral welfare products in the welfare services of the long-term care insurance system, focusing on facility workers working in elderly facilities. Methods: The analysis was conducted on 144 workers working at some local elderly facilities. The questionnaire was constructed by classifying the use of oral welfare tools into 6 questions and the necessity and demand for oral welfare devices into 13 questions. Frequency analysis and technical analysis were performed for data analysis, and one-way ANOVA was performed for differences in the necessity and demand for oral welfare equipment. The statistical significance level was p<0.05. Results: As a result of examining the awareness of the necessity and demand for oral welfare equipment among workers in elderly facilities, the awareness of the necessity of including oral welfare equipment in the items of welfare equipment in the current long-term care insurance system was high at 4.15 points. As a result of analyzing the correlation between awareness of care products and the need and demand for oral welfare equipment, it was confirmed that there was a statistically significant positive correlation (p<0.01). Conclusions: In the long-term care insurance system for the elderly, oral welfare products need to be considered for welfare equipment services. The provision of oral welfare products within the long-term care insurance system for the elderly can provide opportunities and services to select various self-care tools. In addition, it is expected that it will be possible to promote changes in the long-term care insurance system for the elderly and to improve the system in a variety of positive ways.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.2 no.3
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• pp.273-281
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• 2011

Objectives: Studies examining healthcare workers' exposure to antineoplastic drugs have focused on the drug preparation or drug administration areas. However, such an approach has probably underestimated the overall exposure risk as the drugs need to be delivered to the facility, transported internally and then disposed. The objective of this study is to determine whether drug contamination occurs throughout a facility and, simultaneously, to identify those job categories that are potentially exposed. Methods: This was a multi-site study based in Vancouver, British Columbia. Interviews were conducted to determine the departments where the drugs travel. Subsequent site observations were performed to ascertain those surfaces which frequently came into contact with antineoplastic drugs and to determine the job categories which are likely to contact these surfaces. Wipe samples were collected to quantify surface contamination. Results: Surface contamination was found in all six stages of the hospital medication system. Job categories consistently found to be at risk of exposure were nurses, pharmacists, pharmacy technicians, and pharmacy receivers. Up to 11 job categories per site may be at risk of exposure at some point during the hospital medication system. Conclusion: We found drug contamination on select surfaces at every stage of the medication system, which indicates the existence of an exposure potential throughout the facility. Our results suggest that a broader range of workers are potentially exposed than has been previously examined. These results will allow us to develop a more inclusive exposure assessment encompassing all healthcare workers that are at risk throughout the hospital medication system.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.109-117
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• 2020

Background: Ammonia and hydrogen sulfide are harmful gases generated during aerobic/anaerobic bacterial decomposition of livestock manure. We evaluated ammonia and hydrogen sulfide concentrations generated from workplaces at livestock farms and determined environmental factors influencing the gas concentrations. Methods: Five commercial swine farms and five poultry farms were selected for monitoring. Real-time monitors were used to measure the ammonia and hydrogen sulfide concentrations and environmental conditions during the manure-handling processes. Monitoring was conducted in the manure storage facility and composting facility. Information on the farm conditions was also collected through interview and walk-through survey. Results: The ammonia concentrations were significantly higher at the swine composting facilities (9.5-43.2 ppm) than at other manure-handling facilities at the swine and poultry farms, and high concentrations of hydrogen sulfide were identified during the manure agitation and mixing process at the swine manure storage facilities (6.9-19.5 ppm). At the poultry manure-handling facilities, the ammonia concentration was higher during the manure-handling processes (2.6-57.9 ppm), and very low hydrogen sulfide concentrations (0-3.4 ppm) were detected. The air temperature and relative humidity, volume of the facility, duration of manure storage, and the number of animals influenced the gas concentrations. Conclusion: A high level of hazardous gases was generated during manure handling, and some levels increased up to risk levels that can threaten workers' health and safety. Some of the farm operational factors were also found to influence the gas levels. By controlling and improving these factors, it would be possible to protect workers' safety and health from occupational risks.

• Journal of Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Waste Technology(JNFCWT)
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• v.14 no.3
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• pp.279-287
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• 2016

Korea Radioactive Waste Agency (KORAD) began to operate the low and intermediate level radioactive waste disposal facility in Gyeongju and to transport the radioactive waste containing radioactive isotopes from Daejeon to the disposal facility for the first time at 2015. For this radioactive waste transportation, in this study, radiological impact assessment is carried out for workers and public. The dose rate to workers and public during the transportation is estimated with consideration of the transportation scenarios and is compared with the Korean regulatory limit. The sensitivity analysis is carried out by considering both the variation of release ratios of the radioactive isotopes from the waste and the variation of the distances between the radioactive waste drum and worker during loading and unloading of radioactive waste. As for all the transportation scenarios, radiological impacts for workers and public have met the regulatory limits.

• Journal of the Korea Convergence Society
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• v.10 no.3
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• pp.227-236
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• 2019

The purpose of this study is to examine the effect of TSJ-JSM (Job Stress Management) program, which was developed for improving interpersonal relationship and mitigating job stress among social workers through convergence methods with biomedical and social scientific measurements. In order to achieve the purpose, utilizing quasi-experimental design with non-equivalent control group design was applied. Participants were recruited among social welfare residential facility workers with volunteer intention, and 21 participants divided into three groups randomly: experimental, comparison, and control groups consisted of 7 workers respectively. TSL-JSM program consisted of 12 sessions were implemented to experimental group, on the other hands, other employee assistant program with 12 stages was applied to comparison group. Data analysis for verification of TSL-JSM program was conducted with SPSS 25.0. Both social scientific and biomedical scientific measures show that TSL-JSM program has most strong effects on enhancing interpersonal relationship skills and allaying level of job stress by levels of increased HRV SDNN and decreased Corisol.

• Journal of the Korea Convergence Society
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• v.12 no.6
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• pp.241-248
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• 2021

The purpose of this study was to investigate the factors affecting the rights guarantee of people with mental illness among mental care facility workers. The subjects of this study were 132 mental care facility workers, and the research tools were rights and protection-related characteristics, rights recognition, and rights guarantee. The data were analyzed with descriptive statistics, t-test, one-way ANOVA, Pearson's correlation coefficients, and multiple linear regression using the SPSS/WIN 24.0 program. The result showed that the difference in rights guarantee relating to general characteristics were significant differences in religion. There were significant positive correlations among rights recognition and rights guarantee. The factors influencing the rights guarantee were rights recognition, recognizing the need to advocate rights, and religion. Based on the research results, it is necessary to improve recognition and actively advocate rights through continuous education in order to strengthen the rights guarantee of people with mental illness. Enhancement of rights guarantee will help people with mental disorder recover.

• Journal of Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Waste Technology(JNFCWT)
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• v.20 no.3
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• pp.349-356
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• 2022

Nuclear power plant decommissioning generates significant concrete waste, which is slightly contaminated, and expected to be classified as clearance concrete waste. Clearance concrete waste is generally crushed into rubble at the site or a satellite treatment facility for practical disposal purposes. During the process, workers are exposed to radiation from the nuclides in concrete waste. The treatment processes consist of concrete cutting/crushing, transportation, and loading/unloading. Workers' radiation exposure during the process was systematically studied. A shielding package comprising a cylindrical and hexahedron structure was considered to reduce workers' radiation exposure, and improved the treatment process's efficiency. The shielding package's effect on workers' radiation exposure during the cutting and crushing process was also studied. The calculated annual radiation exposure of concrete treatment workers was below 1 mSv, which is the annual radiation exposure limit for members of the public. It was also found that workers involved in cutting and crushing were exposed the most.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.28 no.4
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• pp.415-422
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• 1996

Tritium removal from tritiated heavy water in a PHWR is the most effective way in reducing workers' internal dose and radioactivity emissions from Wolsong NPP. The optimum design of the Wolsong TRF (Tritium Removal Facility) was carried out using an approximate short-cut method with an assumption that the TRF, designed to extract 8 MCi per year of elemental tritium from a heavy oater feedstream, uses Liquid Phase Catalytic Exchange (LPCE) front-end process and Cryogenic Distillation (CD) process.