• Journal of the Korean Society of Safety
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• v.38 no.3
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• pp.77-84
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• 2023

Welding and cutting, which are representative tasks in handling firearms at industrial sites, are the basis for production and maintenance processes across all industries. They are also essential in the root industry. Specifically, they are widely used in the manufacturing industry, including equipment industries such as shipbuilding, automobiles, and chemicals, and subsequent maintenance work and general facility repair. However, such hot work carries a high fire risk owing to sparks scattering and inadequate management, resulting in a high occurrence of accidents. In response, the government and relevant organizations have recently revised the Occupational Safety and Health Act to prevent accidents during hot work. These revisions impose more stringent regulations than before, which are expected to help prevent actual fire accidents. However, whether the fire observer system, which is the core element of the revision, would be practically applied and maintained is unclear. Therefore, this study compared the fire observer system in the revised Occupational Safety and Health Act with those in the laws and systems of developed countries, conducted interviews with safety and health experts to assess the suitability of the new system for fire observer operations, and improvement plans were derived accordingly. Therefore, the laws and systems of developed countries grant more authority to fire observers compared with those of Korea. Moreover, professional training in handling emergency is required. Interviews with safety and health experts revealed that regardless of company size, the same operating standards were applied, and standards for deploying fire observers in various locations were unclear. Furthermore, there was a lack of professional education and training, and the role and authority of fire observers were limited. These findings revealed a problem in this sector. The results of this study are expected to serve as basic data for establishing a practical system for placing fire observers and supplementing laws, guidelines, and systems for preventing fire accidents.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Industry Convergence
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• v.25 no.2_2
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• pp.257-262
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• 2022

With the shortage of labor force in small and medium-size industries, the Korean Employment Permit System (EPS) continues to bring migrant workers. However, the question remains of the health and safety management of their migrant workers. Considering that a significant part of safety and health problems are caused by migrant workers due to a lack of information on identifying risk and inexperience in the field. Telephone interviews were conducted to investigate the migrant workers' perspectives on workplace safety practices. The survey focused on workers' accident histories, understanding of safety practices, and responding to industrial accidents. A total of 66 accidents occurred among 30 participants. 10 accidents were not reported to the employer (company), which the foreign workers judged to be minor injuries that should not be reported as accidents. 80.0% of the participants expressed dissatisfaction with the PPE they were using. Among various reasons lack of understanding due to language barriers, lack of awareness of the importance of safety, communication difficulties were major reasons for the caused accidents and potential health issues. It is necessary to improve the safety and health support system by providing practical support through specialized educational institutes with experts in the field. A legal framework and a proper safety management system need to be maintained. This study suggests changing the current policy to improve the health and safety of migrant workers by, establishing specialized educational institutes with locally grown foreign experts in the field.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.11 no.4
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• pp.526-532
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• 2020

Background: The high incidence of work-related diseases and injuries among day-laborers and workers with no legal contracts (informal workers) has received the attention of the Thai authorities. Workers' low occupational health literacy (OHL) has been reasoned as one contributing factor. Absence of a valid tool has prevented assessment of informal workers' OHL. The aim of this study was to create a valid and reliable Occupational Health Literacy Scale within the context of Thai working culture (TOHLS-IF). Methods: This study used the mixed method approach to develop TOHLS-IF. Questions were generated using in-depth interviews and an extensive review of the literature. Experts' assessment confirmed the content validity of TOHLS-IF. The scales of its psychometric properties were assessed in a sample of 400 informal workers using cluster random sampling. Results: The final version of the TOHLS-IF comprises 38 items within 4 dimensions: Ability to Gain Access, Understanding, Evaluation, and Use of occupational health and safety information. Factor analysis identified items explaining 50.22% of the total variance. The final confirmatory analysis confirmed the model estimates were satisfactory for the construct. TOHLS-IF demonstrated a high internal consistency and satisfactory reliability (Cronbach's alpha = .98). Conclusion: The TOHLS-IF is a valid and reliable instrument to assess informal workers' OHL. The structural dimensions of this instrument are based on the concept of health literacy and Thai culture. Thai health professionals are encouraged to benefit from this instrument to assess their workers' OHL and apply findings as guidelines for effective occupational health and safety interventions.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.6 no.4
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• pp.295-304
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• 2015

Background: While attention has been paid to physical risks in the work environment and the promotion of individual employee health, mental health protection and promotion have received much less focus. Psychosocial risk management has not yet been fully incorporated in such efforts. This paper presents good practices in promoting mental health in the workplace in line with World Health Organization (WHO) guidance by identifying barriers, opportunities, and the way forward in this area. Methods: Semistructured interviews were conducted with 17 experts who were selected on the basis of their knowledge and expertise in relation to good practice identified tools. Interviewees were asked to evaluate the approaches on the basis of the WHO model for healthy workplaces. Results: The examples of good practice for Workplace Mental Health Promotion (WMHP) are in line with the principles and the five keys of the WHO model. They support the third objective of the WHO comprehensive mental health action plan 2013-2020 for multisectoral implementation of WMHP strategies. Examples of good practice include the engagement of all stakeholders and representatives, science-driven practice, dissemination of good practice, continual improvement, and evaluation. Actions to inform policies/legislation, promote education on psychosocial risks, and provide better evidence were suggested for higher WMHP success. Conclusion: The study identified commonalities in good practice approaches in different countries and stressed the importance of a strong policy and enforcement framework as well as organizational responsibility for WMHP. For progress to be achieved in this area, a holistic and multidisciplinary approach was unanimously suggested as a way to successful implementation.

• Journal of the Korea Institute of Building Construction
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• v.23 no.5
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• pp.639-650
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• 2023

In this research endeavor, we engaged with 70 construction safety specialists from established construction firms through surveys and interviews. The primary aim was to dissect and understand the weight and ramifications of specific cost items within the Occupational Safety and Health Management Funds(OSHMF) and Safety Management Expenses(SME). From our analysis, salient insights emerged. Within the realm of OSHMF, the cost items associated with safety facilities and the remunerations of safety managers were identified as paramount. It was observed that there are marked variations in the perceived significance and repercussions associated with diverse cost items of OSHMF. In stark contrast, when assessing the SME, the nuances in perceived weight and consequences of individual cost items were relatively muted, suggesting a more uniform viewpoint among the experts. Furthermore, our research probed the interrelationship between the significance and repercussions within OSHMF and SME domains. Notably, OSHMF manifested a positive linear relationship, suggesting that cost items of higher importance invariably had a more pronounced effect. On the other hand, the SME showcased a more subtle association, hinting at intricate underlying dynamics. The outcomes of this investigation are poised to offer instrumental guidance for enhancing safety protocols and diminishing accident occurrences in domestic construction undertakings.

• Asian Journal of Innovation and Policy
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• v.11 no.2
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• pp.222-237
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• 2022

As the COVID-19 pandemic crisis left developing countries with economic setbacks, it is high time to highlight that innovative technologies lead the digital economy. The big powers including the United States and China are already implementing industrial policies that involve large-scale fiscal expenditures to secure the lives and safety of their people. To prepare for the future up to 2025, this paper reflects opinions of industry-academia-research experts regarding changes in the external environment and industry trends. By reflecting results of focus group interviews and changes in the external environment and industry trends, a new high-level 5X strategy (Digital Transformation, Energy Transformation, Bio Health Transformation, Supply Chain Transformation, and Research Transformation) to solve national tasks required for the existing ten policy demand fields and ten agenda during lower-level policy implementation stages were derived.

• Journal of dental hygiene science
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• v.20 no.1
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• pp.16-24
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• 2020

Background: Dental treatment has shifted to the center of the community, and the public policy of the country has expanded to support the vulnerable classes such as the disabled. The dental profession needs education regarding oral health services for persons with disabilities, and it is necessary to derive the competencies for this. Therefore, we conducted this study to derive the normative ability to understand the role of a dental hygienist in the oral health service for persons with disabilities and improvement plans for education. Methods: We conducted a qualitative analysis for deriving competencies by analyzing the data collected through in-depth interviews with experts in order to obtain abilities through practical experience. Based on the competency criterion, relevant competency in the interview response was derived using the priori method, and it was confirmed whether the derived ability matched the ability determined by the respondent. Results: The professional conduct competencies of dental hygienists, devised by the Korean Association of Dental Hygiene, consists of professional behavior, ethical decision-making, self-assessment skills, lifelong learning, and accumulated evidence. Also, core competencies of the American Dental Education Association competencies for dental hygienist classification such as ethics, responsibility for professional actions, and critical thinking skills were used as the criterion. The dental hygienist's abilities needed for oral health care for people with disabilities, especially in the detailed abilities to fulfill these social needs, were clarified. Conclusion: To activate oral health care for people with disabilities, it is necessary for dental hygienists to fulfill their appropriate roles, and for this purpose, competency-based curriculum restructuring is indispensable. A social safety net for improving the oral health of people with disabilities can be secured by improving the required skills-based education system of dental hygienists and strengthening the related infrastructure.

• Journal of the Ergonomics Society of Korea
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• v.33 no.5
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• pp.407-422
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• 2014

Objective: The purpose of the study is to develop quantitative usability evaluation criteria for senior-friendly autonomous transportation robot. Background: The Republic of Korea has become the most rapidly aging society, and is anticipated to enter the post-aged society in 2026. To raise the quality of life of a senior with limited mobility and to reduce the burden of caregivers, many high-tech assistive products with information technologies are developed nowadays. The senior-friendly autonomous transportation robot is one person robot vehicle to move a senior to the destination for hospitals, nursing homes or silver town complex. With built-in navigation system and environmental monitoring censors, it automatically seeks the path to the destination and avoids collision to obstacles and pedestrians on the way. Due to the early stage of the product, few usability studies in this field have been done, mostly on general service robots to assist seniors, power wheelchairs and delivery robots. ISO and KS standards for the service robots are focused on safety. Method: Based on the reference usability index, the early draft of the usability evaluation questionnaires was developed. After small group tests and interviews, the experts modified the initial draft to the Usability Evaluation Criteria for Senior-Friendly Autonomous Transportation Robot (UEC-SFATR). Result: UEC-SFATR consisted of 4 subscales - Safety, Controllability, Efficiency and Satisfaction. All of the 4 subscales of UEC-SFATR were passed the reliability criteria by 4 groups of seniors, divided by gender and familiarity of smart-devices. Conclusion: UEC-SFATR covers wider area of user experiences of the SFATR and is a good measurement tool to help both the users and developers of the robot. Application: This study provides guide to the future product development and product competitiveness evaluation by quantifying user experiences for the SFATR.

• Korean Journal of Clinical Pharmacy
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• v.11 no.2
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• pp.68-77
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• 2001

Herbal medicines have been used since ancient times as medicines to treat and relieve the symptoms of many different human diseases. However, so far, relatively few herbal medicines have been evaluated scientifically to prove their safety, potential benefits and effectiveness. This study was conducted to provide the groundwork for improving the current registration regulations for herbal medicines in distinction from synthetic medicines. The study was performed based on the literature research and individual interviews with 5 experts who had extensive experience in registration of herbal medicines. When compared with synthetic drugs, herbal medicines exhibit some marked differences, namely the active principles are frequently unknown, standardization, stability and quality control are not easy, they are usually mixtures of complex compounds. Second, the current regulations for herbal medicines are reviewed by comparison of foreign regulation systems like the one in China. The regulation requirements of herbal medicine in China are in distinction from synthetic drugs. The authors conclude that new registration requirements for the herbal medicines should be changed as follows; the toxicity and efficacy data should be submitted as mixed herbal preparation and the documents and other research on the reproduction and generation toxicity need to be shown for the proof of reproduction and generation toxicity, if needed.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.46 no.5
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• pp.470-481
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• 2013

This study provides standardized scientific criteria for education materials on nutrition and diet that could be used in schools, workplaces, and health and medical facilities. The study was conducted from April 2011 to October 2011. Literature reviews, institutional visits, and telephone interviews were conducted for the first draft of the accreditation criteria. Expert meeting and advisory councils were conducted in order to obtain feedback after development of the first draft of accreditation criteria. In order to verify the validity and reliability of the first draft on certification criteria, a survey was sent out to 143 professionals, including professors, researchers, health and medical experts, teachers, nutrition teachers, dietitians, and clinical nutritionists. After several modifications, the final accreditation criteria were established for 1) printed materials (authority, credibility, objectivity, organization, editing, real-life usability, activities and participation, and public interest), 2) web-sites (authority, credibility, objectivity, design, real-life usability, accessibility, currency, and public interest) and 3) materials with activities (credibility, organization, design, convenience of utilizing, safety, and public interest). Out of several criteria, contents (authority, credibility. and objectivity) and publicity (public interest) areas are mandatory requirements. For the accreditation, books for learning and materials with activities are required to meet more than six evaluation components, and the other materials are required to meet more than five evaluation components, including the required area. Accreditation criteria developed in this study could be used as a standard for development or selection of good education materials for nutrition and dietary life.