• Fire Science and Engineering
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• v.27 no.3
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• pp.85-93
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• 2013

Modern fire fighting jobs have been expanded to include areas of rescue, emergency medical service as well as conventional fire suppression, so that load for fire fighting jobs has been increased. Specifically, musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) such as low back injury have been considered as one of major industrial hazards in heavy manual material handling during fire fighting jobs. This study tried to evaluate risk levels and to prepare background for reducing risk levels associated with heavy manual material handling during fire fighting jobs. This study applied two major tools in evaluating heavy manual material handling jobs which were NLE (NIOSH Lifting Equation) and 3DSSPP (3D Static Strength Prediction Program). A risk index in terms of heavy manual material handling during fire fighting jobs was identified. This index consisted of seven risk levels ranged from nine points (the first level) to three points (the seventh level). There was no job associated with the first level (the highest risk level) of index. There was only one job (life saving job) belonging to the second level (the second highest risk level) of index. The third level had jobs such as usage of destruction equipment and lifting patient. A total of basic eighteen jobs was categorized into six different levels (2nd-7th levels) of index. The outcome of the study could provide a good basis for conducting job intervention, preparing good equipment and developing good education program in order to prevent and reduce MSDs including low back injury of fire fighting jobs.

• Journal of the Ergonomics Society of Korea
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.11-22
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• 2006

The muscular-skeletal disorders(MSDs) that have become a major issue recently in Korean industrial safety area are mainly caused by manual material handling task. The objective of this study is to provide scientific data for the establishment of work safety standard for Korean workers through the experiments of lifting task under various conditions, in order to prevent the muscular-skeletal disorders in the industrial work site. Eight male college students were recruited as participants. Three different lifting frequencies(1, 3, 5 lifts/min) and three twisting angles(including the sagittal plane and two asymmetric angles; i.e., 0°, 45°, 90°) for symmetric and asymmetric tasks, respectively, with three lifting range from floor to knuckle height, knuckle to shoulder, floor to shoulder height for one hour's work shift using free style lifting technique were studied. The maximum acceptable weight of load(MAWL) was determined under the different task conditions, and the oxygen consumption, heart rate, and RPE were measured or recorded while subjects were lifting their MAWLs. The results showed that: (1) The MAWLs were significantly decreased as the task frequency and task angle increased.; (2) The heart rate, oxygen consumption, RPE significantly increased with an increase in lifting frequency although maximum acceptable weight of lift decreased.; (3) The highest heart rate and oxygen consumption was recorded at the lifting range of floor to shoulder, followed by floor to knuckle and knuckle to shoulder.; (4) The RPE value showed that subjects perceived more exertion at the high frequency rate of lifting task and lifting range of floor to shoulder height. (5) The modeling for MAWL using isometric strength, task angle and lifting frequency were developed. It is expected that use of the results provided in this study may prove helpful in reducing MMH hazards, especially from lifting tasks for Korean, and can be used as a basis for pre-employment screening.

• Journal of Korean Society of Industrial and Systems Engineering
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• v.27 no.3
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• pp.90-96
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• 2004

The objective of this study was to develop a model for safe work load based on a physiological model of metabolic energy of manual material handling tasks. Fifteen male subjects voluntarily participated in this study. Lifting activities with four different weights, 0, 8, 16, 24kg, and four different working frequencies (2, 5, 8, 11 lifts/min) for a lifting range from floor to the knuckle height of 76cm were considered. Oxygen consumption rates and heart rates were measured during the performance of sixteen different lifting activities. Simplified predictive equations for estimating the oxygen consumption rate and the heart rate were developed. The oxygen consumption rate and the heart rate could be expressed as a function of task variables; frequency and the weight of the load, and a personal variable, body weight, and their interactions. The coefficients of determination ($r^2$) of the model were 0.9777 and 0.9784, respectively, for the oxygen consumption rate and the heart rate. The model of oxygen consumption rate was modified to estimate the work load for the given oxygen consumption rate. The overall absolute percent errors of the validation of this equation for work load with the original data set was 39.03%. The overall absolute percent errors were much larger than this for the two models based on the US population. The models for the oxygen consumption rate and for the work load developed in this study work better than the two models based on the US population. However, without considering the biomechanical approach, the developed model for the work load and the two US models are not recommended to estimate the work loads for low frequent lifting activities.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Safety
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• v.27 no.4
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• pp.96-100
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• 2012

Low back pain (LBP) is a major issue in modern industrialized society which is mainly caused by manual material handling (MMH) tasks. The objective of this study was to provide scientific data for establishing work standard for Korean workers throughout the laboratory experiment including some specific lifting tasks. Thirty male college students were recruited as participants. The maximum voluntary contraction (MVC), recommended weight limit (RWL), and psychophysical safety weight using Borg's CR-10 scale were studied. Results showed that the RWL was 8.4% MVC higher than the proposed psychophysical safety weight. Based on this result, it is suggested that the NIOSH lifting equation (NLE) should not be directly applied to Korean without reasonable modifications. The ratio of psychophysical safety weight to MVC was ranged from 20.1 to 26.4%. It is expected that use of the methodology in this study may provide better expectation of the work ability of Korean for reducing lower back pains caused by MMH.

• Proceedings of the ESK Conference
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• 1997.04a
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• pp.95-99
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• 1997

Most studies in manual material handling (MMH) have paid more attention to single MMH activities-lifting, lowering, carrying, holding, pushing or pulling and have ignored combined activities. Also, many studies have been involved with two-handed MMH activities rather than to one-handed MMH activities. Very few studies are reported on the determination of workers' capacities for combinations of one-handed MMH activities (e.g. lifting a box, then carrying the box, and lowering the box). The objective of this study was to utilize the psychophysical approach to examine the combinations of lifting, carrying and lowering activities from a simulated industrial task involving one- handed and two-handed combined tasks and to develop mathematical models for combined tasks. Ten male students served as subjects for the study. The capacities that were determined as the maximum acceptable weight workloads for 1 hr work period for one-handed and two-handed combined tasks-lifting a box from floor to knuckle height, carrying the box for 4.3 m, and lowering the box form knuckle to floor height -were determined psychophysically under three frequencies: six handlings per minute, one handling per minute and one handling per five minutes. Combined MMH capacities models for one-handed tasks were developed. Te advantages and disadvantages of different models are discussed.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Safety
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• v.20 no.1 s.69
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• pp.148-152
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• 2005

The purpose of this paper is to investigate risk factors and ergonomically improve the manufacturing lines of compressors for prevention of work-related musculoskeletal disorders, enhancement of productivity, and workers satisfaction We executed questionnaire survey, ergonomic risk factors investigation of manufacturing lines and ergonomic intervention of work methods, workplace and hand tools. The results of the questionnaire showed that $7.9\%$ of respondents were positive in WMSDs symptom survey. In ergonomic evaluation, the analysis methods such as RULA and NIOSH lifting equation were used and 28 processes in the lines were evaluated to be potentially hazardous. We ergonomically improved the processes to reduce potential WMSDs hazards : manual material handling, carts, work tables, transport methods, working posture and hand tools.

• Proceedings of the Safety Management and Science Conference
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• 1999.11a
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• pp.303-310
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• 1999

MMH(Manual Material Handling)와 관련되어 최근 요통질환으로 인한 요양신청이 크게 증가하는 추세에 있다. 본 연구에서는 Lifting 작업시 적용되는 중요 요소들 중 수평거리가 변함에 따른 IEMG 값을 이용하여 EMG 변화를 살펴보았다. 좌ㆍ우 EMG 값간에는 유의한 차이가 없었으며, 수평거리 35cm와 55cm간에는 유의한 차이를 보였다. 이는 수평거리가 길어질 경우 척추기립근의 동원량이 증가한다는 것을 의미한다. 따라서 요추부의 부담도를 줄이기 위해 수평거리를 줄이는 것이 요통예방을 위해 무엇보다 중요한 것이라 하겠다. 인체측정치와 EMG 값 사이의 상관관계에서는 35cm일 때 키, 가슴둘레, 허리둘레 등이, 55cm일 때 체중, 몸통너비, 허리두께, 손바닥폭 등이 상관관계가 있는 것으로 나타나고 있다.

• Journal of Korean Society of Industrial and Systems Engineering
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• v.20 no.44
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• pp.323-332
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• 1997

This study evaluated the compression force at the L5/S1 disc using EMG(Electromyography). EMG signals were analyzed under the condition of fixed vertical factor (20Cm∼80Cm), two horizontal factors (35Cm, 55Cm), and two weight factors (10Kg, 25Kg) 2 times per minute for each posture. Also, the result was compared with the compression force of each posture which computated by the equation of NIOSH(National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health) guide to manual lifting(1991). The experimental result show that EMG signals have more an effect on the Weight than the Horizontal factors. Also, there are not significant differences on the analysis result of EMG signals between Health members and not, because the body buildings which doing Health members are not enhanced the motor unit due to the MMH(Manual Material Handing).

• Journal of the Korean Society of Safety
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• v.29 no.4
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• pp.153-159
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• 2014

Low back pain is one of major issues in musculoskeletal diseases mainly caused by MMH (Manual Material Handling) tasks. In Korea, the standards of NIOSH(National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health) Lift Equations in U. S. A. have been most widely used. However, there is no standard in case the height of one feet is higher than that of another one. Moreover, since the standards are developed in U. S. A., there are many limitations for the applicability of Korean workers. In this study, MVC(Maximum Voluntary Contraction) for four postures are measured and an empirical model based on SVR(Support Vector Regression) is constructed. Constructing SVR model, PSO(Particle Swarm Optimization) is employed to investigate the optimal parameters of SVR. The results show that the performance of this empirical model is approximately accurate, even if the deviation of experimental values is large due to the individual differences. This empirical model may contribute to establish the standards of MMH tasks in Korea.

• Journal of the Korean Professional Engineers Association
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• v.30 no.5
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• pp.96-104
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• 1997

This study analyze industrial safety and health planning report for manufacture. The purpose of accident analysis is to obtain accurate and objective information about the causes of accidents in order to prevent accidents from reoccurring. This study investigated the causes and conditions of occupational accidents in Korean industry. As the most accidents are occurred in lifting material, the questionnaire analyses about injuries are operated for occur to deal with the Manual Materials Handing. The results show that there are some characteristics in the accidents of Korean industry since 1986: (1) accidents rates tend to have lower since 1983(1994-1.18%, 1995-0.99%, 1996-0.88%), (2) larger companies tend to have lower accident rates than the smaller ones, (3) inexperience is related to high accident rates(1995-51.26%, 1996-48.82%1, because of the careless education for freshman such as OJT which in order to prevent accident, and (4) the body sites most vulnerable to injury are the hands and fingers and increased the back(caused of Back pain). The results of questionnaire analysis show that operator(n= 104) interested in reinforce the back & belly(42.86%). These finding identified in this study can be used to prevent the industrial accidents, and used to improving directions based on analyzed result.