• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.4 no.2
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• pp.77-83
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• 2013

There is still a considerable burden of occupational diseases and injuries in the world. It is not well known which interventions can effectively reduce the exposures at work that cause this burden. The objective of this article is to summarize evidence from systematic reviews of interventions to prevent occupational diseases and injuries. We included systematic reviews of interventions to reduce the incidence of work-related cancer, dust-related diseases, occupational asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, noise induced hearing loss, back pain, and occupational injuries. We searched Medline and Embase with predefined search strategies to locate systematic reviews of these interventions. We found 23 systematic reviews of which the results are also applicable to low- and middle income countries. Effective measures to reduce exposure leading to work-related cancer, dust-related diseases, asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, noise, and injuries are available. However, better implementation of these measures is needed. Regulation, enforcement of regulation, and incentives for employers are effective interventions to achieve this goal. There is evidence that feedback and rewards for workers help in reducing occupational injuries. There is no evidence in many studies that back pain can be prevented. Personal protective equipment technically has the potential to reduce exposure but this is difficult to put into effect. There is no evidence in the studies regarding the effectiveness of education and training, preventive drugs, or health examinations. There is evidence that the implementation of technical measures enforced by regulation can prevent occupational diseases and injuries. For other interventions such as education or health examinations, there is no evidence that supports their effectiveness. More systematic reviews are needed in the area of injury prevention.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Safety
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• v.26 no.5
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• pp.110-117
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• 2011

The paper tries to understand the other side of characteristics on occupational injuries and diseases in forestry. Occupational injuries and diseases in forestry seems to be greatly influenced by the environmental characteristics of the mountain district and individual's ability of workers. A traditional method on the analysis of occupational injuries and diseases data may show that the main cause of occupational injuries and diseases is the material factors significantly. To identify the other side of occupational injuries and diseases in forestry, the occupational injuries and diseases data of 3,091 workers in forestry was analyzed. The data in forestry, 2009 shows certain characteristics among the recent occupational injuries and diseases data. The first step is to classify the data according to standard of classification of original cause materials. Material factors are 72.3% and human factors (included managerial factors) and environmental factors are 27.0%. The next step is to reclassify the first step data by using the concept of influence factors which caused and influenced occupational injuries and diseases. The result is that material factors are 2.4%, human factors(included managerial factors) and environmental factors are 97.0%. Also, an aging degree of workers in forestry is higher than other categories of business. It is true that an aging degree of injured or diseased workers in forestry is higher than that of other categories of business. However, relevance with increase of occupational injuries and diseases could not be explained. An injury and disease rate in forestry is remarkably increased recently than other categories of business. One of the reason why an injury and disease rate increased remarkably in 2009 could be considered as the increase of the number of workers and related budget. Therefore, this study proposes important measures or means to prevent occupational injuries and diseases in forestry.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.10 no.3
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• pp.265-274
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• 2019

Background: Methyl alcohol poisoning in mobile phone-manufacturing factories during 2015-2016 was caused by methyl alcohol use for cleaning in computerized numerical control (CNC) processes. To determine whether there were health complications in other workers involved in similar processes, the Occupational Safety and Health Research Institute conducted a survey. Methods: We established a national active surveillance system by collaborating with the Ministry of Employment and Labor and National Health Insurance Service. Employment and national health insurance data were used. Overall, 12,048 employees of major domestic mobile phone companies and CNC process dispatch workers were surveyed from 2016 to 2017. We investigated methyl alcohol poisoning by using the national health insurance data. Questionnaires were used to investigate diseases due to methyl alcohol poisoning. Results: Overall, 24.9% of dispatched workers were employed in at least five companies, and 23.9% of dispatched workers had missing employment insurance history data. The prevalence of blindness including visual impairment, optic neuritis, visual disturbances, and alcohol toxicity in the study participants was higher than that reported in the national health insurance database (0.02%, 0.07%, 0.23%, and 0.03% versus 0.01%, 0.07%, 0.13%, and 0.01%, respectively, in 2015). Moreover, 430 suspicious workers were identified; 415 of these provided an address and phone number, of whom 48 responded (response rate, 11.6%). Among the 48 workers, 10 had diseases at the time of the survey, of whom 3 workers were believed to have diseases related to methyl alcohol exposure. Conclusion: This study revealed that active surveillance data can be used to assess health problems related to methyl alcohol poisoning in CNC processes and dispatch workers.

• Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
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• v.27 no.3
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• pp.149-162
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• 2017

Objectives: Six cases of non-oral occupational methanol poisoning were found in mobile phone parts manufacturers in South Korea during the period from 22 January 2016 to 5 October 2016. We conducted this study to determine the cause of the accident including social environment factor. Methods: We interviewed the cases. Based on that, we described this poisoning accident narratively and arranged the evolution of the accident in chronological order. We used the Haddon matrix method to investigate the cause of the accident. Results: It was found that six cases were all dispatched workers who were under poor working condition including working time exceeded 12 hours a day, not given basic occupational health and safety information etc. Occupational disease associated with dispatched work was difficult to be reported. 2 cases were not able to identify the cause of the disease within one year. Conclusions: In short, the direct cause of the poisoning accident was that workers were exposed to high concentration of methanol(over 1,000 ppm). One of the main fundamental cause is that dispatched worker is rampant in the supply chain of mobile phone production. To protect dispatched workers, appropriate occupational safety health measures are needed urgently.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.30 no.3 s.58
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• pp.577-584
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• 1997

Validation and Standardization of neurobehavioral instrument in Korean occupational setting has not been studied ever. This study tried to validate the newly developed computerized psychomotor tests, Neurobehavioral Tests for Occupational Screening (NTOS). Male patients with Parkinson's disease(n=12) and male workers who never exposed to occupational neurotoxic materials and didn't have neurologic disease(n=21), performed some tests from NTOS; simple reaction time, choice reaction time(2 choice), and finger tapping(both hands). In simple analysis, difference between patient group and worker group was significantly great. Adjusted for age and education years, simple reaction time and finger tapping(both hand) were statistically significantly different between two groups(p<.05). Choice reaction time was also different(p<.1) but error frequency of choice reaction time test was not. Generally, this results showed NTOS could detect impairment of psychomotor function. But insensitive results of choice reaction time was partly due to small sample size and confounding variables and so required future study and refinement at improvement of NTOS.

• 월간산업보건
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• s.2
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• pp.4-10
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• 1988

In order to investigate the prevalence of occupational disease in coal mine workers in Chonnam area, a cross sectional study was conducted in 1,097 workers from September to December in 1987. The results were as follows; 1. The prevalence of pneumoconiosis including suspected cases was 6.9% and was increased by age and working duration. 2. The prevalence of pneumoconiosis excluding suspected cases was 2.8%. 3. By the kind of job, prevalence of pneumoconiosis including suspected cases was l2.9% in tunnel drivers, 6.3% in coalface workers and 6.0% in other workers. 4. The prevalence of noise induced hearing loss was 5.1% and was increased by age and working duration. 5. The prevalence of noise induced hearing loss was the highest among tunnel drivers(7.3%), but it was not significantly different by the kind of job. 6. Occupational disease caused by vibration was not found in coal mine workers.

• Korean Journal of Radiology
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• v.24 no.8
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• pp.795-806
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• 2023

Occupational lung diseases (OLD) are a group of preventable conditions caused by noxious inhalation exposure in the workplace. Workers in various industries are at a higher risk of developing OLD. Despite regulations contributing to a decreased incidence, OLD remain among the most frequently diagnosed work-related conditions, contributing to significant morbidity and mortality. A multidisciplinary discussion (MDD) is necessary for a timely diagnosis. Imaging, particularly computed tomography, plays a central role in diagnosing OLD and excluding other inhalational lung diseases. OLD can be broadly classified into fibrotic and non-fibrotic forms. Imaging reflects variable degrees of inflammation and fibrosis involving the airways, parenchyma, and pleura. Common manifestations include classical pneumoconioses, chronic granulomatous diseases (CGD), and small and large airway diseases. Imaging is influenced by the type of inciting exposure. The findings of airway disease may be subtle or solely uncovered upon expiration. High-resolution chest CT, including expiratory-phase imaging, should be performed in all patients with suspected OLD. Radiologists should familiarize themselves with these imaging features to improve diagnostic accuracy.

• Proceedings of the Korea Contents Association Conference
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• 2010.05a
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• pp.216-217
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• 2010

• 대한방사선방어학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2010.04a
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• pp.238-239
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• 2010

• Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
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• v.24 no.3
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• pp.383-392
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• 2014

Purpose: In this study, we sought to understand the risk factor for chronic disease of workers by studying the association between occupational standing time and metabolic syndrome(MetS) in full-time 300 male workers. Materials: Data on age, life habit, work related information of the subjects were surveyed using self-reported questionnaire and interview. MetS was identified based on the report of Alberti et al.(2009). As for the data analysis, SPSS 19.0 was used to conduct the descriptive statistic, ANOVA, Pearson correlation coefficient and multiple logistic regression analysis. Results: Daily working hour affects on the lifting heavy objects, running and strenuous exercise(r=-0.137, p<0.01), and total physical function decreased with the increase in age(r=-0.145, p<0.01). Also, obese was significantly associated with genuflection and bend over(r=-0.110, p<0.05). On multiple logistic regression analysis for the diagnostic indices of MetS, occupational standing time were significantly associated with waist circumference(odds ratio=0.885, ${\beta}$ value=-0.122, 95% CI=0.797-0.983, p<0.05) and triglyceride (odds ratio=0.873, ${\beta}$ value=-0.136, 95% CI=0.800-0.953, p<0.01). Conclusions: These results suggest that the working posture may be important risk factor in pathogenesis and growing of MetS and cardiovascular disease.