• Safety and Health at Work
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• 제8권4호
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• pp.410-412
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• 2017

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a serious problem not only among workers who experience industrial accidents but also among workers who witness such accidents. Early intervention is needed to prevent prolonged psychological problems. There has been no study conducted regarding the psychological problems of and interventions for bystander workers in Korea. This study introduces the experience of intervention on psychological problems at the Busan Workers' Health Center workers who witnessed their colleagues' death. An investigation and an intervention were conducted according to the Korean Occupational Safety and Health Agency (KOSHA) Guide. In total, 21 individuals including indirect observers showed statistical differences on scores of the Impact Event Scale Revised and the Patient Health Questionnaire 9 after the intervention. Future interventions and research involving a larger sample size over a longer period are needed. The KOSHA Guide could be a useful tool for urgent psychological intervention in the event of major workplace disasters.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• 제12권2호
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• pp.141-146
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• 2021

Background: Violence against health professionals is an increasing problem in Turkey. This study aims to determine the societal perception of violence, experience of violence, and the intentions to use violence against health professionals. Methods: This descriptive study sample comprised 484 individuals. Data were collected by using the "Descriptive Information Form" and "Intentions to Use Violence against Health Professionals Scale." Results: Of the participants, 8.3% used violence against health professionals. Most of the participants (81.2%) stated that violence was not a solution, and 65.9% believed that health professionals did not deserve violence. Past behavior of the participants was the most influential factor on the intention to use violence (β = .473, p = 0.000). Conclusions: More than half of the participants believed that health professionals did not deserve violence and violence was not a solution. We found that intention to use violence was affected by past experiences.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• 제6권2호
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• pp.120-127
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• 2015

Background: Musculoskeletal pain (MSP) is a common and disabling problem among carpet weavers and is linked to physical and psychosocial factors of work. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of MSP, its psychosocial risk factors, and association of pain in each pair of anatomical sites among carpet weavers. Methods: A cross-sectional study was performed among 546 hand-woven carpet weavers in rural small-scale workshops of Iran. Data were collected by using parts of a standardized CUPID (Cultural and Psychosocial Influences on Disability) questionnaire focused on MSP in 10 body sites, including the low-back, neck, both right and left shoulders, elbows, wrists/hands, individual, physical and psychosocial risk factors. Statistical analysis was performed applying logistic regression models. Results: Prevalence of MSP in at least one body sitewas 51.7% over the past month. The most common sites were low back and right shoulder pain 27.4% and 20.1%, respectively. A significant difference was found between the mean number of painful anatomical sites and the level of education, age, physical loading at work, time pressure, lack of support, and job dissatisfaction. In pairwise comparisons, strongest association was found between pain in each bilateral anatomical site (odds ratio = 11.6-35.3; p < 0.001). Conclusion: In home-based workshops of carpet weaving, psychosocial factors and physical loading were associated with MSP. This finding is consistent with studies conducted among other jobs. Considering the preventive programs, the same amount of attention should be paid to psychosocial risk factors and physical loading. Also, further longitudinal studies are needed to investigate the relationship of psychological factors.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• 제13권4호
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• pp.387-393
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• 2022

Background: Problem drinking is a perennial concern in the US fire service. A large literature has documented the importance of addressing alcohol norms in intervention research. The purpose of this study was to explore alcohol norms in a national cohort of firefighters (FFs) to inform intervention development in this occupational group. Methods: Data were from a national online survey of career and volunteer FFs (N = 674). Participants were recruited through national fire service listservs and a database of FFs who had agreed to be contacted for research. Results: When asked about "acceptable" levels of alcohol consumption, FFs on average suggested levels which exceeded public health guidelines. Further, approximately half of career and volunteer FFs believed that, at least under some circumstances, drinking until intoxicated was normative. When asked how long should elapse between a FFs last drink and reporting for duty, the average suggested lag was 11.2 hours (sd = 4.6). However, among male volunteer FFs who reported heavy drinking, the average was 6.68 hours (sd = 4.77). Conclusions: Given the high prevalence of heavy and binge drinking in the fire service, it is not surprising that the alcohol norms found in this study were consistent with a culture of drinking. Participants' reports of alcohol use among their peers were consistent with the actual prevalence of problem drinking. Thus, education and prevention efforts in this occupation should focus on changing norms about alcohol use, including linking heavy drinking to other health and safety issues they face.

• 한국산업보건학회지
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• 제32권2호
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• pp.129-136
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• 2022

Objectives: Given the real problems at industrial sites related to the Serious Accident Punishment Act (SAPA), it has become controversial as a particularly important issue in terms of occupational safety and health. I intend to examine in detail what are the problems and how to approach them. Methods: The contents of SAPA were reviewed focusing on whether its provisions conform to the principles of occupational safety and health, whether they fit the related legal theory, and whether they are effective for accident prevention. The purpose of this study is to examine whether there is a problem with SAPA from the perspective of the effectiveness of accident prevention by combining occupational safety & health management theory, and legal theory. Results: In order to ensure the effectiveness of SAPA, it should be revised to increase the predictability and implementation of safety and health measure standards. Otherwise, it is expected that there will be not only economic and social costs in the short term, but also side effects that disrupt the safety law system, resulting in a considerable number of post-mortem conditions in the mid- to long term. Conclusions: It is easy to see in comparative law that raising the legal punishment alone does not have the effect of preventing industrial accidents. SAPA should be revised as soon as possible in the direction of faithfully and elaborately reorganizing the standards for safety and health measures.

• 대한안전경영과학회지
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• 제17권3호
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• pp.9-14
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• 2015

The study is conducted in order to establish validity of industrial safety field's neo-qualification composition by suggesting reengineering procedure of NCS based industrial safety field's qualifying occupational plan. Industrial safety fields are first classified into great classification which are environment energy safety, and then into sub-classification which are industrial safety management, industrial health management, and nondestructive test. NCS based neo-qualification plan is deveopled into progress as following steps; First, planning NCS neo-qualification system. Second, presenting work education combined program certification standard. Third, developing NCS based neo-qualification assessment standard. Fourth, developing work education qualification prototype problem. The process of qualification plan was composed with Worksheet 14 and with 4phase being completing summary of each section, certification and development of assessment standard, and development of prototype problem. As a result, Industrial safety manager was redesigned into Industrial sfety manager and Construction Safety Manager, and Occupational Health Care Manager was redesigned into Occupational Health Care Manager and Industrial Health Manager. This study, in conclusion, suggests development of qualifying occupation that could be applied to the integrated management system and development of future industrial safety field's specialized neo-qualifying occupation.

• 한국안전학회지
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• 제30권3호
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• pp.20-25
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• 2015

It is predicted the mass retirement of the post-war generation and the lack of young people according to reduces the recruitment. Therefore, industry fields are concerned by the low level of occupational safety and health from issued problem in a variety of industries; the charge of expanding business range/multi-functional, black box of technology, difficulty of systematic training, relative decrease in the skill of workers, loss of know-how in the field of information followed restricted site information. In response to these problems, it is necessary to establish the long-termly and actively based on for the adoption of a safety and health management techniques utilizing IT, which is digital assistant(tablet PC, PDA, etc.), RFID/USN/ICT, database systems, and etc. In this study, we developed and evaluated a worker's safety sensing apparatus using smart phone. The apparatus may be useful to prevent accidents in the construction industry as well as confined space work.

• 대한안전경영과학회지
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• 제7권1호
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• pp.25-44
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• 2005

Safety management cost, $US\$$ one thousand billion has been input to the construction area from 1995 to 2000 but the management quality is still in the developing country level. The above mentioned increase of accident rate are attributed to the generous code regulation, net fit to the sense, varying with time change, but the more fundamental reason of this is no practical construction safety management system, up to now. Hardware-orienting operation for the system could be a main reason of this problem. In this paper, we developed a model for efficient construction safety system. It was found from the case study that the A Study on Introduction Application of Occupational Health & Safety Management System for Construction Industry.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• 제7권4호
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• pp.322-325
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• 2016

Background: Musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) are a common problem among carpet weavers. This study was undertaken to introduce affecting personal and occupational factors in developing the number of MSDs among carpet weavers. Methods: A cross-sectional study was performed among 862 weavers in seven towns with regard to workhouse location in urban or rural regions. Data were collected by using questionnaires that contain personal, workplace, and information tools and the modified Nordic MSDs questionnaire. Statistical analysis was performed by applying Poisson and negative binomial mixed models using a full Bayesian hierarchical approach. The deviance information criterion was used for comparison between models and model selection. Results: The majority of weavers (72%) were female and carpet weaving was the main job of 85.2% of workers. The negative binomial mixed model with lowest deviance information criterion was selected as the best model. The criteria showed the convergence of chains. Based on 95% Bayesian credible interval, the main job and weaving type variables statistically affected the number of MSDs, but variables age, sex, weaving comb, work experience, and carpet weaving looms were not significant. Conclusion: According to the results of this study, it can be concluded that occupational factors are associated with the number of MSDs developing among carpet weavers. Thus, using standard tools and decreasing hours of work per day can reduce frequency of MSDs among carpet weavers.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• 제6권2호
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• pp.139-142
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• 2015

Background: Healthcare workers' practices regarding hepatitis B have an important effect on the control of this problem in workplaces. Methods: A questionnaire-based cross-sectional study was used to investigate the role of knowledge, cues to action, and risk perceptions as predictors of preventive behavioral intentions for hepatitis B among healthcare works in Broujen, Iran (n = 150). History of hepatitis B vaccination, hepatitis B surface antigen test, and demographic characteristics were investigated. The psychometric properties of the questionnaire were established. Results: Those who had a history of hepatitis B surface antigen test had a statistically significant higher level of risk perceptions ($30.89{\pm}4.08$ vs. $28.41{\pm}3.93$, p < 0.01) and preventive behavioral intentions ($5.05{\pm}1.43$ vs. $4.45{\pm}1.29$, p < 0.01). The mean score of cues to action was significantly correlated with age and work history (r = 0.20, p = 0.02 and r = 0.19, p = 0.02). Preventive behavioral intentions were significantly correlated with cues to action and risk perceptions but not with knowledge level. Cognitional factors were responsible for a 17% change in observed variance of preventive behavioral intentions, which was statistically significant. Conclusion: Risk perceptions were the most important determinant of preventive behavioral intentions for hepatitis B among health personnel; thus, emphasizing risk perceptions is recommended in educational programs aimed at increasing health personnel's practices regarding hepatitis B.