• Title/Summary/Keyword: occupational values

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Development of the KOSHA Proficiency Testing Scheme on Asbestos Analysis in Korea

  • Kwon, Jiwoon;Jang, Konghwa;Hwang, Eunsong;Kim, Ki-Woong
    • Safety and Health at Work
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    • v.8 no.3
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    • pp.318-321
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    • 2017
  • This commentary presents the regulatory backgrounds and development of the national proficiency testing (PT) scheme on asbestos analysis in the Republic of Korea. Since 2009, under the amended Occupational Safety and Health Act, the survey of asbestos in buildings and clearance test of asbestos removal works have been mandated to be carried out by the laboratories designated by the Ministry of Employment and Labor (MOEL) in the Republic of Korea. To assess the performance of asbestos laboratories, a PT scheme on asbestos analysis was launched by the Korea Occupational Safety and Health Agency (KOSHA) on behalf of the MOEL in 2007. Participating laboratories are evaluated once a year for fiber counting and bulk asbestos analysis by phase contrast microscopy and polarized light microscopy, respectively. Currently, the number of laboratory enrollments is > 200, and the percentage of passed laboratories is > 90. The current status and several significant changes in operation, sample preparations, and statistics of assigning the reference values of the KOSHA PT scheme on asbestos analysis are presented. Critical retrospect based on the experiences of operating the KOSHA PT scheme suggests considerations for developing a new national PT scheme for asbestos analysis.

The Effects of Teaching Professional Ethics on the Occupational Value and Educational Belief of Preservice Childcare Teachers (예비보육교사들의 교직윤리의식이 직업가치와 교육적신념에 미치는 영향)

  • Kim, Young-Tae
    • Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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    • v.20 no.2
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    • pp.107-114
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    • 2019
  • The objective of this study was to understand factors of occupational ethics affecting occupational value and educational belief of preservice childcare teachers. In order to achieve this objective, a questionnaire survey was conducted targeting a total of 270 preservice childcare teachers in A city. Study results found that preservice childcare teachers highly perceived the ethics in young children and family out of the occupational ethics, the intrinsic value out of the occupational value, and the maturism and interactionism out of the educational belief. Second, the occupational ethics, occupational value, and educational belief of preservice childcare teachers showed statistically significant correlations. Third, the occupational ethics of preservice childcare teachers had positive effects on the occupational value and educational beliefs. Based on these results, it is necessary to conduct diverse research studies for the formation of clear and appropriate occupational values and positive educational beliefs, so that childcare providers could perceive the importance of occupational ethics and provide high-quality childcare services.

Antimutagenic Effects of Ginsenoside Rb$_1$, Rg$_1$ in the CHO-K1 Cells by Benzo[a]pyrene with Chromosomal Aberration Test and Comet Assay

  • Kim, Jong-Kyu;Kim, Soo-Jin;Rim, Kyung-Taek;Cho, Hae-Won;Kim, Hyeon-Yeong;Yang, Jeong-Sun
    • Molecular & Cellular Toxicology
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    • v.5 no.2
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    • pp.126-132
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    • 2009
  • The usage and types of chemicals are advancing, specializing, large-scaled increasing, and new chemical exposed workers are concerning to occupational disease. The generation of reactive oxygen in the body from carcinogen, mutation and DNA damage in cancer is protected by natural antioxidants (phytochemicals) with antimutagenic effect. There were many reports of ginsenoside Rb$_1$, Rg$_1$ grievances of the genetic mutation to suppress the effect confirm the genetic toxicity test with chromosomal aberration test and the Comet (SCGE) assay confirmed the suppression effect occurring chromosomal DNA damage. We had wanted to evaluate the compatibility and sensitivity between the chromosomal aberration (CA) test and the Comet assay. We used the CA test and Comet assay to evaluate the anti-genotoxicity of ginsenoside Rb$_1$ and Rg$_1$, in CHO-K1 (Chinese hamster ovary fibroblast) cell in vitro, composed negative control (solvent), positive control (benzo[a]pyrene), test group (carcinogen+variety concentration of ginsenoside) group. The positive control was benzo[a]pyrene (50 $\mu$M), well-known carcinogen, and the negative control was the 1 % DMSO solvent. The test group was a variety concentration of ginsenoside Rb$_1$, Rg$_1$ with 10$^{-8}$%, 10$^{-6}$%, 10$^{-4}$%, 10$^{-2}$%, 1%, 10%. In chromo-somal aberration test, we measured the number of cells with abnormally structured chromosome. In Comet assay, the Olive tail moment (OTM) and Tail length (TL) values were measured. The ratio of cell proliferation was increased 8.3% in 10$^{-8}$%, 10$^{-6}$%, 10$^{-4}$%, 10$^{-2}$%, 1%, 10% Rb$_1$ treated groups, and increased 10.4% in 10$^{-10}$%, 10$^{-8}$%, 10$^{-6}$%, 10$^{-4}$%, 10$^{-2}$%, 1% Rg$_1$ treated groups. In the CA test, the number of chromosomal aberration was decreased all the Rb$_1$ and Rg$_1$ treated groups. In the Comet assay, the OTM values were decreased in all the Rb$_1$ and Rg$_1$ treated groups. To evaluate the compatibility between CA and Comet assay, we compared the reducing ratio of chromosomal abnormalities with its OTM values, it was identified the antimutagenicity of ginsenoside, but it was more sensitive the CA test than the Comet assay. Ginsenoside Rb$_1$ and Rg$_1$ significantly decrease the number of cells with chromosomal aberration, and decrease the extent of DNA migration. Therefore, ginsenoside Rb$_1$, Rg$_1$ are thought as an antioxidant phytochemicals to protect mutagenicity. The in vitro Comet assay seems to be less sensitive than the in vitro chromosomal aberration test.

Optimal Monitoring Intervals and MDA Requirements for Routine Individual Monitoring of Occupational Intakes Based on the ICRP OIR

  • Ha, Wi-Ho;Kwon, Tae-Eun;Jin, Young Woo
    • Journal of Radiation Protection and Research
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    • v.45 no.2
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    • pp.88-94
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    • 2020
  • Background: The International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP) has recently published report series on the occupational intakes of radionuclides (OIR) for internal dosimetry of radiation workers. In this study, the optimized monitoring program including the monitoring interval and the minimum detectable activity (MDA) of major radionuclides was suggested to perform the routine individual monitoring of internal exposure based on the ICRP OIR. Materials and Methods: The derived recording levels and the critical monitoring quantities were reviewed from international standards or guidelines by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), and the European Radiation Dosimetry Group (EURADOS). The OIR data viewer provided by ICRP was used to evaluate the monitoring intervals and the MDA, which are derived from the reference bioassay functions and the dose coefficients. Results and Discussion: The optimal monitoring intervals were determined taking account of two requirement conditions on the potential intake underestimation and the MDA values. The MDA requirement values of the selected radionuclides were calculated based on the committed effective dose from 0.1 mSv to 5 mSv. The optimized routine individual monitoring program was suggested including the optimal monitoring intervals and the MDA requirements. The optimal MDA values were evaluated based on the committed effective dose of 0.1 mSv. However, the MDA can be adjusted considering the practical operation of the routine individual monitoring program in the nuclear facilities. Conclusion: The monitoring intervals and the MDA as crucial factors for the routine monitoring were described to suggest the optimized routine individual monitoring program of the occupational intakes. Further study on the alpha/beta-emitting radionuclides as well as short lived gamma-emitting nuclides will be necessary in the future.

Study on the Validity of Selection of Hazardous Substances Requiring Management on Industrial Safety and Health Act (산업안전보건법에 의한 관리대상 유해물질 선정의 타당성 연구)

  • Lee, Kwon Seob;Jo, Jihoon;Choi, Jin Hee;Shin, Hyun Hwa;Yang, Jeong Sun
    • Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
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    • v.19 no.2
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    • pp.139-152
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    • 2009
  • According to the third study on the distribution of chemical substances carried out by the Department of Environment in 2006, there were a total of 900 chemical substances whose respective annual usage amount exceeded 1,000 tons and, among them, 90 substances belonged to the 168 hazardous substances requiring management(53.6%). The work-related illnesses caused by hazardous substances requiring management in Korea between $1992{\sim}2005$ can be classified into four groups depending on the type of the chemical substances. These four groups are 23 organic substances including benzene, 12 metals including lead, 3 acids and bases including hydrogen chloride, and 6 gaseous substances including carbon monoxide. These hazardous substances requiring management were again classified depending on the threshold limit values. The chemicals whose TLV was lower than or equal to 0.005 ppm included 4 organic substances including methylene bisphenyl isocyanate and toluene-2,4-diisocyanate (TDI). The chemicals whose TLV was larger than 51 ppm included 22 organic substances including diethyl ether and 1,2-dichloroethylene. When we classified these hazardous substances requiring management according to the categories of GHS health hazards, we found that isobutyl acetate and magnesium oxide didn't belong to the 13 health hazard categories. Among the substances whose TLV is set and whose annual usage amount is more than 0.1 million ton, we recommended 12 chemical species including 4,4'-Methylenedianiline as new hazardous substances requiring management. All the recommended substances were found to be hazardous when we classified their health hazards.

Estimation of Lead Exposure Intensity by Industry Using Nationwide Exposure Databases in Korea

  • Koh, Dong-Hee;Park, Ju-Hyun;Lee, Sang-Gil;Kim, Hwan-Cheol;Jung, Hyejung;Kim, Inah;Choi, Sangjun;Park, Donguk
    • Safety and Health at Work
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    • v.12 no.4
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    • pp.439-444
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    • 2021
  • Background: In a previous study, we estimated exposure prevalence and the number of workers exposed to carcinogens by industry in Korea. The present study aimed to evaluate the optimal exposure intensity indicators of airborne lead exposure by comparing to blood lead measurements for the future development of the carcinogen exposure intensity database. Methods: Data concerning airborne lead measurements and blood lead levels were collected from nationwide occupational exposure databases, compiled between 2015 and 2016. Summary statistics, including the arithmetic mean (AM), geometric mean (GM), and 95th percentile level (X95) were calculated by industry both for airborne lead and blood lead measurements. Since many measurements were below the limits of detection (LODs), the simple replacement with half of the LOD and maximum likelihood estimation (MLE) methods were used for statistical analysis. For examining the optimal exposure indicator of airborne lead exposure, blood lead levels were used as reference data for subsequent rank correlation analyses. Results: A total of 19,637 airborne lead measurements and 32,848 blood lead measurements were used. In general, simple replacement showed a higher correlation than MLE. The results showed that AM and X95 using simple replacement could be used as optimal exposure intensity indicators, while X95 showed better correlations than AM in industries with 20 or more measurements. Conclusion: Our results showed that AM or X95 could be potential candidates for exposure intensity indicators in the Korean carcinogen exposure database. Especially, X95 is an optimal indicator where there are enough measurements to compute X95 values.

A Study on Prediction and Evaluation of Noise and Vibration Using GIS (GIS를 이용한 소음진동의 예측 및 평가에 관한 연구)

  • Kim Tae-gu;Yoon Hee Kyung;Lee Sang Hyun;Park Min Soo
    • Journal of the Korean Society of Safety
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    • v.20 no.1 s.69
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    • pp.13-17
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    • 2005
  • This paper presents an information system of noise and vibration caused by people as a major source of the environmental problem in residential areas with which people are dissatisfied. Therefore, it is important to monitor the influence of noise and vibration in residential areas. Generally, Geographical Information Systems (GIS) play an important role in noise and vibration mapping. The purpose of this paper is to investigate noise and vibration effects in an urban area and develop a new information network in GIS. Noise and vibration measurements were carried out at a road randomly chosen near INJE University. The obtained values are graphically represented with GIS. Therefore, it is possible to predict noise and vibration in GIS when establishing effective urban plans.

Exposure Assessment Study on Lithium-Ion Battery Fire in Explosion Test Room in Battery Testing Facility

  • Mi Sung Jo;Hoi Pin Kim;Boo Wook Kim;Richard C. Pleus;Elaine M. Faustman;Il Je Yu
    • Safety and Health at Work
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    • v.15 no.1
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    • pp.114-117
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    • 2024
  • A lithium-ion battery is a rechargeable battery that uses the reversible reduction of lithium ions to store energy and is the predominant battery type in many industrial and consumer electronics. The lithium-ion batteries are essential to ensure they operate safely. We conducted an exposure assessment five days after a fire in a battery-testing facility. We assessed some of the potentially hazardous materials after a lithium-ion battery fire.We sampled total suspended particles, hydrogen fluoride, and lithium with real-time monitoring of particulate matter (PM) 1, 2.5, and 10 micrometers (㎛). The area sampling results indicated that primary potential hazardous materials such as dust, hydrogen fluoride, and lithium were below the recommended limits suggested by the Korean Ministry of Labor and the American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists Threshold Limit Values. Based on our assessment, workers were allowed to return to work.

A Study on Female Dental Technician's Job Consciousness (여성치과기공사의 직업의식에 관한 연구)

  • Lee, Hee-Kyung;Kim, Jeong-Sook;Jung, Hyo-Kyung
    • Journal of Technologic Dentistry
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    • v.32 no.3
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    • pp.255-264
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    • 2010
  • Purpose: This study was conducted to corroborate factors affecting dental technicians recognition states of their job consciousness. Methods: Self-administering questionnaires were distributed directly to some 200 registered female dental technicians in metropolis, small & medium-sized cities, farming and fishing villages of whom 153(76.5%) female dental technicians and female students responded in December, 2009. Information on recognition states of female dental technicians and female students in department of dental technology possible occupational mind and other general characteristics was gathered. Analysis of data was processed by use of X2-test and multiple regression analysis. Results: The recognition states of occupational satisfaction were higher in female students than female dental technicians(p<.05). They were observed that between respondents with more than five years of work and less than five years of career(p<.05). Statistically significant differences were observed in recognition values of female dental technicians occupational satisfaction between high and low groups of internal characteristic of their position and all ceramic part(p<.05). Conclusion: For woman dental technicians, the most predictive variables for recognition values of occupational satisfaction were an age, between groups, which of part and career(p<.05). Finally, this result suggests the facts that in order to achieve self-realization through the work experience, women herself should get rid of the dichotomous diagram and should change the consciousness of traditional role normals.

Comparison of the Impact of an Optimized Ice Cooling Vest and a Paraffin Cooling Vest on Physiological and Perceptual Strain

  • zare, Mansoor;dehghan, Habibollah;yazdanirad, Saeid;khoshakhlagh, Amir hossein
    • Safety and Health at Work
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    • v.10 no.2
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    • pp.219-223
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    • 2019
  • Background: Ice cooling vests can cause tissue damage and have no flexibility. Therefore, these two undesirable properties of ice cooling vest were optimized, and the present study was aimed to compare the impact of the optimized ice cooling vest and a commercial paraffin cooling vest on physiological and perceptual strain under controlled conditions. Methods: For optimizing, hydrogel was used to increase the flexibility and a layer of the ethylene vinyl acetate foam was placed into the inside layer of packs to prevent tissue damage. Then, 15 men with an optimized ice cooling vest, with a commercial paraffin cooling vest, and without a cooling vest performed tests including exercise on a treadmill (speed of 2.8 km/hr and slope of %0) under hot ($40^{\circ}C$) and dry (40 %) condition for 60 min. The physiological strain index and skin temperature were measured every 5 and 15 minutes, respectively. The heat strain score index and perceptual strain index were also assessed every 15 minutes. Results: The mean values of the physiological and perceptual indices differed significantly between exercise with and without cooling vests (P < 0.05). However, the difference of the mean values of the indices except the value of the skin temperature during the exercises with the commercial paraffin cooling vest and the optimized ice cooling vest was not significant (P > 0.05). Conclusions: The optimized ice cooling vest was as effective as the commercial paraffin cooling vest to control the thermal strain. However, ice has a greater latent heat and less production cost.