• Journal of the Korean Society for Precision Engineering
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• v.33 no.5
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• pp.371-376
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• 2016

Safety related workers, such as firefighters, have to wear a protective helmet. The Development of Helmets for safety is in progress to promote the wearable device industry. Several accidents caused by negligence in recent days have raised public attention to safety. For this reason, the amount of national budget funding for the study of fire-fighting and smart safety helmets has increased. However, most previous studies have focused on safety, rather than the application of new technologies based on physical attributes, especially the characteristics of head shape and size, even though fire helmets play the critical role of protection from flames and external shocks etc. in an emergency. This paper will present the smart technologies and newly developed designs for safety helmets that are personalized for each firefighter, based on the characteristics of their head, and will help a rescue operation to be much more safe and efficient.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing
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• v.51 no.5
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• pp.549-560
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• 2021

Purpose: This study evaluated the validity and reliability of the Korean version of the Face Mask Use Scale (K-FMUS) among community-dwelling adults. Methods: The participants of the study were community-dwelling adults in Korea using face masks during the COVID-19 pandemic. The English FMUS was translated into Korean using forward and backward translation procedures. The construct validity and reliability of the K-FMUS were evaluated using the exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses and the internal consistency reliability test. Results: The K-FMUS comprised 6 items divided into 2 factors. The variance of the factors was approximately 79.1%, which suggested that the scale indicated the effectiveness of face mask usage. The two factors were labeled as face mask use in society (4 items) and face mask use at home (2 items). Cronbach's α value for the overall scale was .88. Conclusion: The K-FMUS is a valid and reliable scale that can be used to measure face mask usage among community-dwelling adults in Korea during the COVID-19 pandemic.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.10 no.2
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• pp.245-247
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• 2019

Occupational risks are often underestimated in midwifery. It is not commonly known that occupational risks were originally described by the Italian physician Bernardino Ramazzini (1633-1714) at the beginning of the 18th century. Our aim was to describe occupational risks in midwifery from Ramazzini to modern times. The original text by Bernardino Ramazzini was analyzed. A review of modern scientific articles on occupational risks in midwifery was conducted. Ramazzini identified two major occupational risks in midwifery: infections and awkward postures. Modern literature seems to agree with his considerations, focusing on infection, use of universal protection and personal protective equipment, and musculoskeletal problems. Modern studies also evidenced posttraumatic stress disorder that was probably postulated by Ramazzini himself. The poor number of articles in literature on midwives' occupational risks shows a lack of interest toward this issue. Prevention should therefore be emphasized in this field, so high-quality studies on occupational risks in midwifery are needed.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Manufacturing Process Engineers
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• v.18 no.3
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• pp.41-48
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• 2019

The industrial safety helmets are personal protective equipment (PPE), used to protect the head against falls from a height. This study indicated the necessity of wearing a safety helmet while working at heights below 4 m, through analysis of fall accidents occurring in the industrial field. The stress, displacement, and strain of the safety helmet shell structure have been analyzed using the finite element method with various thicknesses, engineering plastics, and designs. It was preferred that the safety helmet shell structure had a reinforcement frame of uniform thickness in terms of increased impact strength and strain energy absorption rate. The thickness can be reduced to lighten the total weight for workers wearing safety helmets.

• Journal of Radiation Protection and Research
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• v.46 no.3
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• pp.120-126
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• 2021

Background: This paper aims to evaluate the clinical utility and radiation dosimetry, for the mobile X-ray imaging of patients with known or suspected infectious diseases, through the window of an isolation room. The suitability of this technique for imaging coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients is of particular focus here, although it is expected to have equal relevance to many infectious respiratory disease outbreaks. Materials and Methods: Two exposure levels were examined, a "typical" mobile exposure of 100 kVp/1.6 mAs and a "high" exposure of 120 kVp/5 mAs. Exposures of an anthropomorphic phantom were made, with and without a glass window present in the beam. The resultant phantom images were provided to experienced radiographers for image quality evaluation, using a Likert scale to rate the anatomical structure visibility. Results and Discussion: The incident air kerma doubled using the high exposure technique, from 29.47 µGy to 67.82 µGy and scattered radiation inside and outside the room increased. Despite an increase in beam energy, high exposure technique images received higher image quality scores than images acquired using lower exposure settings. Conclusion: Increased scattered radiation was very low and can be further mitigated by ensuring surrounding staff are appropriately distanced from both the patient and X-ray tube. Although an increase in incident air kerma was observed, practical advantages in infection control and personal protective equipment conservation were identified. Sites are encouraged to consider the use of this technique where appropriate, following the completion of standard justification practices.

• Journal of Korean society of Dental Hygiene
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• v.20 no.6
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• pp.875-888
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• 2020

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to investigate the infection control system and actual conditions according to the type of dental medical institution. Methods: From April 1st to May 10th, 2020, dental institutions were recruited through stratified random sampling. Each item constituting the infection control system by dental institution type was analyzed using the chi-square test and fisher's exact test. Results: The infection control system and operation level of each dental institution type was 89.0 points for university-general hospitals, 75.6 points for dental hospitals, and 34.4 points for dental clinics. The environment management levels were 76.1, 72.5, 73.0, and 74.0 points for university-general hospitals, similar to 77.2, 75.1, 71.0, and 73.8 points for dental hospitals, while dental clinics had 61.1, 40.0, 37.0, and 45.6 points. Prevention and management of staff infection exposure, wearing personal protective equipment, and hand hygiene levels were 90.7, 75.5, 88.5 points for university-general hospitals, 79.8, 79.5, 80.4 points for dental hospitals, and 50.2, 88.0, 61.5 points for dental clinics, respectively. Conclusions: Efforts are required to bring about improvement in the areas of insufficient infection control in order to raise the overall infection control levels, especially the management of dental clinics is urgently needed.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.13 no.3
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• pp.315-325
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• 2022

Background: Firefighters are required to carry self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA), which increases the risk of musculoskeletal disorders. This study assessed the newly recruited firefighters' internal forces and potential musculoskeletal disorders when carrying SCBA. The effects of SCBA strap lengths were also evaluated. Methods: Kinematic parameters of twelve male subjects running in a control condition with no SCBA equipped and three varying-strapped SCBAs were measured using 3D inertial motion capture. Subsequently, motion data and predicted ground reaction force were inputted for subject-specific musculoskeletal modeling to estimate joint and muscle forces. Results: The knee was exposed to the highest internal force when carrying SCBA, followed by the rectus femoris and hip, while the shoulder had the lowest force compared to the no-SCBA condition. Our model also revealed that adjusting SCBA straps length was an efficient strategy to influence the force that occurred at the lumbar spine, hip, and knee regions. Grey relation analysis indicated that the deviation of the center of mass, step length, and knee flexion-extension angle could be used as the predictor of musculoskeletal disorders. Conclusion: The finding suggested that the training of the newly recruits focuses on the coordinated movement of muscle and joints in the lower limb. The strap lengths around 98-105 cm were also recommended. The findings are expected to provide injury interventions to enhance the occupational health and safety of the newly recruited firefighters.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.12 no.4
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• pp.424-431
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• 2021

Background: This study aims to introduce the formulation of the regulation for the selection of respirators for accident preparedness chemicals (APCs) according to chemical workplace situations and to determine on-site applicability. Methods: Workplaces were grouped into seven work categories, and APCs were classified into six groups to select adequate respirators. A survey was conducted to enhance the understanding of work situations and adequate respirators. The total number of subjects surveyed in 2018 was 201 managers and handlers, and that in 2019 was 91 handlers and 204 managers. Results: Adequate respirators were allocated to each cell using the matrix method. The study observed an overall lack of understanding of work situations, especially in the operation of open devices, which was the highest at 32.7%. Despite its implementation in 2015, 17.6% and 25.0% of the managers and APCs handlers, respectively, were unaware of the regulations for selecting respirators. Only 70.4% of the APCs handler wore respirators in compliance with regulations. Conclusion: The method for selecting respirators according to work situations using the matrix method is considered reasonable. Thus, this study suggests that the development of educational contents and reinforcing education should be essential steps to increasing awareness of regulations.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Safety
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• v.38 no.3
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• pp.85-92
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• 2023

A safety helmet is considered the last gear to protect workers from harmful and dangerous events occurring on industrial sites. Recently, interest in the importance of personal protective equipment design reflecting individual characteristics has been emphasized to improve usability and convenience. However, it has been found that if it is inconvenient to wear or has poor work efficiency, it will not be used well or will be used incorrectly. In this study, an investigation was performed with 35 questions, direct observation, and intensive interviews of construction workers to determine the inconvenience and problems of wearing safety helmets. Moreover, managers of 9 construction sites in 6 cities were asked about the performance and design of safety helmets. As a positive answer, it was found that the brim (awning) of the safety helmet was shortened to give the safety glasses a light-shielding function. In addition, an upward adjustment all-in-one type safety helmet was requested. On the other hand, it was revealed that negative answers felt uncomfortable due to the brim (awning) on the front of the helmet. Based on the survey results, a new helmet model suitable for construction site activities was presented, and wearability improvement determinants were discovered through performance and design improvement.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.14 no.1
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• pp.1-9
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• 2023

Background: Firefighting involves exposure of firefighters to risks related to this activity, serious injuries, and occupational diseases are recorded. There are other consequences such as thermal and emotional stress. This systematic review is proposed in order to analyze the risks and consequences faced by these workers and thus provide elements to improve safety management systems in institutions. Method: A descriptive observational study of systematic literature review on the risks and consequences of exposure to firefighters' activity was proposed, and the information was analyzed and described based on the available data and according to the variables determined. Results: The studies showed data on mechanical, physical, chemical, psychosocial risks, workers' perception and resilience, and epidemiological data. Information related to firefighters' activity on falls and slips, exposure to noise, and high concentrations of carbon monoxide is detailed. In addition, the relationship between burnout, cognitive, and physical fatigue as adverse effects on health and performance is mentioned. Conclusions: Among the preventive measures, the use of personal protective equipment is suggested, incorporation in prevention programs of information on exposure to risk factors, as well as the implementation of models that can predict the perception of workers, additionally, the generation of management systems with safety climate models for fire departments.