• The Korean Journal of Emergency Medical Services
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• v.25 no.1
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• pp.23-36
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• 2021

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to determine how the use of level D personal protective equipment (PPE) and cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) feedback equipment affects chest compression (CC). Furthermore, this study provides basic data for developing Korean CPR guidelines that can be applied to patients with suspected or confirmed COVID-19. Methods: This randomized, single-blinded, crossover simulation trial included 26 student paramedics who performed 2-minute chest compressions using three different methods: Method A involved performing traditional CC for two minutes without donning level D PPE, Method B involved performing CC while donning level D PPE, and Method C involved performing CC with a CPR feedback device while donning level D PPE. Results: The use of a CPR feedback device during the 2-minute CC increased the exercise intensity of the subjects, but donning level D PPE didn't affect the quality of CC and the exercise intensity. The results of methods A and B showed changes in the quality of compression 80 seconds after the start of CC. No significant changes occurred in 2-minute CC when using the CPR feedback device. Conclusion: Using a CPR feedback device could prevent deterioration in the quality of CC while donning level D PPE.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.43 no.1
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• pp.42-54
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• 2017

Objectives: The present study was conducted to investigate farm work environments among farmers and examine the level of management of safety and health, and to subsequently produce study result to serve as foundational data for the development of guidelines on safety and health as part of the improvement of farming work environments among farmers raising Korean native cattle. Methods: The present study conducted a survey on farm work environments and the management of safety and health with 407 farmers engaged in Korean native cattle farming in selected regions in eight provinces. It also visited 10 farmers to verify the current status of farm work. Results: The survey results showed that 16.4% of the respondents experienced safety-related accidents due to farm work. The locations of the accidents were inside the cattle shed (71.4%) and facilities outside the cattle shed (19.6%). The types of accident showed collision with animals (35.7%), collision or contact with obstacles (27.1%), and musculoskeletal accidents due to heavy object handling (12.9%). The causes of the accidents were cattle (38.3%), cultivators and tractors (25.4%), facility tools in cattle sheds (9.0%), and slippery floors (6.0%). The damaged areas were hand (21.0%), spine (19.8%), lower limb (18.5%), and foot (17.3%). A self-diagnostic survey on respiratory diseases showed that 11.5% of the respondents experienced respiratory-related symptoms. The survey on safety and health during farm work showed that wearing personal protective equipment and response to emergency situations, which were needed to prevent safety-related accidents, were relatively low compared to the level of recognition of the need and awareness of safety issues. Furthermore, the field survey identified the current status of safety and health issues such as prevention management of collision accidents with cattle, how to handle heavy objects, and wearing of personal protective equipment. Conclusions: The present study identified safety-related accidents and problems in the management of safety and health among Korean native cattle farmers. In order to address the problem, it is necessary to not only provide guidelines on safety and health management which are appropriate to the characteristics of Korean native cattle farming work, but also to study the development of personal protective equipment.

• Journal of Technologic Dentistry
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• v.22 no.1
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• pp.89-112
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• 2000

Although dental laboratory technicians are prone to be exposed to various work-related health hazardous materials such as dusts, chemicals, etc., the prevalence and nature of work-related health problems of them have not been a matter of great concern in the field of occupational health service in Korea. The purpose of the present investigation was to describe a collected profile of subjective health symptoms and their attributable factors in Korean dental laboratory technicians. A questionnaire listing five groups of health symptoms and five health symptom-related factors was mailed to randomly selected 1,900 dental laboratory technicians. Among them, 1,344 dental laboratory technicians filled out the questionnaires and returnde them. Five groups of health symptoms included musculoskeletal symptom, dermal symptoms, respiratory symptoms, eys symptoms, and ear symptoms. Five health symptom-related factors were occupational environment-related health risk factors, work history, health related habits and status, use of personal protective equipment and general characteristics. Detailed parameters of health risk factors were work posture, vibration, and chemical or physical hazards such as dust, fume, vapor, solvent, light, and noise for occupational environment-related factors; work place, area, number of employees, work hours, career, work part, and work load for work history; Broca's index, hours of sleep, eating, smoking, alcohol, exercise, health examination, and self assessed health status for health habits and status; face masks, goggles, and so on for use of personal protective equipment, and; age, sex, marital status, and education for general characteristics. Before the start of main survey, a pilot survey was carried out for validity and reliability tests of the questionnaire. All the data obtained were coded and analyzed with PC/SAS 6.12 program. The prevalence of health symptoms was the highest in musculoskelton (87.3%), and followde by eyes (78.9%), respiratory organs (64.3%), ears (57.8%), and skin (52.2%) in descending order. Statistically significant risk factors by multiple logistic regression analyses were sex, health examination, self assessed health status, and hand/finger posture in musculoskeletal symptoms; sex, self assessed health status, career, acid gas, and hand contact with resin mixture in deraml symptoms; Broka's smoking, exercise, self assessed health status, and face mask in respiratory symptoms; sex, hours of sleep, self assessed health status, work hours, work load, plaster dust, inadequate lighting, and goggle in eys symptoms, and eating, smoking, self assessed health status, and work load in ear symptoms. With the above considerations in mind, prevalence of subjective symptoms among Korean dental laboratory technicians was relatively high, and they were attributable to most of the occupational environment-related factors, work history, use of personal protective equipment, health habits and status, and general characteristics. Particularly, it is suggested that health promotion programs for promoting self- assessed health status and smoking cessation, preventive measures for protection of the female technicians’health, and reducing work load be necessary, since those factors were associated with more than one subjective symptom.

• Fire Science and Engineering
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• v.30 no.1
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• pp.138-148
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• 2016

A firefighting simulation was developed in order to assess the physical work capacity of firefighters. The simulation consisted of eight common firefighting tasks, including walking with radiant heat for 3 min while wearing full personal protective equipment (PPE). Nine professional firefighters performed the test a total of three times with a 5 min rest interval between each session. The entire series of tests took approximately 30 min to complete ($381{\pm}30s$). Rectal temperatures were found to increase from $37.4{\pm}0.3^{\circ}C$ to $38.5{\pm}0.4^{\circ}C$, while heart rates were found to increase from $92{\pm}18bpm$ to $185{\pm}13bpm$ during testing. Time to completion of the test drills and non-modified physical fitness values showed a significantly negative correlation (r = -0.728, p < 0.05). Firefighters who had longer periods of firefighting service had longer duration time and also recorded higher scores using an integrated scoring system of time to completion (TTC) and physiological strain index (PhSI). The results indicated that the determination of TTC alone can be a misrepresentation of capability, as it neglects to account for accumulated heat strain. The simulated firefighting test provided a useful insight into physical fitness level, but also the comprehensive work capacity of the firefighters when assessed based on TTC and PhSI.

• Journal of the Korea Convergence Society
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• v.13 no.3
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• pp.91-103
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• 2022

This study surveyed 101 occupational therapists who were performing occupational therapy before and after the COVID-19 outbreak to compare their perceptions and performance of hand washing, use of personal protective equipment, and infection control of surrounding environment. Mann-Whitney U test, Kruskal wallis H test, Wilcoxon signed-rank test, Pearson's correlation coefficient were used analyzed. As a result, it was confirmed that they received better infection control education after the outbreak compared to before the outbreak of COVID-19, and their experience with infectious diseases was lower. In addition, it was found that the perception and performance of infection control in hand washing, personal protective equipment, and surrounding environment cleaning were improved after the outbreak compared to before the outbreak of COVID-19. However, to this day, hand washing for more than 40 seconds in running water recommended by the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, cleaning the treatment room, and disinfection of treatment tools are still in need of improvement. Through this study, infection control education should be repeated regularly to minimize the occurrence of infectious diseases, and It will be a basic data that can be used in infection control education and follow-up studies for occupational therapists in the future.

• Fashion & Textile Research Journal
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• v.24 no.5
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• pp.655-665
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• 2022

This study evaluated the validity of a newly developed mobility protocol examining the comfort functions and requirements of personal protective equipment (PPE) for COVID-19 healthcare workers. Eight males (age: 24.7 ± 3.0 y, height: 173.4 ± 2.3 cm, and body weight 69.9 ± 3.7 kg) participated in the following three PPE conditions: (1) Plastic gown ensemble, (2) Level D ensemble, and (3) Powered air purifying respirator (PAPR) ensemble. The mobility protocol consisted of 10 different tasks in addition to donning and doffing. The 10 tasks were repeated twice at an air temperature of 25oC with 74% RH. The results showed significant differences among the three PPE conditions in mean skin temperature, local skin temperatures (the forehead, thigh, calf, and foot), clothing microclimate (the chest and back), thermal sensation, thermal comfort, and humidity sensation, while there were no significant differences in heart rate or total sweat rate. At rest, the subjects felt less warm and more comfortable in the PAPR than in the Level D condition (P<0.05). However, subjective perceptions in the PAPR and Level D conditions became similar as the tasks progressed and mean skin and leg temperature became greater for the PAPR than the Level D condition (P<0.05). An interview was conducted just after completing the mobility test protocol, and suggestions for improving each PPE item were obtained. To sum up, the mobility test protocol was valid for evaluating the comfort functions of PPE for healthcare workers and obtaining requirements for improving the mobility of each PPE item.

• Proceedings of the Korean Institute of IIIuminating and Electrical Installation Engineers Conference
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• 2002.11a
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• pp.111-116
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• 2002

With the proliferation of nonlinear loads such as personal computers in an educational office building, high neutral harmonic currents have been observed. High neutral currents in three-phase four-wire distribution power systems can cause overloaded neutral conductors, overloaded transformers, voltage distortion, common mode noise, and malfuntion of protective equipment. On-site measurements of harmonic currents and voltages were made and the corresponding equivalent circuits was developed. The circuit model under study was simulated numerically and graphically through the use of the software MATLAB.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.37 no.4
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• pp.321-328
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• 2004

Objectives : The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of genetic polymorphism of cytochrome P450 2E1 (CYP2E1) and aldehyde dehydrogenase 2 (ALDH2) on the xylene metabolism. Methods : Among 247 workers, 116 were occupationally exposed to xylene and 131 were not. Workers exposed to xylene had different work such as spray, touch-up, mix & assist, and pre-treat. Questionnaire variables were age, sex, use of personal protective equipment, smoking, previous night's drinking and work duration. The urinary methylhippuric acid was measured in the urine collected in the afternoon and corrected by urinary creatinine concentration. The genotypes of CYP2E1 and ALDH2 were investigated by using PCR-RFLP (polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism) methods with DNA extracted from venous blood. Results : 1. The urinary concentrations of o-, m-, and p-methylhippuric acid and total methylhippuric acid in the exposed group were significantly higher than those in the non-exposed group (p<0.001). 2. In multiple regression analysis, the urinary methylhippuric acid concentration was significantly influenced by exposure grade (Job-exposure matrixes), smoking, drug use and kind of protective equipment (p<0.1). 3. Genetic polymorphism of CYP2E1 and ALDH2 did not affect urinary methylhippuric acid level in the exposed group (p>0.05). Conclusions : Exposure grade, smoking, drug use and kind of protective equipment affected urinary methylhippuric acid level, whereas genetic polymorphism of CYP2E1 and ALDH2 did not. However, further investigation for the effect of genetic polymorphism on the metabolism of xylene with a larger sample size is needed.

• Journal of the Ergonomics Society of Korea
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• v.34 no.5
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• pp.501-517
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• 2015

Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the technology trend on developing helmets based on the analysis of Korean, US, European and PCT patents. Background: The usage of the personal protective equipment such as the safety helmet would be essential for preventing injuries and reducing the severity of injuries depending on the type of activity and the exposed environment. Method: Database of WIPSON was used for searching the patents. The objects were the Korean, US, European and PCT patents registered or opened from January 2011 to December 2014. The keyword to investigate was helmet, and International Patent Classification (IPC) was used for investigating the technology trend of the patents. Results: The cases of US patents annually increased, but the cases of European patents decreased. US patents belonged to all sections but Korean and European patents and PCT patents did not. The largest number of IPC, to which four areas' patents belonged, was 'Headwear' and the second largest one was 'Hygiene'. In the subgroup level, the most common largest subgroups were 'Parts, details or accessories of helmets' and 'Masks, shields, or hoods for welders'. Korean patents had the lowest ratio of single_IPC at 11%, but the ratios of single_IPC for US and European patents were 52%, respectively. 'Human necessities', 'Mechanical engineering', 'Physics', and 'Electricity' were used as a single_IPC, but lower levels of 'Performing operations', 'Chemistry', 'Textiles' and 'Fixed constructions' were used as multi_IPC. Most main applicants had patents which belonged to 'Human necessities'. Conclusion: The cases of US patents annually increased unlike others. The common technologies for creating the helmet were Parts of helmets under Headwear and Shields for welders under Hygiene. Many Korean patents tended to be categorized as multi_IPC, different from others. Application: To know the technological characteristic of patents would be helpful to initial stage developers.

• Journal of the Korea Society of Computer and Information
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• v.23 no.11
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• pp.143-149
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• 2018

The purpose of this study is to propose a management method to maintain the pleasant indoor air quality of the dental clinic by measuring and analyzing the indoor air quality of the dental clinic. The measurement was conducted in two rooms, a lobby where many residents stay in the reception room for waiting for medical treatment, and a VIP room where treatment activities are mainly performed. Measurement items are Temperature, Humidity, $CO_2$, CO, $NO_2$, $CH_2O$, VOC, $PM_{10}$ and measurement were taken on April 27, 2018. As a result of analyzing the temperature and humidity of the dental clinic, it was analyzed that the average indoor temperature was maintained at $25^{\circ}C$ and the humidity was kept at around 50%, maintaining proper indoor temperature and humidity environment. $CO_2$ was 855ppm in the VIP Room, which satisfied the maintenance standard. In the case of the lobby, it was analyzed to be 1,160ppm, which exceeded the maintenance standard and it is judged that the carbon dioxide generated by the respiration of the people staying in the lobby is the main reason. The mean concentration of formaldehyde in the VIP room was analyzed as $436{\mu}g/m^3$, exceeding the maintenance standard, and $2,100{\mu}g/m^3$ for the VOC exceeded the recommended standard. It was analyzed that the concentration was relatively higher due to the use of disinfectant and other drugs. The mean concentration of PM-10 in the lobby was analyzed as $65{\mu}g/m^3$ and it was analyzed that it satisfied the maintenance standard. To maintain a pleasant indoor air quality in a dental clinic it is necessary to minimize the effects of formaldehyde, VOC, $CO_2$ in the VIP rooms and lobby. For this purpose, the entire ventilation system and air purification system of the dental clinic should be installed. In case of the VIP room, local exhaust ventilation should be installed and workers should wear personal protective equipment.