• Journal of the Korean Society of Safety
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• v.20 no.2 s.70
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• pp.169-174
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• 2005

Traditionally, keyboards have been one of the most frequently used input devices for information processing using computers. As most computers adopt the Microsoft Windows for their operating system however, the usage of mouse has recently increased to a great extent. Moreover, the mouse has been used as the leading input device in such areas as industrial design and computer aided design. Excessive uses of mouse may cause a severe pain and fatigue on neck and upper limb due to the intensive and repetitive use of corresponding muscles, which renders a decline in efficiency and leads to musculoskeletal disorders. The main purpose of this study is to find the best working conditions to prevent musculoskeletal disorders when using mouse in a neutral posture. Utilizing electromyogram amplitude and Borg's scale, the role change and strength imposed on the muscles were measured and analyzed with and without the forearm support concerned. Also investigated were the effects of changes in elbow forearm supporter.

• IE interfaces
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.120-132
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• 2000

As science advances in many fields, the task of accommodating all human beings with comfort and safety becomes increasingly complex. The anthropometric data are basis of product design, but most of the anthropometric data for Korean emphasize the anthropological, physiological and engineering points of views. Also due to the scarce of body dimensions needed in designing products, the industrial designers are cautious in applying these data to design products. The purpose of this study was to select and measure the body parts that are necessary for the industrial designers but are scarce in existing data, and to illustrate the human body with measures instead of tables for easy understanding and application to industrial product design. Three hundreds and eighteen males and 260 females of age from 18 to 60 participated for this study. Eighty-two dimensions in standing and seating posture were selected to measure. The front views, side views and some working postures for man and woman are illustrated with measures. This study could provide the most vital data to assist designers in creating products and environments that better accommodate human needs.

• Journal of the Ergonomics Society of Korea
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• v.30 no.4
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• pp.525-534
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• 2011

This paper describes the current status of musculoskeletal disorders(MSDs) and its ergonomic risk factors, including the preventive intervention in terms of the working conditions and health promotion among agricultural workers. Korean agricultural workers have been exposed to the poor working condition. They have suffered from a variety of work-related injury and diseases more than the general population or the other occupational group. MSDs are one of the most prevalent problems threatening the agricultural worker's health and quality of life. Low back pain, osteoarthritis of hip and knee joint and carpal tunnel syndrome are well known MSDs that was found easily and frequently among agricultural workers. MSDs are worsened by poor ergonomic working conditions such as heavy weight lifting, repetitive movement and awkward posture which involves squatting with long sitting work on the ground, long working hours and heavy workload which are inherent in the greater part of agricultural works. Even though Korean agricultural workers are very weak population in terms of occupational safety and health, no many studies were conducted in the past and no many social and institutional supports were provided sufficiently. We need more interests and efforts in agricultural fields to improve its working condition and to promote health status of agricultural workers.

• The Journal of Korean Physical Therapy
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• v.22 no.4
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• pp.91-96
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• 2010

Purpose: Among computer users, the awkward posture and workstation setups of workers contribute to work-related upper limb musculoskeletal disorders. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of a traditional physical therapy and ergonomic intervention by physical therapists in 4 computer users. Methods: After checking Visual Analogue Scores (VAS), four subjects who were treated by physical therapy for neck and shoulder problems related to VDT syndrome were enrolled in the study. All subjects spent at least 40 hours per week at a computer workstation. All subjects had pain and ergonomic states evaluated using methods such as VAS, Neck Disability Index (NDI), Workstyle short form, Rapid Upper Limb Assessment (RULA), and OSHA VDT checklist (Occupational Safety and Health Administration video display terminal) before a physical therapy + ergonomic intervention. Participants were re-evaluated 1 month later. Results: Participants showed more improvement of their neck pain after being treated with a physical therapy plus ergonomic intervention than when treatment consisted only of physical therapy. Improvements in RULA, Workstyle short form, and OSHA VDT checklist also were achieved. Conclusion: This case study suggests the importance of examining the work habits and work-related postures of subjects who complain of neck and shoulder pain that is exacerbated by computer use. Personalized ergonomic interventions and physical therapy can lead to improvement of patients with VDT syndrome.

• 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.

• Journal of the Ergonomics Society of Korea
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• v.28 no.1
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• pp.29-36
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• 2009

A Study was conducted to investigate the type and level of occupational risk factors for the onset of work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs) in non-manufacturing industries. Total of 38 worksites were investigated from 5 different business areas such as financial institution, transportation service, building maintenance, sanitary service and educational service. Major job and task category were classified and corresponding occupational risk factors such as awkward posture, force exertion, repetitiveness of job, and work/rest cycle were examined using various ergonomic risk analysis techniques. Sets of matrices were developed including types and levels of risk factors for the classified jobs and tasks from 5 different non-manufacturing industries. Also possible ergonomic remedies were suggested for the improvement working conditions. Results and risk factor matrices can be applied as a guideline for the investigation of WMSDs risk factors in similar industries for the prevention of WMSDs.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing
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• v.40 no.6
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• pp.820-830
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• 2010

Purpose: The purpose was to develop a preliminary scale to measure Korean adolescents' health behaviors through a qualitative approach, to evaluate the scale psychometrically, and to develop a final scale. Methods: Participants were 61 adolescents for qualitative interviews and 1,687 adolescents for the psychometric evaluation. Procedure included content analysis of interviews to identify health behavior categories for Korean adolescents, pre-test to confirm that preliminary scale items were understandable, content validity by an expert panel, development of the web-based computer-assisted survey (CAS), and psychometric analysis to determine reliability and validity of the final scale. Results: A final scale was developed for both paper-and-pencil and CAS. It consisted of 14 health behaviors (72 items), including stress and mental health (10), sleep habits (5), dietary habits (12), weight control (4), physical activity (4), hygiene habits (5), tobacco use (5), substance use (2), alcohol consumption (4), safety (4), sexual behavior (9), computer use (3), health screening (4), and posture (1). Conclusion: The scale's strong points are: 1) Two thirds of the final scale items are Likert scale items, enabling calculation of a health behavior score. 2) The scale is appropriate to Korean culture. 3) The scale focuses on concrete health behaviors, not abstract concepts.

• Korean Institute of Interior Design Journal
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• v.24 no.6
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• pp.154-162
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• 2015

As there is no case study with current status, measurements or description on the state of actual site of rural area only, the delivery of actual conditions about such an area is significantly limited. The purpose of this study is to pinpoint issues with housing conditions of low-income family with disabled members in the rural area. For such a purpose, 25 households of disabled people have been visited for interview, on-site research and survey, of which results are summed up in this paper as following: First, average monthly income of such family turned out to be KRW 480,000, most of which is from the government subsidy. High ratio of such families has resided in a house with average size of approximately 56m2 for about 24 years. Secondly the most needed maintenance work with top priority was for the toilet, and many of the interviewees expressed their discomfort about small size of their bathrooms and inconvenient facilities therein. Thirdly, most of such houses had too high thresholds that posed danger and inconvenience. Such thresholds had average height of 13cm, which can be considered as completely inconsiderate of disabled users. Fourth issue was that these people needed safety handle that will enable them to stand up or to be in the standing posture in the living room and bedroom where they spend most of their time. Fifthly, they wanted finishing materials with waterproof functionality as well as replacement of finishing materials and wallpaper which were too old and caused hygiene issues. As these issues represent, current housing for disabled people in the rural area turned out to be poor and risky space rather than the place where difficulty of individual situation can be resolved or their disability can be complemented. Thus it can be determined that now is the time to arrange the solutions for such housing difficulties and to establish customized housing plan to ensure safety and convenience.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Marine Environment & Safety
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• v.18 no.4
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• pp.365-370
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• 2012

International Organization for Standardization has recently published ISO 12215-5 which is the small craft-hull construction and scantling. According to ISO 12215-5 AnnexB, the scantling determination can be accomplished by drop test for craft with a length $L_H$ of 2.5m up to 6m and single-skin construction. The current method, however, of visual test has the issue where it is difficult to make an objective evaluation of ship body strength. In this study, in order to develop an evaluation system that can make a quantitative evaluation of the drop test of leisure boats, the domestic/foreign regulations on drop test of leisure boats are analyzed and the drop test evaluation system is designed, and the system applicability is reviewed through 5-meter level aluminum ship, and the issues incurred by the state of the ship and the posture while dropping were checked.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Marine Environment & Safety
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• v.23 no.5
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• pp.574-584
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• 2017

In this paper, the optimizing path finding control method is studied for a Legged-robot. It's named TITAN-VIII. It has a lot of advantages over the wheeled robot in the ability to walk freely on an irregular ground. However, the moving speed on the ground of the Legged-robot is slower than the Wheeled-robot's. Consequently, the purpose of the method is presented in this paper to minimize its time when it walks to a goal. It find the path, our approach is based on an algorithm which is called Dijkstra's algorithm. In the rest of paper, the various posture of the robot is discussed to keep the robot always in the statically stable. Based on above works, the math formulas are presented to determine the joint angles of the robot. After that an algorithm is designed to find and keep robot on the desired trajectory. Experimental results of the proposed method are demonstrated in the last of paper.