• Journal of the Ergonomics Society of Korea
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• v.22 no.3
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• pp.13-26
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• 2003

The purpose of this study is to investigate the present conditions of the night work and shift work systems in the heavy chemical industrial complexes found in Changwon, Masan, and Chinhae. Korea. We will attempt to define and classify their problems; and to discover further ways to improve their systems. Fifty production factories were carefully selected as the subjects for this study. The shift systems were classified into five categories. The consecutive night shifts were long in almost all cases with 6 days (36 factories) and 7 days (13 factories). It was found that the night work of about] 2 hours continues for a long period in the weekly rotation full-day shift systems and the night-including non-full-day shift systems, and there was no holiday during a shift cycle in the continuous full-day shift systems. The work time in most shift systems was longer than the 44-hours/week permitted by Korean law. Considering the characteristics of these various types of shift systems, the most essential thing to reduce the shift workers' work load may be to shorten their working hours and improve the schedule of shift systems. It is highly recommended as a fundamental solution. to reduce the portal-to-portal hours from 12 to 8 in the night-including non-full-day shift systems and the weekly rotation full-day shift systems, and at least to employ a 4-team 3-shift system in the continuous full-day shift systems. In addition to this, it should from now on be taken as a goal to restructure the types of shift systems by taking such measures as avoiding continuous night work if possible, providing sufficient off-duty intervals both before and after night shift, providing increased opportunities for workers to nap during night work. and increasing the number of holidays.

• Journal of the Ergonomics Society of Korea
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.57-63
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• 2005

Ergonomic intervention techniques were adopted to assess and control potential risk factors of work-related musculoskeletal disorders(WMSDs) in the automated light assembly manufacturing system. Ten different kinds of assembly workstations implemented with a conveyor system and twelve female workers were observed and evaluated with careful video film analysis. Several close examinations using sets of checklists established by qualified safety and health organizations, such as NIOSH, OSHA, and ANSI, were conducted and every workers and staffs in the site participated in the self-report questionnaires and off-line interviews. Typical risk factors and symptoms of the upper extremity musculoskeletal disorders were found and categorized into specific parts of body. To reduce risk factors of WMSDs and improve system productivity new revised workstation standards, physical dimensions, were suggested accordant with anthropometric characteristics of workers and a heuristic decision strategy of rotating shift work schedules according to work contents has proposed to mitigate cumulative physical stress. Finally, ergonomic programs of entire company to prevent WMSDs were structured.