• Title/Summary/Keyword: work environment measurement system

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Study on the Promoting the Improvement of Work Environment by the Monitoring Committee for Work Environment Measurement (모니터링위원회를 통한 작업환경 개선 활성화 방안)

  • Hwang, Gyuseok
    • Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
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    • v.28 no.2
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    • pp.158-165
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    • 2018
  • Objectives: We analyzed the problems that work environment measurement results don't lead to workplace improvement in the Work Environment Measurement System to propose an alternative. Methods: We reviewed reports and articles written by the Korea Occupational Safety and Health Agency and academic circles to identify the problems in the current Work Environment Measurement System and suggest an alternative. Results: One of the reasons that the Work Environment Measurement has not resulted in workplace improvement is that there were no proper regulating systems for managing the workplace improvement plans or improvement results. Moreover, there are not enough professional manpower in ministry of labor to evaluate the improvement plans and results from the Work Environment Measurement. Therefore, all of the workplace whose Work Environment Measurement results exceed the occupational exposure limit (OEL) should be managed by regional ministry of labor, and outside experts and new system for verifying improvement are needed. Conclusions: To accomplish the purpose of Work Environment Measurement, it is necessary to improve the work environment according to the results of Work Environment Measure. For this, it is necessary for the government to manage the fulfillment of workplace improvement plans and for measurement agencies to secure expertise.

tudy on the Improvement of Reliability Assessment of Work Environment Measurement in Korea (작업환경측정 신뢰성평가제도 개선방안에 관한 연구)

  • Hwang, Gyuseok
    • Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
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    • v.29 no.1
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    • pp.50-56
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    • 2019
  • Objective: The aim of this study is to analyze the reliability assessment of work environment measurement, and to propose ways of improving the system. Methods: We have reviewed reports and articles on the reliability assessment written by KOSHA and academia in order to analyze problems related with the system and propose the alternatives. Results: There are three ways to improve the system of the reliability assessment. First of all, it is necessary to perform the reliability assessment by measuring the work environment when workers raise questions about the results so we can make workers trust these results of the reliability assessment. Secondly, we should inspect the workplace at first, not the work environment service provider, so we can increase the employer's recognition of his duty to practice the work environment measurement. Thirdly, the technical committee is needed for technical issues related with the work environment measurement. Conclusions: Above all, it is crucial to get the workers' interest and trust to improve the work environment measurement. The reliability assessment should support the meaning and value of the work environment measurement by practicing the reliability assessment whenever workers have a demand for this and operating the technical committee.

A Review of a System for Improving the Reliability of Domestic Measurement Results regarding the Work Environment (국내 작업환경 측정결과 신뢰성 향상을 위한 제도 고찰)

  • Kim, Ki-Youn;Kang, Taesun;Lee, Seung Gil;Park, Hae Dong;Jeong, Jee Yeon
    • Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
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    • v.27 no.2
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    • pp.87-96
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    • 2017
  • Objectives: Improvement of the reliability of work environment measurement results is one of the principal subjects to be resolved in the field of industrial hygiene. Thus, this study was conducted in order to review domestic programs for enhancing the reliability of work environment measurement results and propose a more efficient management plan for workplace monitoring. Materials and Methods: The current domestic programs reviewed in this study are the quality control system and evaluation system for industrial hygiene laboratories, the reliability system accompanied by KOSHA (the Korea Occupational Safety and Health Agency), the system of permissible exposure limits and observed inspection system for permissible exposure limits. Their contents and data were analyzed by reviewing articles, reports, and guidelines related to reliability improvement for work environment measurement results. Results: As a result of the literature review, all the domestic programs investigated in this study had both merits and demerits in terms of considering the reliability of work environment measurement results. In particular, the fact that preliminary notification is provided to the head of a workplace before implementation would be an obstacle for elevating the reliability of work environment measurement results. Conclusions: Based on the review results obtained from this study, it is proposed that on-site measurement without preliminary notification should be considered for a more efficient inspection system that would enhance the reliability of workplace monitoring.

An investigation on the Improvement of the Working Environment Measurement Reporting Policy (작업환경측정 보고제도 개선 방안 도출을 위한 조사 연구)

  • Lim, Dae Sung;Kim, Chi-Nyon;Lee, Seung kil;Park, Jung-Keun;Kim, Ki-Youn
    • Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
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    • v.32 no.2
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    • pp.172-181
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    • 2022
  • Objectives: In order to reduce the burden on employers and increase the reliability of measurement results, improvements to the provisions related to the work environment measurement reporting system, such as the current Occupational Safety and Health Act and its Enforcement Rules, are planned. This study aimed to suggest improvements for the work environment measurement reporting system through a survey and Delphi investigation. Method: This survey included workplaces (health managers), national institutions (the Ministry of Employment and Labor) that use the results of the work environment measurement reporting system for policy and supervision purposes, and work environment measurement institutions that enter the results were included. In addition to the survey, we tried to derive results through meetings with stakeholders and expert advisory meetings. Results: It is difficult to abolish or partially improve the reporting system under the Enforcement Regulations of the Occupational Safety and Health Act at this point because the opinions of workplaces, supervisory agencies, and measuring agencies differ in terms of its intended purpose and use. In the case of high-exposure harmful factors (over 50% on the basis of exposure) in the "comprehensive opinion" described in the work environment measurement results table, it is necessary to insert unit of work with exposed harmful factors, exposure factors, and current conditions in checklists or tables so that they can be reflected in government policies. In the case of workplaces that are feared to be highly exposed to substances subject to measurement, it seems desirable to improve them so that industrial health instructors registered with the Korea Safety and Health Agency or local labor offices can provide technical guidance. As an improvement plan to increase the reliability of data and the use of big data, it is necessary to improve the input method for processes and jobs. Conclusion: The laws and regulations of the work environment measurement reporting system are difficult to revise due to a lack of consensus among current stakeholders, but improvements can be achieved by improving the Ministry of Employment and Labor's notifications and other means. In addition, in order to effectively utilize the data from the K2B system, it is necessary to improve the input method for processes and jobs.

Work Environment Measurement Results for Research Workers and Directions for System Improvement (연구활동종사자 작업환경측정 결과 및 제도개선 방향)

  • Hwang, Je-Gyu;Byun, Hun-Soo
    • Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
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    • v.30 no.4
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    • pp.342-352
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    • 2020
  • Objectives: The characteristics of research workers are different from those working in the manufacturing industry. Furthermore, the reagents used change according to the research due to the characteristics of the laboratory, and the amounts used vary. In addition, since the working time changes almost every day, it is difficult to adjust the time according to exposure standards. There are also difficulties in setting standards as in the manufacturing industry since laboratory environments and the types of experiments performed are all different. For these reasons, the measurement of the working environment of research workers is not realistically carried out within the legal framework, there is a concern that the accuracy of measurement results may be degraded, and there are difficulties in securing data. The exposure evaluation based on an eight-hour time-weighted average used for measuring the working environment to be studied in this study may not be appropriate, but it was judged and consequently applied as the most suitable method among the recognized test methods. Methods: The investigation of the use of chemical substances in the research laboratory, which is the subject of this study, was conducted in the order of carrying out work environment measurement, sample analysis, and result analysis. In the case of the use of chemical substances, after organizing the substances to be measured in the working environment, the research workers were asked to write down the status, frequency, and period of use. Work environment measurement and sample analysis were conducted by a recognized test method, and the results were compared with the exposure standards (TWA: time weighted average value) for chemical substances and physical factors. Results: For the substances subject to work environment measurement, the department of chemical engineering was the most exposed, followed by the department of chemistry. This can lead to exposure to a variety of chemicals in departmental laboratories that primarily deal with chemicals, including acetone, hydrogen peroxide, nitric acid, sodium hydroxide, and normal hexane. Hydrogen chloride was measured higher than the average level of domestic work environment measurements. This can suggest that researchers in research activities should also be managed within the work environment measurement system. As a result of a comparison between the professional science and technology service industry and the education service industry, which are the most similar business types to university research laboratories among the domestic work environment measurements provided by the Korea Safety and Health Agency, acetone, dichloromethane, hydrogen peroxide, sodium hydroxide, nitric acid, normal hexane, and hydrogen chloride are items that appear higher than the average level. This can also be expressed as a basis for supporting management within the work environment measurement system. Conclusions: In the case of research activity workers' work environment measurement and management, specific details can be presented as follows. When changing projects and research, work environment measurement is carried out, and work environment measurement targets and methods are determined by the measurement and analysis method determined by the Ministry of Employment and Labor. The measurement results and exposure standards apply exposure standards for chemical substances and physical factors by the Ministry of Employment and Labor. Implementation costs include safety management expenses and submission of improvement plans when exposure standards are exceeded. The results of this study were presented only for the measurement of the working environment among the minimum health management measures for research workers, but it is necessary to prepare a system to improve the level of safety and health.

Suggestions to improve occupational hygiene activities based on the health problems of semiconductor workers (반도체 근로자 질병의 직무관련 논란으로 본 우리나라 산업위생 활동 개선방향)

  • Park, Donguk;Yoon, Chungsik
    • Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
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    • v.22 no.1
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    • pp.1-8
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    • 2012
  • Objectives: The aim of this study is to review occupational hygiene activities, including work environment measurement as required by the industrial safety and health laws of Korea, and suggest improvements required to establish an effective exposure surveillance system. Methods: The controversial limitations of exposure surveillance examining the work-association of several types of cancers in semiconductor workers were reviewed. Results: The bulk of the exposure surveillance system was found to focus purely on work environment measurements without providing other important exposure surrogates, such as job title, operation, exposure duration, etc. The current work environment measurement system is limited in terms of the efficient assessment of the exposure status of workers due to a lack of exposure information. Conclusion: The introduction of a national standard classification of occupations and job titles into the exposure and health effect surveillance system should be discussed in order to retrospectively assess exposure characteristics.

Development of a Vision System for the Measurement of the Pendulum Test (진자검사 계측을 위한 영상 시스템의 개발)

  • Kim, Chul-Seung;Moon, Ki-Wook;Lee, Soo-Young;Eom, Gwang-Moon
    • The Transactions of The Korean Institute of Electrical Engineers
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    • v.56 no.4
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    • pp.817-819
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    • 2007
  • The purpose of this work is to develop a measurement system of the pendulum test with minimal restriction of experimental environment and little influence of noise. In this work, we developed a vision system without any line between markers and a camera. The system performance is little influenced by the experimental environment, if light are sufficient to recognize markers. For the validation of the system, we compared knee joint angle trajectories measured by the developed system and by the magnetic sensor system during the nominal pendulum test and the maximum speed voluntary knee joint rotation. The joint angle trajectories of the developed system during both tests matched well with those of the magnetic system. Therefore, we suggest the vision system as an alternative to the previous systems with limited practicality for the pendulum test.

Development of Operational Technology and Integrated Measurement Information Management System for the Radioactivity Measurement Device (방사능 측정장치 운영 기술 및 측정정보 통합관리 시스템 개발)

  • Dong-Sik Jin;Kyeong-Ryeong Kim;Jae-Geun Lee
    • Journal of radiological science and technology
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    • v.47 no.3
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    • pp.183-195
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    • 2024
  • Additional functional upgrades to the large-area compton camera (LACC) measurement device that can provide characteristics evaluation information (nuclear species and radioactivity) and two-dimensional or three-dimensional distribution imaging information of radioactive materials existing in surface or internal of concrete structures are required in terms of work stability and efficiency in order to apply to actual decommissioning sites such as nuclear power plants or medical cyclotron facilities by using this measurement device. To this purpose, the technology that allows radiation workers to intuitively and visually check the distribution of radioactive materials in advance by matching the two-dimensional distribution imaging information of radioactive materials obtained through the LACC measurement device and visual imaging of the measurement zone (10 m × 5 m) was developed. In addition, the separate system that can automatically adjust the position (height) in units of the measurement area size (0.7 m × 0.3 m × 0.8 m) of the LACC measurement device was developed and the integrated management system for characteristics evaluation information and two-dimensional or three-dimensional distribution imaging information obtained per unit of measurement for radioactive materials was developed. These functional upgrades related to LACC measurement device can improve work efficiency and safety when measuring radioactivity of concrete structures and enable the establishment of appropriate decommissioning strategies using radioactivity measurement information for decommissioning nuclear power plants or medical cyclotron facilities.

A Study on the Registration of Workplaces subjected to Work Environment Measurement to Expand it's Coverage (작업환경측정 커버리지 확대를 위한 대상 사업장 등록 방안)

  • Hwang, Gyuseok
    • Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
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    • v.30 no.3
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    • pp.299-305
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    • 2020
  • Objectives: The most important occupational health activity is work environment measurement(WEM) along with the health examination. The preventive function of the WEM system could be achieved on the assumption that all subjected workplaces are performing correctly the WEM. To achieve properly the original purpose of WEM, we suggested a policy for subjected workplaces that they should register whether subjected or not. Methods: We made registration draft through reviewing laws, reports and thesis for WEM. And we conducted Focus Group Interview for industrial health experts using structured questionnaire about the registration. Results: There were 412 occupational deaths from 2013 to 2017. And it was found that only 130(31.6%) workplaces which involved in these occupational deaths had conducted the WEM. In order to operate the WEM system with effect, the subjected workplaces should register the subject status. Such registration must be completed at the stage of industrial accident insurance enrollment. Conclusions: Conducting WEM is the first step to prevent intoxication accident in workpalces. To operate properly WEM we should correctly understand subjected workplaces. So it is needed for all subjected workplaces to register whether they are subjected or not.

Development and Validation of the Korean Physical Therapy Work Environment Scale (K-PTWES) (한국형 물리치료근무환경 측정도구 개발 및 평가)

  • Hwa-Gyeong Lee
    • Journal of The Korean Society of Integrative Medicine
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    • v.12 no.2
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    • pp.65-76
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    • 2024
  • Purpose : This study aimed to develop and validate a reliable tool, the Korean physical therapists' work environment scale (K-PTWES), for assessing the work environment of Korean physical therapists. The study also sought to examine the validity and reliability of the instrument. Methods : This methodological study involved the development and testing of the measurement tool. The conceptual framework was established through a literature review and in-depth interviews with clinical physical therapists. A total of 40 meaningful statements emerged from this process, leading to the generation of 29 primary items. Following a content validity test, 29 items were selected for the preliminary tool. Data were collected from 220 physical therapists across various job roles and unit types, such as outpatient and inpatient physical therapy rooms in domestic hospitals, with more than one year of experience. The final analysis included data from all 220 physical therapists. Results : Varimax rotated principal component analysis was employed for validities, revealing four factors: organizational support, working system, sustainable development, and relationship with coworkers, explaining a total variance of 54.97 %. The Cronbach's α coefficient for the final tool was .939, indicating high reliability. Conclusion : In this study, we developed a measurement tool reflecting the characteristics of the Korean physical therapists' work environment scale (K-PTWES). Our findings highlight the tool demonstrated both validity and reliability. Utilizing this tool is expected to contribute to understanding the work environment of Korean physical therapists and fostering a healthy work environment. Based on our findings, we recommend, firstly, conducting research on the work environment and related factors of physical therapists working in diverse settings using the K-PTWES. Secondly, future studies should focus on validating the tool's criterion-related validity, as it was not addressed in this research.