• Journal of the Ergonomics Society of Korea
• /
• v.32 no.3
• /
• pp.259-266
• /
• 2013

Objective: This study aims to evaluate the workloads of industrial and automobile storage battery industries and their association to biological exposure indices. Background: Occupational lead exposure at battery manufacturing workplace is the most serious problem in safety and health management. Method: We surveyed 145 workers in 3 storage battery industries. Environmental factors(lead in air, temperature, humidity and vibration)), biological exposure indices(lead in blood and zinc protoporphyrin in blood) and individual workload factors(process type, work time, task type, weight handling and restrictive clothing) were measured in each unit workplace. Results/Conclusion: Air lead concentration is statistically significant in associations with workload factors(process type, work time, task type, and restrictive clothing) and environmental factors (humidity and vibration), whereas zinc protoporphyrin in blood are significantly associated with work time and weight handling. And lead in blood is significantly associated with work time, weight handling and temperature. Application: The results of this study are expected to be a fundamental data to job design.

• Korean Institute of Interior Design Journal
• /
• v.14 no.4 s.51
• /
• pp.54-61
• /
• 2005

The purpose of this study is to examine the physical factors of work environment and to establish the evaluation factors for office design for wheelchair users. This study is based on the existing research for office environmental factors; and then clarifies the physical factors that are suitable for circumstances of wheelchair users. These factors are composed three physical factors which are space, furniture arrangement, and ambient condition and then each of these factors has detailed several elements. Futhermore, comparing physical factors between a non-wheelchair user and a wheelchair user with work environment is analyzed on the assumption using the system furniture on the market. This study is expected to be used as basic information to provide the way of improving office space plan for wheelchair user in workplace. This resource can serve as a checklist when renovating, re-designing or building a new office space for wheelchair users. The evaluation of office environmental factors for wheelchair users who work in public and/or private companies is needed for the next research.

• Proceedings of the Korean Institute of Building Construction Conference
• /
• 2013.11a
• /
• pp.214-215
• /
• 2013

Recently, Construction industry has been trying to reduce environmental impacts reflecting the global trend 'Green Growth'. However most of previous studies focused on operation & maintenance phases and do not have been approached construction phases. In addition, environmental management factors by project participants are assessed with only weight of factors, overlooking these work difficulty. Therefore This study aims to deducted the critical environmental management factors by project participants considering work difficulty in plan, design and construction phase. The basis data is collected through literature reviews and interview targeting each project participant and analyze these data using importance-difficulty analysis(IDA).

• Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
• /
• v.16 no.3
• /
• pp.276-283
• /
• 2006

Work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs) were a major source of disability and lost work time after 'Foreign Currency Crisis(1998-2000)' in Korea. There is considerable evidence documenting the association between psychosocial risk factors and work disability due to WMSDs. But, there is not much in Korea. The present study aimed to explore the predictive association between the changed working conditions and WMSDs after 'Foreign Currency Crisis' in Korea. A study sample of 8,670 automobile assembly workers were recruited for this study. A structured-questionnaire was used to assess general characteristics, working conditions, and information concerning medical treatment of WMSDs. After adjustment for sociodemographic factors, increased overtime work(OR=1.22), daily work time(OR=1.20), work speed (OR=1.32), number of workers(OR=0.83), supervisory control(OR=1.39), physical load(OR=1.39), and mental load (OR=1.25) were all founded to be significantly associated with WMSDs. This study has shown the importance of changed working conditions in the occurrence of WMSDs. Therefore, it will be necessary to reduce WMSDs with controlling both physical and psychosocial factors.

• Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
• /
• v.33 no.3
• /
• pp.298-307
• /
• 2023

Objectives: The purpose of this study is to analyze the recent trends in patients with work-related musculoskeletal disorders in South Korea and to check the major results by reviewing the literature on the risk factors and prevalence of musculoskeletal diseases related to work. Methods: Industrial disaster data from the Ministry of Employment and Labor from 2012 to 2021 were used, and the literature was reviewed regarding risk factors for musculoskeletal diseases related to work using PubMed and RISS. Results: The trend of patients with work-related musculoskeletal disorders has increased overall since 2017 after declining until 2016, with a particularly notable increase in the average annual number of patients with physical burden work. The average annual rate per ten thousand people for patients with body burden work, non-accidental lower back pain, and carpal tunnel syndrome among work-related diseases was high in the mining industry. The average annual rate per ten thousand people for patients with accidental lower back pain was the highest in the fishing industry. Within the manufacturing field, it was the highest in the shipbuilding and ship repair industry. As a result of the literature review, the search rate for work-related musculoskeletal disease papers in unstructured work was high. In addition, physical stress factors were high among risk factors, and pain areas showed a high rate for the waist. Conclusion: Even after the institutional implementation of a hazard investigation system related to musculoskeletal diseases is implemented, the number of patients with occupational musculoskeletal disorders continues to increase. Therefore, it is necessary to conduct regular surveys and implement effective improvement activities for vulnerable industries or occupations.

• Safety and Health at Work
• /
• v.9 no.2
• /
• pp.216-223
• /
• 2018

Background: Many studies have reported negative psychological or physical effects of emotional labor. Relationship between work-related musculoskeletal disorder and psychosocial factors has been reported. To manage organizational and psychosocial factors of musculoskeletal disorder with work place intervention among emotional laborers, the factors contributing to musculoskeletal pain must be identified and clarified. Methods: Data from the fourth Korean Working Conditions Survey was analyzed. Based on the questionnaire, we selected emotional laborers and included 3,979 participants, excluding participants whose variables were of interest to the researcher. Weight variable was applied. The association with musculoskeletal pain and psychosocial factors, such as workload, monotonous work, job control, social support, and job satisfaction, was investigated. Results: Univariate analysis demonstrated that there was a statistically significant relationship between social support, job satisfaction, and musculoskeletal pain. In multivariate analysis, job satisfaction showed a strong correlation with musculoskeletal pain at all sites. Social support was significantly associated with backache. Monotonous work seemed to reduce the pain in the neck and/or upper limbs. Job control and work intensity were not significantly associated with musculoskeletal pain. Conclusion: In this study, job satisfaction was significantly associated with musculoskeletal pain, and social support among the social psychological stressors could reduce musculoskeletal pain. However, unlike previously known, the presence of monotonous work resulted in reduced musculoskeletal pain. The results of this study will help to establish the direction of improvement of atmosphere in the workplace to prevent the musculoskeletal pain of emotional laborers.

• Journal of Family Resource Management and Policy Review
• /
• v.17 no.2
• /
• pp.19-35
• /
• 2013

The purpose of this study is to analyze the effective factors that influence subjective cognition, conflict degree of work-family balance, and cognition of family strength according to general characteristic factors, working environmental factors, and home environmental factors, as well as analyze the relationships among subjective cognition, conflict degree, and cognition of family strength. The main data source for analysis in this study is the Second National Survey of Korean Families by the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family in 2010. The survey includes the analysis of 419 respondents who have a dual income and live with their wife. The collected data are analyzed using SPSS 19.0. The results of the study are as follows. First, subjective cognition of work-family balance is influenced by satisfaction of work, division of housework, and care of family. Second, the conflict degree of work-family balance is influenced by age, working week, and satisfaction with work. Third, the relationship between subjective cognition and conflict degree of work-family balance is a negative correlation. The relationship between subjective cognition of work-family balance and cognition of family strength is a positive correlation but the difference between conflict degree of work-family balance and cognition of family strength is not significant. Finally, for the married men, the working environmental factor is a significant factor for the work-family balance. And the higher the satisfaction of work and division of domestic work, the greater is the balance between work and family. This suggests that they also have a higher cognition of family strength.

• Journal of the Korea Society of Computer and Information
• /
• v.22 no.6
• /
• pp.149-156
• /
• 2017

In this paper, we propose to enhance a Physical working conditions to decrease absence from work. we demonstrated the correlation of worker's absence with various environmental factors in workplace by surveying 6,962 workers. As result, first, concerning exposure to physical work factors, most of them complained of vibration, and concerning exposure to improper working posture, most of them complained of repetitive arm and hand motions. Second, the absence experience had correlations with age, monthly income, smoking, number of employees, long term working, and shift work, and of the physical factors, hand vibration, noise, high temperature, low temperature and improper working posture had correlations with physical pain posture, movement of people and carrying heavy materials. Third, experience of exposure to hand vibration, noise and low temperature of the physical factors had impact on absence, and of the improper working posture, physical pain posture and carrying heavy stuff had impacts on absence. Through this study, it was found that of the work factors of Korean workers, physical factors and improper working posture had impacts on absence. The results of this study confirmed that physical factors and inappropriate working posture among work factors influenced the absenteeism. Therefore, it is required to improve the work environment regarding physical risk factors and prepare a systematic management plan.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Physical Medicine
• /
• v.13 no.2
• /
• pp.21-31
• /
• 2018

PURPOSE: This study examined the differences between male and female workers by investigating the various factors that affected the workers' abilities to return to work according to the International Classification of Functioning standards. METHODS: We analyzed the personal factor, environmental factor, work performance and participation factor related to ICF according to worker's gender. For this purpose data from the third Worker's Compensation Insurance panel survey conducted by the Korea Workers' Compensation & Welfare Service were analyzed. In order to verify the research model, we used frequency analysis, cross analysis to compare the differences between male and female workers according to personal, environmental, work performance, and participation factors and hierarchical regression analysis to identify significant factors affecting job performance. RESULTS: The results, indicate that the level of education, license status, working period, socioeconomic status and employment type of female workers were lower than those of male workers. Factors that have the greatest influence on job performance are grade of disability, status of disability, economic activity status, and instrumental activities of daily living (p<.05). CONCLUSION: It is necessary to provide socially stable employment support and social policy support without discrimination to allow disabled female workers to return to work and maintain their jobs and to study factors influencing job performance further.

• Safety and Health at Work
• /
• v.3 no.2
• /
• pp.117-122
• /
• 2012

Objectives: To describe the time perspective of return to work and the factors that facilitate and hinder return to work in a group of survivors of acute coronary syndrome (ACS). Methods: Retrospective semi-structured telephone survey 2 to 3 years after hospitalization with 84 employed Dutch ACS-patients from one academic medical hospital. Results: Fifty-eight percent of patients returned to work within 3 months, whereas at least 88% returned to work once within 2 years. Two years after hospitalization, 12% of ACS patients had not returned to work at all, and 24% were working, but not at pre-ACS levels. For all ACS-patients, the most mentioned categories of facilitating factors to return to work were having no complaints and not having signs or symptoms of heart disease. Physical incapacity, co-morbidity, and mental incapacity were the top 3 categories of hindering factors against returning to work. Conclusion: Within 2 years, 36% of the patients had not returned to work at their pre-ACS levels. Disease factors, functional capacity, environmental factors, and personal factors were listed as affecting subjects' work ability level.