• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing Administration
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• v.21 no.2
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• pp.212-222
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• 2015

Purpose: This study was conducted to identify correlations in hospital nurses' work environment, emotional labor and happiness index to provide basic resources for nurses' happiness at work. Methods: Resources were gathered from 291 nurses who agreed to participate. Random sampling of nurses in nine hospitals in G-do was done between July 15 and August 14, 2014. Data were analyzed using ${\chi}^2$ tests, independent t-test, One-way ANOVA, Pearson correlation coefficients and multiple hierarchical regression with SPSS/WIN 18.0. Results: Mean scores (scale of 5) were nurses' work environment, 2.81, emotional labor, 3.24, and happiness index, 2.94. There were significant differences on the happiness index for: age, marriage, children, clinical experience, position, payment, and future work plans and a negative correlation between work environment and emotional labor, emotional labor and happiness index but a positive correlation between happiness index and work environment. Happiness index was influenced by work environment, emotional labor, future work plans. Explanatory power of these variables was 26%. Conclusion: Based on the findings of this study, so it is necessary to improve the work environment and reduce the frequency of emotional labor in order to increase the happiness index of hospital nurses.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Safety
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• v.22 no.6
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• pp.63-68
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• 2007

The purpose of this study is to verify the relation between the risk index using AHP(Analytic Hierarchy Process) and the risk index using Computing Model. For doing the objective, this research classified 22 work types in architectural construction work from the analysis Korean architectural standard specification and Korea occupational safety & health agency code. Based on the classified 22 work types in architectural construction work, the risk index of each work type was calculated by AHP and Computing Model. For verifying the correlation of risk index between AHP and Computing Model methods, SAS version 8.0 System, which is one of the statistics programs, was used.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Safety
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• v.32 no.5
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• pp.96-102
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• 2017

The highest fatal accident ratio was recorded in the construction industry. According to the industrial insurance premium rate & business type example, among the construction industry, the architectural work has the highest fatal and loss time accident ratio. Previous literature has investigated various aspects of accident occurrence and prevention in architectural work. However, those studied were limited in that they only focused on the fatal accident without considering the loss time accident. But non fatal accidents were recorded more than 50 times of fatal accidents. Therefore non fatal accidents must be controlled to lessen industrial accidents. Based on this, the goal of this study was to investigate the nature of the loss time accident and derive the risk index of work type in architectural work. In this study, opinions of safety experts were gathered and the risk index of work type was derived using AHP(Analytic Hierarchy Process). And verification was accomplished by comparing the results of this study with the risk index derived by analysis of accident records. Results showed that the risk index of work type was significantly higher in steel frame work, temporary installation work, earth & foundation work, facilities work, concrete work. And statistical analysis for verification showed that coefficient of Pearson correlation was 0.686 and P-value was 0.001.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Safety
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• v.37 no.4
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• pp.58-62
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• 2022

Metro subway construction is a field that requires a great deal of professional manpower. The aging of professionals has a negative impact on both productivity and health, owing to poor working environments, heavy lifting, underground work, and other factors. To address this issue, the government is progressively revising and enforcing health management law and regulation in the construction industry. Thus, the job stress and work ability of many professional subway construction workers, who are rapidly aging, are being analyzed to ensure their safety and improve their health. In this study, the Macpa stress index of Busan Metro Subway construction workers from Sasang to Hadan line was measured by using a Macpa measurement machine, and a work ability survey was conducted by using the questionnaire that was developed by the FIOH. The independent variables were age, years of service, job position, employment type, and occupation. While, the dependent variables were the Macpa stress index and work ability. The Kruskal-Wallis test was used because it was difficult to assume that the statistics of this study represented a normal distribution. The results showed that age, job position, and employment type affected Macpa stress index and revealed that as the age of the workers increased, their stress levels increased as well. Additionally, job position and employment type affected the work ability of the metro subway construction workers. In terms of job position, the technical engineers were under a lot of stress, and whereas the managers had the best work ability. The technical engineers were more stressed than the other workers because of a poor working environment. In terms of employment type, daily workers were under more stress and lower work ability than others.

• Journal of the Ergonomics Society of Korea
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• v.33 no.5
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• pp.423-432
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• 2014

Objective and Background: The objective of this study was to evaluate the association of individual characteristics, work-related factors, lifestyle factors, and health problems with work ability among aging workers in Korea. Method: In this cross-sectional survey, the study population consisted of 1,594 workers who had participated in a voluntary health promotion center and private workplace. Participants completed the work ability index. Results: The mean WAI score was 37.4, while the mean age of the sample was 43.25. In the age group over 50 showed 36.26. The majority of participants rated their work ability as 'good' to 'excellent', one-third moderate and about 7.5% poor. Work ability decreased significantly with age among the men. The younger group had higher scores on the work ability index than the age group over 50, except for mental resources. By work characteristics, work ability was analyzed to be the lowest in the case of work handling heavy stuff. Lastly, as a result of health factors analysis, the good management and retention of current health status can be the measure helpful to the improvement of work ability. Conclusion and Application: According to the results, it can be a basic principle to devise and enforce preventive measures on the factors for which improvement or action is possible, together with workplace-level systematic approach, in order to improve work ability. For such measures to be realized, it is necessary to check trends in change for several years.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.7 no.1
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• pp.43-48
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• 2016

Background: Work Ability Index (WAI) is a well-known and valid self-report tool that has been widely used in various studies to identify and avoid early retirement and work-related disability. Nevertheless, very few studies have been carried out to evaluate work ability in Iran. We aimed to investigate the WAI and the effect of work-related stress on it among Iranian workers. Methods: A cross-sectional, descriptive and analytic study was carried out among 449 workers from five working sectors in three big cities of Iran. Work ability and work-related stress were measured using the Persian version of WAI and the Persian version of Health and Safety Executive Stress Indicator Tool. Results: More than a third of the workers surveyed (34.70%) did not have an appropriate level of work ability (WAI < 37). There was a significant correlation between subscales of work-related stress and the mean score of WAI. Furthermore, the variables of body mass index, sleep quality, exercise activity, job tenure, and three subscales of work-related stress including demands, supervisor support, and role were significant predictors of WAI. Conclusion: According to the results of this study, the interventional programs must be focused on improving supervisors support, eliminating ambiguity and conflicts in the role of workers in their job and organization, reducing job demands, improving sleep quality, and increasing exercise activity.

• Journal of Korean Society of Forest Science
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• v.112 no.3
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• pp.303-321
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• 2023

To develop the Forest Work Load Index (FWLI) for estimating the work intensity of forest workers, a study focused on forest tending was conducted. To estimate the FWLI, we used the Ovako Working Posture Analysis System (OWAS) and the Work Load Index (WLI). The OWAS is a prominent method used for analyzing musculoskeletal load in work tasks, and WLI is a prominent method used for analyzing the work intensity of workers. The PRI values analyzed for each forest tending project were 185.3 (Thinning), 150.6 (Pruning), 181.1 (Thinning for Forest Fire Prevention), and 197.0 (Thinning for Young Trees). The WLI values, calculated on the basis of the measured heart rates, were 59.5% (Thinning), 53.5% (Pruning), 56.2% (Thinning for Forest Fire Prevention), and 62.3% (Thinning for Young Trees). The FWLI was calculated using the analyzed PRI and WLI values. The FWLI values for the forest tending project were 110.2 (Thinning), 80.7 (Pruning), 102.1 (Thinning for Forest Fire Prevention), and 123.0 (Thinning for Young Trees). The FWLI developed in this study can be used to quantitatively compare the workloads of forest workers. In the future, the analyzed FWLI can be used as a basis for improving forest workers' postures and comparing workloads across different forest projects.

• Journal of Korean Critical Care Nursing
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• v.9 no.2
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• pp.36-47
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• 2016

Purpose: The study examined core job characteristics and job preference to explain work performance among critical care nurses. The theoretical model was constructed based on the job characteristics model with core job characteristics as exogenous variables, and work performance and job preference as endogenous variables. Methods: A total of 228 hospital nurses participated in the study from May to September, 2015. Data were collected through structured questionnaires and analyzed using structural equation modeling. Results: The model showed a good fit to the data with $x^2/df=2.90$, goodness of fit index = .91, root mean square residual = .20, comparative fit index = .93, and incremental fit index = .93. The core job characteristics explained 64% of the variance in job preference. The core job characteristics and job preference explained 52% of the variance in work performance. Conclusions: The core job characteristics can explain the work performance among critical care nurses through job preference. Effective strategies to improve the work performance among critical care nurses should focus on the application of the core job characteristic into a productive work environment. Further studies are warranted to explore the role of job preference of critical care nurses in promoting their work performance.

• Journal of the Ergonomics Society of Korea
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• v.29 no.1
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• pp.101-105
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• 2010

According to the Korea National Statistical Office data in 2008, the population over ages of 65 years would possess to 10.7% whole population of Korea in 2009 denoting Korea is already in the aging society. It is well-known that the possibility to work longer and to live better is highly related to the work ability of individuals. The objective of this study is to evaluate the work ability of each aged group using the Work Ability Index(WAI) in the shipbuilding industry, machinery industry and Korea housing corporation, and to assess the effect of the type of business, age and job on the WAI score. The results showed that no significant difference was identified on the effect of aging although work ability of some group(over 55 years) was a little higher than that of others. Also, type of business and job had a significant effect on WAI score. These results suggested that the work ability is not necessarily related to aging in Korean society. One possible explanation for this might be different cultural characteristics of Korean society.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Safety
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• v.20 no.2 s.70
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• pp.133-139
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• 2005

TWe investigated whether work ability index(WAI) was highly correlated with work environment(physical work environment, working condition and work form) correlated high. The study population consisted of technicians from one manufacturing company in South Korea(n=104). WAI and work environment were analyzed by correlation and multiple regression. Therefore, we conclude that the correlation of WAI and work environment in this population was high. So if there are the older employees having a poor score on the items related to work environment, we can elevate the work ability by dealing with work environment. Moreover, we can make the best program to maintain and raise WAI in short term.