• Title/Summary/Keyword: workers' health and safety

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Risk Factors Analysis System: Current Issues and Future Directions (유해요인조사 제도의 고찰 및 발전방향)

  • Jeong, Byung-Yong
    • Journal of the Ergonomics Society of Korea
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    • v.26 no.2
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    • pp.123-129
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    • 2007
  • In 2003 the Korean Government introduced 'the risk factors analysis system' in order to prevent the work-related musculoskeletal disorders. In addition, the proclamation by the Ministry of Labor delineated eleven spheres of work associated with musculoskeletal disorders. According to Occupational Safety and Health Regulations, business proprietors who have workers engaged in tasks associated with musculoskeletal disorders are required to carry out a survey on risk factors every three years. Effective risk factors analysis principles and practices will succeed by refining the workplaces continuously. However, numerous difficulties arise during the application of risk factors analysis to the various industries. We discuss a number of issues related to risk factors analysis system, and suggest a number of directions for future work in this area.

The Result of Quality Control in POSCO's Industrial Hygiene Laboratory (사업장 자체측정기관 국내, 외 정도관리 참여 결과)

  • Lee, Young-Sei;Lee, Song-Kwon;Cho, Ki-Hyun;Chae, Chong-Hong;Kim, Yong-Lae
    • Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
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    • v.5 no.1
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    • pp.87-103
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    • 1995
  • Since being granted permission for self-assessment of the work environment by the Department of Labor in 1992, POSCO's Industrial Hygiene Laboratory has participated in domestic and Foreign Quality Control Programs 8 times and has obtained remarkable results. It has made a lot of effort to be a proficient laboratory with the ability to observe and analyse environmental monitoring data. The summary of results is as follows: 1. POSCO's Industrial Hygiene Laboratory has received a "P(Proficient)" grade from the round 115 to round 119 of AIHA/NIOSH PAT Program for analysis of such metals as lead, cadmium, zinc, and chromium, and also has received a "P(Proficient)" grade from its round 119 of for organic solvent analysis, i,e,. Trichloroethylene(TCE), Carbon Tetr-achloride(CTC), 1,2-Dichloroethane(DCE), 1,1,1-Trichloroethane(MCM), Tetrachloroethylene (PCE), Chloroform(CFM), Benzene(BNZ), toluene(TOL), and O-xylene(OXY). 2. In the Quality Control Evaluation Program performed by the Industrial Health Research Institute,Korea Industrial Safety Corporation, POSCO has passed impressively in the3-metal analysis test for lead, cadmium, cupper, and in the 6 organic solvent analysis test for Benzene(BNZ), toluene(TOL), O-xylene(OXY), Trichloroethylene(TCE) and Methyl isobutyl keton(MIBK), n-Hexane with 2 standard deviations. These analytic techniques should be practically applied to various fields, and reliable results of environmental monitoring should be considered to improve the work environment and to keep workers from occupation related diseases.

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Study on Laws related to the Scope of Both Medical Doctors' Practice in Korea (의료인 업무범위 관련 법률 고찰)

  • Yu Jin So;Da Hee Lee;Hye In Jeong;Kyeong Han Kim
    • Journal of Society of Preventive Korean Medicine
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    • v.27 no.3
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    • pp.13-24
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    • 2023
  • Objective : This study was aimed to reassess the scope of practice for medical personnel based on laws. Method : The law specifying the scope of practice for medical personnel has been selected searching Korean Law Information Center(https://www.law.gov.kr). The result was categorized as 'examination, diagnosis, treatment, procedure, prescription, and others'. Results : The laws related to medical procedures were divided into three categories: diagnosis, treatments, and public health and others. In the field of diagnosis, traditional Korean medicine practitioners are generally allowed to play a role. However, some laws specify that only medical doctors can be the primary authorities for diagnosing infectious diseases. In the area of treatments, particularly in emergency medical situations, only medical doctors or nurses are typically mentioned. There are debates in the field of public health and other areas concerning issues such as vaccination, disability diagnosis, and the qualifications for health center directors. A reevaluation is also needed for the Occupational Safety and Health Act, where only medical doctors are set as the personnel standard for workers' health examinations. Conclusion : To safeguard and promote the health of the citizens, there is a need for a clear definition of the licensure and scope of practice for healthcare professionals. Consistent interpretation of conflicting provisions among various laws and clear criteria for the term 'physician' in legal contexts are essential.

Editorial for Vol. 31, No. 3 (편집자 주: 31권 3호)

  • Kim, Young Hyo
    • Korean journal of aerospace and environmental medicine
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    • v.31 no.3
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    • pp.61-63
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    • 2021
  • In Vol. 31, No. 3, our journal prepared three review articles, an original paper, and two case reports. First, as COVID-19 continues for a long time, aviation workers, including pilots, are also experiencing mental problems such as depression. Therefore, we have compiled the basic principles for improving the mental health of pilots. Next, it is difficult to properly perform cardio-pulmonary resuscitation (CPR) when a cardiac arrest situation occurs in an aircraft. Moreover, in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, CPR is more difficult because medical staff and other passengers may also be exposed to infections. Therefore, we have summarized the principles of CPR on board and ways to perform CPR while keeping the safety of medical staff and other passengers in the COVID-19 situation. The sudden change of gravity caused by space travel has various effects on the human body, and among them, the effect on the immune system is profound. Therefore, we reviewed the research methods to study the effect of gravity on the immune system and the results. In addition, we analyzed the demographic characteristics and health status of immigrant visa applicants who intended to immigrate to the United States over the past five years. Next, through two case reports, we reported cases of determining physical fitness for aviation service in patients who recovered after receiving appropriate treatment for chronic myeloid leukemia or renal cell carcinoma.

The Factors Influencing Understanding on Patient Safety Culture in General Hospital Employees (일 지역 종합병원 종사자들의 환자 안전문화 인식에 미치는 요인)

  • Jung, Sang-Jin;Ryu, So Yeon
    • Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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    • v.18 no.10
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    • pp.281-289
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    • 2017
  • This study was conducted to evaluate understanding of patient safety culture and the factors that influence this understanding among general hospital employees. To collect data, this study surveyed 343 employees of five general hospitals that were located in G metropolitan city and were authorized through medical institute certification. The data were collected from March 12 to April 21, 2017. For the data collected, a t-test, variance analysis, post-hoc analysis, and multiple regression analysis were conducted. The analyses revealed that the scores of understanding of patient safety culture were $3.27{\pm}.27$ with a perfect score of 5. Analysis of differences in understanding of patient safety culture revealed significant differences according to hospital service career, present department service career, professional career, and work units. Factors that influence understanding of patient safety culture were more than 11 year- hospital service career, 6 and 10 service years, and ward employees. Overall, the results of this study suggest that employees should receive education to improve understanding of patient safety culture and measures to change the understanding should be developed.

Medical Radiation Exposure Dose of Workers in the Private Study of the Job Function (의료기관 방사선 종사자의 직무별 개인피폭선량에 관한 연구)

  • Kang, Chun-Goo;Oh, Ki-Baek;Park, Hoon-Hee
    • The Korean Journal of Nuclear Medicine Technology
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    • v.15 no.2
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    • pp.3-12
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    • 2011
  • Purpose: With increasing medical use of radiation and radioactive isotopes, there is a need to better manage the risk of radiation exposure. This study aims to grasp and analyze the individual radiation exposure situations of radiation-related workers in a medical facility by specific job, in order to instill awareness of radiation danger and to assist in safety and radiation exposure management for such workers. Materials and Methods: From January 1, 2010 December 31, 2010, medical practitioners working in the radiation is classified as a regular personal radiation dosimetry, and subsequently one year 540 people managed investigation department to target workers, dose sectional area, working period, identify the job function-related tasks for a deep dose, respectively, the annual average radiation dose were analyzed. Frequency analysis methods include ANOVA was performed. Results: Medical radiation workers in the department an annual radiation dose of Nuclear and 4.57 mSv a was highest, dose zone-specific distribution of nuclear medicine and in the 5.01~19.05 mSv in the high dose area distribution showed departmental radiation four of the annual radiation dose of Nuclear and 7.14 mSv showed the highest radiation dose. More work an average annual radiation dose according to the job function related to the synthesis of Cyclotron to 17.47 mSv work showed the highest radiation dose, Gamma camera Cinema Room 7.24 mSv, PET/CT Cinema Room service is 7.60 mSv, 2.04 mSv in order of intervention high, were analyzed. Working period, according to domain-specific average annual dose of radiation dose from 10 to 14 in oral and maxillofacial radiology practitioners as high as 1.01~3.00 mSv average dose showed the Department of Radiology, 1-4 years, 5-9 years, respectively, 1.01 workers~8.00 mSv in the range of the most high-dose region showed the distribution, nuclear medicine, and the 1-4 years, 5-9 years 3.01~19.05 mSv, respectively, workers of the highest dose showed the distribution of the area in the range of 10 to 14 years, Workers at 15-19 3.01~15.00 mSv, respectively in the range of the high-dose region were distributed. Conclusion: These results suggest that medical radiation workers working in Nuclear Medicine radiation safety management of the majority of the current were carried out in the effectiveness, depending on job characteristics has been found that many differences. However, this requires efforts to minimize radiation exposure, and systematic training for them and for reasonable radiation exposure management system is needed.

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A Study on the Development of Rigging and Slinging Course for Seafarers (해상 줄걸이작업교육과정 개발에 대한 연구)

  • LEE, Woo;HAN, Cheol-Ho;WOO, Young-Jin;LEE, Jun-Hyuk;LEE, Chang-Hee
    • Journal of Fisheries and Marine Sciences Education
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    • v.28 no.6
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    • pp.1561-1572
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    • 2016
  • The ability to handle materials from one location to another, whether during transit or at the worksite is vital to all segments of industry. To varying degrees, many personnel in numerous workplaces take part in materials handling. Consequently, some employees are injured. In fact, rigging & slinging is a dangerous work using a crane and sling equipment to carry a cargo and the mishandling of materials is the single largest cause of accidents and injuries in the workplace. The majority of accidents associated with cranes and other lifting appliances are caused by faulty slinging, overloading, unbalanced loads, etc. which result in the load falling or tipping out of control, causing injury to people, damage to plant, machinery and the load. Therefore, recognizing the dangers of the works, there are much technical support including skill training in various institutes to minimize accidents during works on land. Although rigging work at sea is much dangerous than on land work because it needs to take account of the movements of the ships and waves, etc. in addition to land based rigging hazards, it is insufficient in appropriate actions that can improve the safety of the workers at sea. Therefore, this study suggested a rigging and slinging course for seafarers to improve their safety at sea by researching hazards and risk of rigging works and related skill training conducted on land.

Analysis of Relationship between Construction Accidents and Particulate Matter using Big Data

  • Lee, Minsu;Jeong, Jaewook;Jeong, Jaemin;Lee, Jaehyun
    • International conference on construction engineering and project management
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    • 2022.06a
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    • pp.128-135
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    • 2022
  • Because construction work is conducted outdoors, construction workers are affected by harmful environmental factor. Especially, Particulate Matter (PM10) is one of the harmful environmental factors with a diameter of 10㎍/m3 or less. When PM10 is inhaled by human, it can cause fatal impact on the human. Contrary to the various analyses of health impact on PM10, the research on the relationship between construction accidents and PM10 are few. Therefore, this study aims to conduct the relative frequency analysis which find out the correlation between construction accidents and PM10, and the modified PM10 grade is suggested to expect accidents probability caused by PM10 in the construction industry. This study is conducted by four steps. i) Establishment of the database; ii) Classification of data; iii) Analysis of the Relative Frequency of accidents in the construction industry by PM10 concentration; iv) Modified PM10 groups to classify the impact of PM10 on accident. In terms of frequency analysis, the most accidents were occurred in the average concentration of PM10 (32㎍/m3). However, we found that the relative frequency of accident was increased as the concentration of PM10 increased. This means the higher PM10 concentration can cause more accidents during construction. In addition, PM10 concentration was divided as 6 groups by the WHO, but the modified PM10 grade by the relative frequency on accident was suggested as 3 groups.

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Transfer Rate of Cross Contamination of Listeria monocytogenes between Pork Meat and Workers' Hands during Pork Meat Processing (포장돈육 가공공정 중 돈육과 작업자 손과의 Listeria monocytogenes의 교차오염 전이율)

  • Kim, Seong-Jo;Park, Myoung-Su;Bahk, Gyung-Kin;Rahman, S.M.E.;Park, Joong-Hyun;Oh, Deog-Hwan
    • Journal of Food Hygiene and Safety
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    • v.26 no.4
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    • pp.330-335
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    • 2011
  • This study was performed to determine the transfer rates of each foodborne pathogen from pork meat packaging during the processing. We analyzed the transfer rate of Listeria monocytogenes from contaminated pork meat to worker's hands (wearing polyethylene gloves, PEG; cotton gloves, CG; and bare hands), cutting boards and knives, and vice versa. Transfer rate of CG 100.00% was higher than that of bare hands 2.513% and PEG 1.511%. In particular, when wearing Co, the transfer rate from the CG to bare hands with CG was 0.08%. Also, the range of transfer rates from contaminated pork meat to cutting board and knife was 0.352-3.791%. In contrast, transfer rates from the workers' hands (with PEG/CG and bare hands) to cutting board, knife, and pork meat ranged from 0.001 to 0.141%. There was a lower transfer rate from workers' hands than from pork meat. These findings indicate that use of PEG could effectively reduce or prevent the cross-contamination compared to CG and provide important information concerning the consecutive transfer of L. monocytogenes during food processing.

Cohort Study for the Effect of Chronic Noise Exposure on Blood Pressure among Male Workers (만성적 소음노출이 혈압에 미치는 영향에 대한 코호트연구)

  • Cha, Tae-Joon;Kim, Jang-Rak;Kang, Wee-Chang;Yaang, Seung-Rim;Lee, Choong-Ryeol;Yoo, Cheol-In;Lee, Ji-Ho
    • Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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    • v.35 no.3
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    • pp.205-213
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    • 2002
  • Objective : Whether exposure to chronic noise induces an increase in blood pressure, or the development of hypertension, has not been established. A cohort study was performed to identify the effects of chronic noise exposure on blood pressure. Methods : 530 males working at a metal manufacturing factory in Busan, Korea were enrolled for the study. They were monitored for 9 consecutive years, from 1991 to 1999, with an annual health check-up. The subjects were divided into 4 groups, which were determines by noise level categories(NLC) according to noise intensity ; NLC-I: office workers, exposed to noise a level below 60dB(A) ; NLC-II: field technical supporters or supervisors, frequently exposed to workplace noise, wearing no hearing protection device; NLC-III: workers, exposed to workplace noise below 85dB(A), wearing ear plugs or muffs; NLC-IV: workers, exposed to workplace noise over 85 dB(A), wearing both ear plugs and muffs. Results : After controlling possible confoundens, such as baseline age, smoking, alcohol intake, exercise, family history of hypertension, systolic(SBP) of diastolic blood pressure(DBP) and changes in BMI (body mass index), the pooled mean for the systolic blood pressures, over the duration of the study period, were 3.8mmHg, 2.0mmHg and 1.7mmHg higher in NLC-IV, NLC-III NLC-II groups, respectively, than in the NLC-I group. There were no significant differences in the diastolic blood pressures between the groups. Conclusion : This study suggests that chronic noise exposure increases systolic blood pressure independently, among male workers.