• Safety and Health at Work
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• 제6권1호
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• pp.1-8
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• 2015

Time-loss injuries are still a major occurrence in Canada, injuring thousands of Canadian workers each year. With obesity rates on the rise across the country, as well as around the world, it is important that the possible effects of obesity in the workplace be fully understood, especially those effects linked to lost-time injuries. The aim of this paper was to evaluate predictors of workplace lost-time injuries and how they may be related to obesity or high body mass index by examining factors associated with lost-time injuries in the health care sector, a well-studied industry with the highest number of reported time loss injuries in Canada. A literature review focusing on lost-time injuries in Registered Nurses (RNs) was conducted using the keywords and terms: lost time injury, workers' compensation, occupational injury, workplace injury, injury, injuries, work, workplace, occupational, nurse, registered nurse, RN, health care, predictors, risk factors, risk, risks, cause, causes, obese, obesity, and body mass index. Data on predictors or factors associated with lost-time injuries in RNs were gathered and organized using Loisel's Work Disability Prevention Management Model and extrapolated upon using existing literature surrounding obesity in the Canadian workplace.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• 제9권4호
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• pp.421-426
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• 2018

Background: The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of shift work on occupational safety in various industrial sectors. The study analyzes the effects of shift work on the health of workers by considering factors such as the workplace environment and welfare. Methods: Focusing on the $4^{th}$ Korean Working Conditions Survey, this study used an ordinary least-square multiple regression analysis. The dependent variable was the annual frequency of injuries reported by workers. Independent variables were categorized as demographic, shift work, workplace environment, and welfare variables. The analysis was conducted on two levels: 1) Shift work and nonshift work groups were compared, and 2) Shift work was compared with fixed and rotating shifts. Results: For the entire group, age, a low level of education, work hours, and daily and dispatch work negatively impacted the frequency of injuries. Shift work was negatively affected by workplace environment and welfare factors. In the shift group, the frequency of injuries was lower than that of regular workers, and the higher the autonomy in the choice of work hours, the lower the frequency of injuries. Furthermore, shift workers in Korea have more extended work hours (49.25 h/week) than other workers (46.34 h/week). Conclusion: Overall, welfare factors such as workplace satisfaction and worke-life balance reduced the frequency of injuries. The effect of shift work was limited, but it was confirmed that shift worker autonomy could reduce the frequency of injuries.

• 노동경제논집
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• 제39권2호
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• pp.83-111
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• 2016

근로자들이 흡연과 음주행위를 통해서 주관적으로 느끼는 자신의 업무상 위험판단과 산업재해 발생에 어떠한 차이를 보이는지 실증분석한다. 분석 결과에 따르면, 흡연자는 주관적 업무상 위험성은 높고 객관적 산업재해 발생도 높은 반면, 금연자는 주관적 위험은 높게 평가되지만 산업재해 발생은 낮다. 흡연구역 설치로 인해 흡연근로자들의 주관적 업무위험판단과 산업재해 발생이 하락하는 효과가 있으며, 여성보다 남성 근로자에게 효과가 뚜렷하다. 남성 흡연자들의 인적 네트워크 구축으로 인한 효과가 크게 나타나는 것으로, 사업장 내에 다양한 의사소통의 장치가 마련되어 업무의 위해요소와 산업재해 가능성을 줄일 수 있는 선순환구조가 정착되어야 한다.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• 제7권2호
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• pp.138-142
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• 2016

Background: Household waste collectors (HWCs) are exposed to hazardous conditions. This study investigates the patterns of workplace injuries and work-related illnesses of HWCs. Methods: This study uses cases of workplace injuries and work-related illnesses of HWCs that occurred between 2010 and 2011. We analyzed 325 cases of injuries and 36 cases of illnesses according to the workers' age, length of employment, size of workplace, injured part of body, day and month of injury, type of accident, agency of accident, and collection process. Results: There were significant differences in the effect of workers' length of employment, injured part of body, type of accident, agency of accident, and collection process. Results show that most injuries occur in workers in their 50s and older. This study also shows that 51.4% of injuries occur at businesses with 49 employees or fewer. Injuries to waste collectors happen most often when workers are electrocuted after slipping on the ground. The second most prevalent form of injury is falling, which usually happens when workers hang from the rear of the truck during transportation or otherwise slip and fall from the truck. Work-related illnesses amongst waste collectors are mostly musculoskeletal conditions due to damaging postures. Conclusion: These findings will be instructive in devising policies and guidelines for preventing workplace injuries and work-related illnesses of HWCs.

• 대한안전경영과학회지
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• 제16권1호
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• pp.129-138
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• 2014

As S. Korea is becoming an "aged society", workers in the country would be exposed to higher risk of workplace injuries due to their reducing work abilities as they are getting old. To identify the relationship between the work ability and the incident rate of workplace injuries, the work ability index (WAI) scores were surveyed from 409 workers occupied in different manufacturing industries reside on north GyoengBuk area. The workplace injury statistics in the year of 2010 for the corresponding industries were analyzed and summarized with the WAI scores by age groups, years of service, and sizes of business. The results showed the WAI scores of the workers occupied in the higher risk of workplace injury was lower than that of the workers of the lower risk. It means the lower the WAI score, the higher the chance of being injured during the task. It is concluded that appropriate correlation exists between the WAI scores of workers and the incident rate of workplace injury. It is recommended to administrate individual work abilities of aged workers in order to keep low rate of workplace injuries in upcoming aged and highly aged society.

• 대한안전경영과학회지
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• 제15권4호
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• pp.7-16
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• 2013

As workplace incidents has been being declining in Korea, there is criticism of the effectiveness of occupational safety policy implementation. It is unknown that which policy target group needs to be targeted to yield effective injuries prevention. The purpose of this paper is to analyze and reveal the policy intervention group with a high priority in terms of industrial incident prevention and the related investment cost. A Policy Priority Model(PPM) is composed of 6 indicators regarding influences of both the incident reduction and the cost reduction. Z-score analyses are used to confirm the high policy priority area or policy target group. Overall, workplace with worker below 50 persons, construction site with the sales of more than a hundred million won, workplace with relatively small percentage of female employees and relatively higher percentage of older worker should be prioritized to reduce workplace injuries. This paper provides an analytic way that can be used to decide the policy priority workplace in order not only to reduce work-related injuries&illnesses and the related investment cost but to further lessen the related societal costs.

• 대한인간공학회지
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• 제34권5호
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• pp.519-529
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• 2015

Objective: This study aims to analyze the characteristics of occupational accidents and injuries of telecommunications line and cable workers by type of workplace and operational process of cabling service and to provide baseline data in establishing the preventive policies for occupational accidents and injuries. Background: In order to set up the preventive policies for occupational injuries and illness systematically, the accident analysis by industry should be preceded. To establish more effective policies, it should be done by occupation for persons who work in various kinds of occupation rather than by industry for persons who do in the same occupation. Method: In this study, the 176 occupational accidents and injuries were classified by type of workplace - indoor (inside building) and outdoor (at the top of utility pole, in a manhole, or in the fields) - and also done by operational process involved at the time of the accident. By analyzing the characteristics of occupational injuries and illness by type of workplace and operational process, respectively, this study can be helpful in establishing the preventative policies for occupational accidents and injuries. Results: The characteristics of occupational accidents and injuries by type of workplace showed that there were differences in terms of accident rate between indoor and outdoor on age of the injured, while not on employment-size and work experience of the injured. In addition, the characteristics on accident type, agency of accident, parts of body affected, and operational process between indoor and outdoor workplaces were statistically different each other. Conclusion and Application: The findings of occupational accidents' characteristics can be applied to the establishment of systematic preventative policies for occupational accidents of telecommunications line/equipment workers.

• 한국직업건강간호학회지
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• 제22권4호
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• pp.275-284
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• 2013

Purpose: This study analyzed the characteristics of occupational injuries and illnesses of the nursing staff to reveal the prevalence of the major diseases and the predominant causes of the injuries in the nursing environment. Methods: Total 3,455 work-related compensation cases of nursing staff from January 1 2000 to December 31 2012, were selected. The specific types of the diseases, injuries, causes and the time of the incidence were analyzed. Results: Majority of the compensated cases were young women under 30 years old. The composition of the occupational injuries and illness was 74.5% and 25.5%, respectively. Occupational infection was the major part of the occupational illnesses (47.3%), and 74% of them were tuberculosis. Musculoskeletal disorder (12.6%) was followed the infectious disease, and 36.4% of them occurred while moving the patients. Slipping was the most frequent injury; most of them resulted in the lower extremities injury. Most of the injuries increased during shift change, except workplace violence, which increased later than 19:00. Conclusion: Occupational injuries and illnesses of nursing staff need the specific prevention strategy, and the prevention strategy should be suitable for the nursing workplace.

• 한국직업건강간호학회지
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• 제25권2호
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• pp.85-95
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• 2016

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine the burn characteristics of female patients hospitalized in a burn center. Methods: This is a retrospective descriptive study. The subjects were 222 female patients aged over 19 years old having burn injuries from work sites between January 1, 2012 and December 31, 2014. Data were collected using electronic medical records about the burn-related characteristics. The data were analyzed descriptively. Results: Many of the subjects were in their forties and fifties. Most subjects showed burns with an area of less than 10% of the body surface with a severity of second degree. Scalding burns were the most frequent. Contact burns were usually of third-degree severity and occurred on hands and wrists. Flame burns affected the largest body surface area and frequently occurred on the face and mainly caused by explosion of a stove or kitchen gas. Chemical burns frequently occurred on the lower limbs. Conclusion: Female workers are exposed to the hazards of burn injuries in industrial accidents. Types of burn differ depending on the workplace conditions. Therefore, preventative measures for burn injuries should be established in accordance with the characteristics of each industry to which female workers belong.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• 제1권2호
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• pp.107-111
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• 2010

This paper provided a brief summary of the current strategic goals, activities, and impacts of the NIOSH (National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health) occupational injury research program. Three primary drivers (injury database, stakeholder input, and staff capacity) were used to define NIOSH research focuses to maximize relevance and impact of the NIOSH injury-prevention-research program. Injury data, strategic goals, program activities, and research impacts were presented with a focus on prevention of four leading causes of workplace injury and death in the US: motor vehicle incidents, falls, workplace violence, and machine and industrial vehicle incidents. This paper showcased selected priority goals, activities, and impacts of the NIOSH injury prevention program. The NIOSH contribution to the overall decrease in fatalities and injuries is reinforced by decreases in specific goal areas. There were also many intermediate outcomes that are on a direct path to preventing injuries, such as new safety regulations and standards, safer technology and products, and improved worker safety training. The outcomes serve as an excellent foundation to stimulate further research and worldwide partnership to address global workplace injury problems.