• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Toxicology Conference
• /
• 2003.05a
• /
• pp.31-34
• /
• 2003

The monitoring of genotoxic effect or oxidative DNA damage in workers exposed to hazardous materials is increasingly applied for hazard identification or risk assessment purposes in workplaces. The current generation of biomarkers has the potential to allow for the earlier detection of occupational disease, for the reduction of misclassification of exposure and outcome. (omitted)

• Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
• /
• v.31 no.4
• /
• pp.385-395
• /
• 2021

Objectives: This study aimed to select items for technical guidelines through the guidelines of the Korean Occupational Safety and Health Agency (KOSHA) for agricultural workplaces. Methods: All 1,308 guidelines provided by KOSHA were reviewed and categorized using a Delphi technique questionnaire on their compatibility and urgency. Results: Among all the KOSHA guidelines, 100 items related to agricultural workplaces were selected. After that, two Delphi questionnaires were conducted and 46 items were finally selected. The average compatibility was calculated as 4.26, and urgency was 2.39. As a result of measuring the content validity of 46 items, six items were identified that were not relevant to agriculture. The final selected items were classified into four categories: Health examination and management, machinery standards, safety and health standard guides, and workplace environment management. Conclusions: The various risk factors at agricultural workplaces should be prevented and managed. It was shown that related technical guidelines or work standard manuals should be prepared. The technical guidelines of KOSHA will be provided as basic categories in the agricultural sector.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Safety
• /
• v.37 no.5
• /
• pp.22-32
• /
• 2022

The domestic smart factory is being built and spread rapidly, mainly by mid-sized companies and large enterprises according to the government's active introduction and support policy. But these factories only promote production system and efficiency, so harmfulness and risk factors are not considered. Therefore, to derive harmful risk factors in terms of industrial safety for 12,983 government-supported smart factory workplaces from 2014 to 2019, industrial accident status analysis compared workplaces with automation facilities and government-supported workplaces with automation facilities. Also, to reduce risks associated with domestic smart factory processes, twenty government-supported workplaces with automation facilities underwent analysis, evaluating risks through a status survey using the process evaluation table. In addition, the status survey considered region, size, industry, construction level, and accident rate; the difference in risk according to the structure of the process was confirmed. Based on the smart factory process evaluation results, statistical analysis confirmed that serial, parallel, and hybrid structures pose different risk levels and that the risks of mixed structures are greater. Finally, safety control system application was presented for risk assessment and reduction in the smart factory process, reflecting the results of disaster analysis and actual condition investigation.

• Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
• /
• v.28 no.2
• /
• pp.144-150
• /
• 2018

Objectives: The purpose of this study is to analyze the trend for exceedance of the domestic permissible exposure limit of benzene based on a review of the previous literature. Materials and methods: From among 13 chemical substances regulated through a PEL (Permissible Exposure Limit) in the Occupational Safety and Health Act, the research object of this study is benzene. The information utilized is work environment measurement data from 2004 to 2013. The highest level among the concentration data measured at various workplaces was selected as a representative value through the data process. N.D. (Not Detected) data was considered as 1/2 of the LOD (limit of detection). Results: Among the work environment measurement data between 2004 and 2013, the highest number of exceeding workplaces and the excess rate (12 sites and 5.4%) was observed in the 2006 data when applying the current PEL for benzene. When compared with the action level, which means a level one-half of the PEL, 2005's data showed the highest number of exceeding workplaces and greatest excess rate (89 sites & 13.3%). The number of exceeding workplaces and excess rate relative to the PEL for benzene showed an increasing trend in 2004, but tended to decrease after 2007. Conclusions: Based on the results obtained from this study, the exposure level for benzene among domestic workers is not considered to be in a safe phase regardless of the year of work environment measurement. Thus, strict preventive management in workplaces should be provided for reducing exposure to benzene.

• Safety and Health at Work
• /
• v.2 no.4
• /
• pp.321-327
• /
• 2011

Objectives: To find out from an analysis of empirical data the levels of influence, which a labor union (LU) and Occupational Safety and Health Committee (OSHC) have in reducing the occupational injury and illness rate (OIIR) through their accident prevention activities in manufacturing industries with five or more employees. Methods: The empirical data used in this study are the Occupational Safety and Health Tendency survey data, Occupational Accident Compensation data and labor productivity and sales data for the years 2003 to 2007. By matching these three sources of data, a final data set (n = 280) was developed and analyzed using SPSS version 18 (SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL, USA). Results: It was found that a workplace with a LU has a lower OIIR than one without a LU. In manufacturing industries with five or more employees in 2007, the OIIR of the workplaces without a LU was 0.87%, while that of workplaces with a LU was much lower at 0.45%. In addition, workplaces with an established OSHC had a lower OIIR than those without an OSHC. Conclusion: It was found that the OIIR of workplaces with a LU is lower than those without a LU. Moreover, those with the OSHC usually had a lower OIIR than those without. The workplace OIIR may have an impact on management performance because the rate is negatively correlated with labor productivity and sales. In the long run, the OIIR of workplaces will be reduced when workers and employers join forces and recognize that the safety and health activities of the workplace are necessary, not only for securing the health rights of the workers, but also for raising labor productivity.

• Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
• /
• v.29 no.1
• /
• pp.27-33
• /
• 2019

Objective: This study analyzed the status of the application of trade secrets in MSDSs according to size and type of industry. The contents of the MSDS non-public approval policy are summarized. We suggest proactive improvement requirements related to the operation of the MSDS non-public approval policy. Methods: To review this subject, we selected 153 manufacturers and six importers in such fields as organic chemical production. The trade secrets application status and ratio (%) of MSDSs by industry size and industry classification were investigated. Improvements toward a proactive system related to the operation of the MSDS non-public approval policy under the Occupational Safety and Health Act(OSHA) were summarized. Results and Conclusions: According to the results, the trade secret ratio in MSDSs by industry size was 33% in workplaces with less than 50 employees, 23.1% in workplaces with more than 50 but less than 100 workers, 73% in workplaces with more than 100 workers, and 83.4% in workplaces with 300 or more workers. For the trade secret writing rate for MSDSs by industry, the highest was MOCCP (Manufacture of ink, paint, coating and similar products) at 80.9%. MOC (Manufacture of other chemicals) was the lowest at 16.2%. We propose four proactive efforts to minimize the administrative burden of implementation of the MSDS non-public approval policy. The results of this study can be used as basic data for policy improvements to make more effective use of MSDS.

• Journal of the Society of Disaster Information
• /
• v.19 no.3
• /
• pp.490-497
• /
• 2023

Purpose: Since the 1990s, Korea has been making various efforts to prevent serious industrial accidents, such as implementing a hazardous risk prevention plan and implementing a process safety management system, but a series of recent major industrial accidents have shown its limitations. Therefore, this study aims to present measures to improve safety management of PSM target workplaces. Method: Investigate previous studies and cases on improving safety management at workplaces subject to PSM, seek ways to improve safety management at workplaces subject to PSM based on existing safety management, and evaluate safety management system one of the causes of accidents. Therefore, a safety education program is established to increase employees' safety awareness and understanding, and to improve the safety level. Result: Measures such as establishing an organizational culture to improve safety management of PSM target workplaces, responding to disasters, systematic safety management, replacing and strengthening old facilities, and strengthening management's firm commitment to safety were presented. Conclusion: Through this study, it is meaningful to present a systematic plan to secure safety to reduce precious lives and damage, and it is expected to be useful in considering the direction of PSM improvement for each workplace.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
• /
• v.28 no.8
• /
• pp.890-900
• /
• 2008

The purpose of this study was to investigate students' awareness on the scientific and/or technological workplaces and relevant professions in terms of accuracy, diversity and complexity. Participants were 185 7th-, 192 9th-, and 198 10th-graders in Seoul, Daegu, and Gwangju. The results revealed that students' ideas about scientific and/or technological workplaces were general in nature and were stereotyped as certain workplaces such as a laboratory, factory and garage. Their ideas did not differ significantly by grade in view of complexity. Many students also answered that the main factors affecting their ideas about scientific and/or technological workplaces were mass media and/or school education. The students' examples of scientific and/or technological professions were stereotyped as some professions, and the number of examples were very small. Students perceive the scientific professions accurately, but they have a vague perception of the technological professions. Educational implications of these findings are discussed.

• Journal of the Ergonomics Society of Korea
• /
• v.29 no.4
• /
• pp.513-519
• /
• 2010

Since 2003 when the prevention of work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs) became a responsibility of management in workplaces, the effectiveness of the Korean WMSDs law has been concern for many stakeholders of this measure including workers, workers' union, researchers, professionals, and managers as well as officials in governments. WMSDs are known to be resulted from overburden on workers' body due to tasks required at their workplaces. Korean government enacted a law to require management of companies to take measures to prevent musculoskeletal disorders at work. The objectives of this paper is to review activities and actions taken to comply with this WMSDs law and problems encountered in last 7 years since the law came intoforce and suggest resolutions for problems so that this law can contribute to fulfill the real purpose of the law and make better workplaces in Korea.

• Journal of Korean Society for Atmospheric Environment
• /
• v.15 no.3
• /
• pp.235-247
• /
• 1999

This study was performed to investigate what was the most serious occupational factors in small scale industries. Twenty-three occupatonally hazardous substances were measured at the five workplaces in the Eastern Seoul during 1995∼1996. Total of 2,020 samples were analyzed by either GC/FID for organic vapors or AAS for heavy metals. From the results of this study noise was the most serious factor at the selected workplaces. Noise level in the metal processing, the printing, and the auto repairing industries exceeded the 8 hr PEL by 19.7%, 13.6%, and 11.6%, respectively. Mean concentrations of toluene in the shoe making and the printing industries exceeded the assessment crieterion by 6.0% and 3.8%, respectively. Further study of risk assessment of occupational exposure may be required to protect workers from hazardous working conditons.