• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.158-163
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• 2024

Objectives: The present paper aimed to examine whether an aging workforce is associated with an increase in work-related fatal injuries and to explore the underlying reasons for this potential increase. Material and methods: Aged workers were defined as those who were at least 55 years old. Work-related fatalities were assessed in aged and young workers who were registered with the workers' compensation system in 2021 in the Republic of Korea. Total waged workers, based on raw data from the Local Area Labor Force Survey in 2021, were used as the denominator to estimate the work-related fatality rates. Results: Most work-related fatalities in the aged workers occurred among individuals working in the "construction sector" (58.9%), those with "elementary occupations (unskilled workers)" (46.1%), and those with the employment status of "daily worker" (60.8%). The estimated incidence (0.973/10,000) of work-related fatalities among aged workers was about four times higher than that (0.239/10,000) among younger workers. "Falling," "collision," "struck by an object," and "trip and slip" were more frequent types of work-related fatalities among aged workers relative to young workers. The category of "buildings, structures, and surfaces" was a more frequent cause of work-related fatalities among aged workers than among young workers. Conclusions: Aged workers had a higher incidence of work-related fatalities than young workers. Frequent engagement in precarious employment and jobs, coupled with the greater physical vulnerability of aged workers, were likely causes of their higher level of work-related fatal injuries.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.10 no.1
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• pp.3-20
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• 2019

This review aimed to identify risk factors for occupational accidents and illnesses among young workers in the Nordic countries and to attain knowledge on specific vulnerable groups within the young working force that may need special attention. We conducted a systematic review from 1994 to 2014 using five online databases. Of the 12,528 retrieved articles, 54 met the review criteria and were quality assessed, in which data were extracted focusing on identifying occupational safety, health risk factors, and vulnerable groups among the young workers. The review shows that mechanical factors such as heavy lifting, psychosocial factors such as low control over work pace, and organizational factors such as safety climate are all associated with increased injury risk for young Nordic workers. Results show that exposures to chemical substances were associated with skin reactions, e.g., hand eczema. Heavy lifting and awkward postures were risk factors for low back pain, and high job demands were risk factors for mental health outcomes. The review identified young unskilled workers including school drop-out workers as particularly vulnerable groups when it comes to occupational accidents. In addition, apprentices and young skilled workers were found to be vulnerable to work-related illnesses. It is essential to avoid stereotyping young Nordic workers into one group using only age as a factor, as young workers are a heterogeneous group and their vulnerabilities to occupational safety and health risks are contextual. Politicians, researchers, and practitioners should account for this complexity in the education, training and organization of work, and workplace health and safety culture.

• Proceedings of the Korean Institute of Building Construction Conference
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• 2019.11a
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• pp.46-47
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• 2019

The construction industry has a higher dependency on manpower than other industries, requiring a supply of high quality skilled workers. But negative perceptions regarding the construction industry have continued to reduce the inflow of young workers into the industry, and the existing skilled workforce is aging. In response, as a solution for training young construction skilled manpower, training programs for young construction skilled workers have been implemented by specialized high schools. But the current status of career paths chosen by the graduates of these specialized high schools did not show a substantial influx of workers into the construction industry. In this regard, with the purpose of promoting an influx of young construction skilled manpower into the industry, this study analyzed the goals and problems of construction education in specialized high schools in South Korea, and suggested a method for improvement.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Safety
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• v.29 no.6
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• pp.99-103
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• 2014

Recently unemployed construction workers are increasing because of construction recession. But the lack of manpower occurs at the same time, in construction sites. So, the excess of workforce supply and demand exists in construction sites. Construction companies have a difficulty in seeking young skilled workers due to this problem. In this study, construction accidents reported by Korean Occupational Safety and Health Agency from 2007 to 2010 were analyzed. It has shown that 50-54, 45-49 and 55-59 year old workers formed 22%, 18% and 17% respectively. This means that old workers becomes a real problem in construction. This research has shown that old workers didn't have much more accidents than young workers, construction accidents related to the employment period of workers.

• Social Workers
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• no.5 s.37
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• pp.18-22
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• 2005

• Research in Community and Public Health Nursing
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• v.18 no.2
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• pp.284-292
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• 2007

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to explore and understanding the nature of the shift workers' experience in industries requiring 24 hours-a-day service provision and support. For the Purpose, the present researcher made a research Question, "What are workers' experience in the shift work?" Methods: In the study, 5 male shift workers, 3 female shift worker and a woman (key informant) whose husband is a shift worker participated. Then profound interviews with the participants were made after their agreement. Results: The researcher classified the significant statements under 6 theme clusters, 1) sense of difference; 2) worries about health; 3) draining of emotion; 4) anxiety; 5) sadness; and 6) being comfortable. Conclusions: Shift work which is inevitable in modern society may have severe influences on shift workers' physical, mental and psychological aspects by causing their work cycle rhythm to be unbalanced. Finally, the researcher hopes that the results of the study would help understand workers' life and increase social concern and support to the workers.

• Nutritional Sciences
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• v.4 no.2
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• pp.91-97
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• 2001

The purpose of this study was to assess the nutritional status of Korean workers with occupational exposure to lead by estimating nutrients and flood intakes so that we can eventually establish the dietary guidelines to be recommended for the lead workers. Food consumption survey was conducted by a 24-hr recall method with 135 lead workers and 50 non-exposed controls. Food intake data were convened into nutrients intake using computer aided nutritional analysis program. Mean daily energy intake and percentage of recommended daily allowance (RDA) of male lead workers were 2138 local and 87% of RDA while those of control were estimated as 2234 kcal and 91% of RDA. Mean daily intakes of nutrients of male lead workers were 78 g (111% RDA) for protein 502 mg (71% RDA) for calcium, 11.7 mg (97% RDA) for iron, 665 $\mu$g R.E (95% RDA) for vitamin A, 1.39 mg (108% RDA) for thiamin, 1.14 mg (77% RDA) for riboflavin, 15 mg N.E (92% RDA) for niacin and 66 mg (94% RDA) for vitamin C. On average, male lead workers showed significantly lower protein, calcium, iron, sodium, potassium, niacin and vitamin C intakes than control group while cholesterol intake of the male lead workers was significantly higher than that of control group. Intakes of calcium of male lead workers were Less than 75% RDA meaning that nutritional intake of calcium of male lead workers was insufficient and could possibly result in nutritional deficient. Some food groups such as milk, meat and fish must be strongly suggested to improve nutritional status of lead workers. Continuing nutrition monitoring and appropriate nutrition intervention for lead workers most be conducted further.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing
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• v.35 no.8
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• pp.1500-1507
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• 2005

Purpose. The purpose of this study was to identify subgroups of the physical and behavioral risk profiles for cardiovascular disease among industrial workers, and to examine predicting factors for the subgroups. Sample and Method. Health records of 2,616 male and female workers aged 19-56 years who were employed in an airplane manufacturing industry were analyzed. Data were analyzed using the Latent class cluster analysis. Results. Four different clusters (two high-risk groups, one low-risk group, and one normal group) were found and these clusters were significantly different by age, gender, and work type (p < .05 ). The two high-risk groups had higher chances of drinking alcohol, elevated BMI, FBS, total cholesterol, having hypertension, and were significantly older, and had relatively high chances of being day workers rather than other groups. The low-risk group had higher chances of drinking alcohol, higher BMI and total cholesterols compared to normal group, and highest portions of current smokers and shift workers in the four clusters and their mean BP was within prehypertension criteria. Conclusion. Industrial nurses should guide the lifestyle behaviors and risk factors of the high risk groups for CVD and need to intervene early for behavioral change for the low-risk group who are young and shift workers. Age, and work environment should be considered in planning for targeted preventive interventions for industrial workers.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.14 no.4
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• pp.476-482
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• 2023

Introduction: There is a growing global interest in the issue of precarious employment. We aimed to analyze the characteristics and socio-demographic distribution of precarious employment using a summative score approach. Methods: To operationalize precarious employment, we utilized data from the Korean Working Conditions Survey and focused on three distinct dimensions: employment insecurity, income inadequacy, and a lack of rights and protections. By constructing a summative scale ranging from -16 to 2, with lower scores indicating higher precariousness, we measured employment precariousness among Korean wage workers. To compare employment precariousness according to survey participant characteristics, we employed the Wilcoxon Rank Sum Test. Results: We analyzed a weighted number of 38,432 workers. The overall sample showed a median (Q1, Q3) summative scale score of -3 (-6, -1). The median summative score was lower for women compared to men (men: -2; women: -5; p < 0.001), as well as for young or older workers compared to middle-aged workers (young: -4; middle-aged: -2; older: -5; p < 0.001). Similarly, workers with lower educational levels (middle school or below: -8; high school: -5; college or above: -2; p < 0.001) and non-white collar workers (blue collar: -5; service/sales worker: -6; white collar: -2; p < 0.001) experienced higher levels of employment precariousness. Conclusion: Our findings indicate that certain vulnerable groups, such as women, young or older adults, workers with low educational attainment, and caregiving or low-skilled elementary workers, are disproportionately exposed to high employment precariousness. Active policy interventions are needed to improve the employment quality of vulnerable groups.

• Land and Housing Review
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• v.14 no.1
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• pp.1-16
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• 2023

This study examines the housing-related characteristics of unmarried youth using occupational history data from the 10th-14th (2016-2020) youth panel (YP2007) of the Korea Employment Information Service, and the characteristics of housing and employment. Their effect on marriage intention was empirically analyzed. The results of the analysis show that highly educated people, high-wage workers, household heads or economically independent young people, and young people in good financial conditions have a high willingness to marry. Their economic conditions are very important factors. Among the young employed who have become economically independent from their parents, full-time permanent workers, workers at large corporations, and highly waged youth showed a strong desire to get married. On the contrary, young people who are insecure temporary/daily workers, workers at small firms, and low-wage workers show a low willingness to marry. In conclusion, the results imply that young people who are in a vulnerable state in the labor market are giving up or delaying their marriage. Therefore, it is necessary to enhance policies to provide better employment opportunities for youth and, simultaneously, revamp the policy measures to enhance housing conditions.