The steel wheels of urban railway vehicles gather a lot of data through regular measurements during maintenance. However, limited research has been carried out utilizing this data, resulting in difficulties predicting the maintenance period. This paper studied a machine learning model suitable for mileage prediction by studying the characteristics of mileage change according to diameter and flange thickness changes. The results of this study indicate that the larger the diameter, the longer the travel distance, and the longest flange thickness is at 30 mm, which gradually shortened at other times. As a result of research on the machine learning prediction model, it was confirmed that the random forest model is the optimal model with a high coefficient of determination and a low root mean square error.

This study presents the characteristics of short circuits (SCs) caused by excessive currents in high-voltage cables used in electric vehicles and emphasizes the need to calculate the cross-sectional areas of these cables according to the SC current. Three direct current power supplies were connected in parallel to test the SC characteristics caused by excessive currents, and a timer and a magnetic contactor were used to deliver the conduction time and SC current. A circular infrared-radiation heater was used to test the temperature-dependent SC characteristics, a thermocouple was used to measure the temperature, and a shunt resistor was used to measure the current. As the SC current increased, the fusing time of the cable decreased. Additionally, a high-voltage cable (with an area of 16 mm² ) used in electric vehicles fused when a current (approximately equal to 55 times the allowable current) flowed for 0.2 s (operating time of the protective device). When the SC current is 10 kA, the cable may fuse during the operating time of the protective device, thus creating a fire hazard. In electric vehicles, the size of the SC current increases in proportion to the capacity of the battery. Thus, the cross-sectional areas of the cables used should be calculated accordingly, and cable operations should be properly coordinated with the surrounding protective devices.

LPG-related accidents, which account for half of all gas accidents in Korea, have not shown any sign of decrease over the past decade, partially owing to the lack of effective safety improvement measures. The purpose of this study was to identify the effectiveness of improvement measures by analyzing the traits of accidents in terms of human factors, and to seek more effective accident prevention strategies. In this study, 108 accident cases were collected and analyzed in the aspect of accident characteristics such as violation type, human factors, and so on. The results showed that the work procedures of suppliers and engineers related to LPG accidents seemed to be similar in outward appearance; however, specific accident causes and unsafe behaviors were different. Particularly, type and target of violations were different, which could be visually confirmed by the Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and the Quantification Techniques (QT). Furthermore, for engineers, insufficient supervision was a major influencing factor. In conclusion, because the accident characteristics of suppliers and engineers are different, differentiated accident prevention strategies should be implemented, which was discussed in this study.

Revising the Occupational Safety and Health Act led to enacting and revising related laws and systems, such as placing fire observers in hot workplaces. However, the operating standards in such cases are still ambiguous. Although fire accidents occur through multiple and multi-step factors, the hazards of fire accidents have been identified in this study as individual rather than interrelated factors. The aim has been to identify multiple factors of accidents, outlining fire and explosion accidents that recently occurred in the domestic manufacturing industry. First, major keywords were extracted through text mining. Then representative accident types were derived by combining the main keywords through the co-word network analysis to identify the hazards and their relationships. The representative fire accidents were identified as six types, and their major hazards were then addressed for improving safety measures using the identification of hazards in the "Risk Assessment" tool. It is found that various safety measures, such as professional fire observers' training and clear placement standards, are needed. This study will provide useful basic data for revising practical laws and guidelines for fire accident prevention, system supplementation, safety policy establishment, and future related research.

Job stress factors are factors that induce biological, psychological, and behavioral responses in individuals when they encounter mental and physical stimuli in the workplace. According to occupational safety and health standards, employers are responsible for the health consequences of job stress when workers engage in activities that result in high levels of physical fatigue and mental stress. Such activities include long working hours, shift work (including night shifts), driving vehicles, and operating precision machinery. Therefore, precautionary measures should be implemented. Following the COVID-19 epidemic, the logistics industry in Korea has experienced rapid growth owing to the shift from offline to online platforms facilitated by advanced digital infrastructure. Consequently, this study conducted a survey to analyze job stress factors among delivery workers. The survey utilized a Korean job stress factor assessment tool comprising 43 items and analyzed job stress factors considering the work characteristics of the courier business field obtained from responses provided by 421 courier workers nationwide. The survey analysis revealed that the physical environment, job demands, and job autonomy exhibited higher stress indices among Korean workers. Furthermore, the younger the age, the higher the stress on job demands, whereas the higher the age, the higher the stress on relationship conflict, job instability, and workplace culture. In addition, daytime delivery work was associated with higher stress levels in job demands and job instability compared with nighttime delivery work. These findings can serve as foundational data for reducing and preventing job stress among courier workers, whose workload has increased owing to the growth of the logistics industry.

Pine trees, which account for 23% of the forested area of the Republic of Korea, are highly vulnerable to fire in comparison to broad-leaved trees due to the presence of consistent water tube sections throughout the year and resin that is composed of approximately 20% oil. In addition, the pattern of forest fires is determined by weather, topographic conditions, and fluctuation in moisture content. Therefore, when fire breaks out in pine tree forests during the dry season (January to March), it is difficult to extinguish, and it quickly spreads. In this study, the combustion characteristics of pine needles, pine cones, and pine branches in the water tube sections of living pine trees were compared and analyzed in accordance with the moisture content as per the ISO 5660-1. The monthly moisture content was analyzed from January to March, and it was found to be the lowest in March, with 53.6% for pine needles, 51.9% for pine branches, and 10.9% for pine cones. In particular, pine cones were more vulnerable to fire as compared to pine needles and pine branches because their moisture content was more than five times lower than that of pine needles and branches. The ignition time, which affects the speed of flame propagation, was the most rapid in March, and the fastest ignition time was for pine cones, at 19 seconds, followed by 34 seconds for pine needles, and 256 seconds for pine branches. The pine branches were the last to be ignited due to the effect of density, according to the thickness and specific gravity of the specimen. The peak heat release rate, which is a measurable index of fire intensity, was analyzed for pine cones and found to be 184.28 kW/m² , while the mean effective heat of combustion was 19.79 MJ/kg, and the total heat release rate was 39.7 MJ/m² , and these values were higher than those of pine branches and pine needles. Thus, we determined that the flame propagation speed and fire intensity according to the moisture content can be used to evaluate the risk of fire to the water tube section of pine trees. It is suggested that because of the combustion characteristics of the pine cone in March, that is when the forest is most vulnerable to fires.

In the inspection of workplace hazards/risk factors by specialized institutions dedicated to safety management, inspection reports vary based on the inspectors, who lack the authority to enforce improvement of workplace hazards/risk factors. Thus, improvement and accident rates remain steady without decreasing. This study performed a regression analysis on the relationship between improvement and accident rates of categorized inspection items by classifying hazards/risk factors from inspection reports submitted by a specialized safety management institution in Chungbuk after inspecting 10 food and beverage manufacturers over the past three years. The hazards/risk factors were classified into five categories: mechanical, electrical, chemical, human, and environmental. The regression analysis revealed that the improvement rate of hazards/risk factors inspected by the specialized safety management institution influenced accident rates. To enhance improvement rates based on these findings, this study prioritized the correction of the five most frequently cited inspection items with the lowest improvement rates in each area. Based on these inspection items, this study suggested a checklist for use in workplace safety inspections of food manufacturers. This proposed checklist is expected to reduce accident rates in food manufacturing facilities. Currently, guidance and inspection of workplaces are mainly focused on accident rates rather than correcting hazards/risks. Thus, accident rates remain unchanged as workplace risks are inadequately improved according to the unique characteristics of each workplace. When conducting workplace guidance and inspection, policy measures and inspection methods are warranted to increase the improvement rate of hazards/risks.

The relationship between near misses and major accidents can be confirmed using the ratios proposed by Heinrich and Bird. Systematic reviews of previous national and international studies did not reveal the assessment process used in near-miss management systems. In this study, a model was developed for assessing near misses and major factors were derived through case application. By reviewing national and international literature, 14 factors were selected for each dimension of the P2T (people, procedure, technology) model. To identify the causal relationship between accidents and these factors, a near-miss assessment model was developed using a Bayesian network. In addition, a sensitivity analysis was conducted to derive the major factors. To verify the validity of the model, near-miss data obtained from the ethylene production process were applied. As a result, "PE2 (education)," "PR1 (procedure)," and "TE1 (equipment and facility not installed)" were derived as the major factors causing near misses in this process. If actual workplace data are applied to the near-miss assessment model developed in this study, results that are unique to the workplace can be confirmed. In addition, scientific safety management is possible only when priority is given through sensitivity analysis.

Various lifting slings are used in domestic industrial sites depending on the purpose, form, and environment. Each sling has its characteristics, and safe lifting work is possible when its performance meets the regulations. Therefore, this study analyzed domestic and foreign regulations and guidelines related to chain slings. It identified significant problems by analyzing the chain-sling-related disaster cases. The current status of chain slings used by various industries and the ways to improve chain sling safety were studied. The major chain sling issues were: 1) employing improper components to chains, 2) having different safety coefficients between the regulation and industrial standards, and 3) using chains unsuitable for lifting purposes. Based on these issues, the following measures were proposed to improve chain sling work safety: 1) revise the safety coefficient requirements under the Regulations on Occupational Safety and Health Standards, 2) disseminate specialized sling courses, and 3) strengthen on-site chain slings-related training. In the future, this study is expected to minimize chain use mistakes by unifying the safety coefficient related to chain slings and recognizing the importance of correctly selecting components employed in the chain.