• 한국환경보건학회지
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• 제49권6호
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• pp.372-379
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• 2023

Background: Laundry workers are known to be exposed to organic solvents in various works including dry cleaning. Long-term exposure to organic solvents may cause adverse health effects among laundry workers. Objectives: To investigate the association between exposure to organic solvents and symptom of headache or eyestrain among laundry workers. Methods: The subjects were total 267 laundry workers who participated in the 6th Korean Working Conditions Survey (KWCS). Responses to exposure to 'inhalation of vapor from organic solvent' was categorized into two (non-exposed: rarely or absolutely not exposed during working hours; exposed: ≥1/4 working hours) or three (non-exposed; low exposure: 1/4 of the working hours; high exposure: ≥1/2 working hours) groups. Logistic regression analysis was performed to evaluate the association between exposure to organic solvents and symptom of headache or eyestrain in the last 12 months among laundry workers. Odds ratios (ORs) and the 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated for experience of the symptom of headache or eyestrain with adjustment for age, sex, education, workplace size (by the number of workers), working hours per week, and current working period (year). Results: The proportions of exposure groups, i.e., non-exposed, low exposure, and high exposure, were 80.4%, 11.1%, and 8.5%, respectively. The proportion of those who had symptom of headache or eyestrain in the last 12 months was 18.7%. There was a significant association between exposure to organic solvents and experience of headache or eyestrain (OR=3.2, 95% CI=1.4~7.4). And, the proportion of those who experienced symptom of headache or eyestrain tended to increase significantly as the level of exposure to organic solvents increased (P_trend=0.002). Conclusions: Our results suggest that exposure to organic solvents are associated with symptom of headache or eystrain among laundry workers in Korea. However, further studies with more relevant design is needed to replicate the association.

• 한국산업보건학회지
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• 제32권4호
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• pp.325-339
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• 2022

Objective: This study was to perform to identify the distribution characteristics and related factors of work-related low back pain among manufacturing workers in Korea. Methods: We analyzed the third(2011) through sixth(2020) Korean Working Conditions Survey. This study examined changes in the prevalence of work-related low back pain among manufacturing workers and related factors, including demographic characteristics and working conditions. Results: The prevalence of work-related low back pain showed a general tendency to increase during the study periods except for the 5th wave. The prevalence of work-related low back pain was higher in women than in men. The prevalence increased with increasing age and decreased with higher educational attainment. This trend was observed in all survey waves. The prevalence ratios for work-related low back pain according to working conditions varied over the survey period. In general, workers with manual jobs, long working hours, and exposure to tired or painful postures showed relatively higher prevalence ratios than did their counterparts. Providing Information on health and safety, perception that work affects health, and experience of presenteeism were identified as influencing factors for work-related low back pain. Although the working environment is improving, work-related back pain is on the rise. A multifaceted study on risk factors for work-related low back pain is needed. Conclusion: Work-related low back pain is a significant factor affecting the working population's quality of life. The prevalence of work-related low back pain showed a tendency to increase during the study periods. A multifaceted study on risk factors for work-related low back pain is needed.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• 제15권1호
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• pp.53-58
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• 2024

Background: As social distancing persists and interest in work-life balance grows, more companies are adopting flexible work policies. While there have been studies on sleep disorders associated with different types of work, such as shift work, research exploring the relationship between flexible work schedules and sleep disorders is still limited, particularly among Korean workers. Methods: We performed a secondary analysis of the 6th Korean Working Conditions Survey, focusing on 31,243 paid workers out of a total of 50,538 participants. We defined flexible workers as those who set their own working hours. Sleep disorders were divided into three categories: 'difficulty falling asleep,' 'frequent waking during sleep,' and 'waking up feeling exhausted and fatigued.' Using scores derived from three specific symptoms, the Minimal Insomnia Symptoms Scale (MISS) was calculated to assess the prevalence of insomnia. We used chi-square tests to analyze demographic and job-related differences. A multivariate logistic regression analysis was employed to identify any relationship between flexible work schedules and sleep disorders. Results: Significant differences were found between flexible and non-flexible workers regarding age, income level, education level, and job type. Flexible workers reported sleep-related symptoms significantly more often. The odds ratio for insomnia was 1.40 (95% CI 1.21-1.61). For males, the odds ratio was 1.68 (1.36-2.08). Conclusion: This study establishes a correlation between flexible work schedules and sleep disorders among Korean salaried workers. Potential causes could include changes in circadian rhythm, increased work demands, and extended working hours. To precisely determine causality and associated diseases, further research is required.

• 한국의류학회지
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• 제37권3호
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• pp.292-305
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• 2013

This study reported present state of clothing technical designers' work duties and working conditions, so as to suggest effective ways to develop professional training methods for them. Technical designers working for vendors and agents were surveyed as they represent the majority of technical designers in Korean clothing industries. Survey participants were 62 technical designers working for 6 clothing vendors and 2 clothing agents, and the survey closely inspected their work qualifications, duties and responsibilities, working conditions and training conditions. Survey was conducted from June $27^{th}$ to July $17^{th}$, 2012. The questionnaire examined frequency analysis and multiple response analysis using SPSS 19.0 Windows after investigating documents and work fields through personal experiences and interviews from technical designers for data collection and analysis. A chi-square test analyzed the preferred type of fitting for technical designers of vendors and agents. The results showed that 32.3% of those surveyed have more than 7 years of work experience and the highest level of education is predominantly a bachelor's degree (57 people, 91.9%). Among the work responsibilities, respondents did sample measuring more than four times a day. Also, the results showed that technical designers needed to qualify: first 'Fitting Technic', second 'Pattern Correction Capability', and third 'English Skills to Communicate with Buyers'; subsequently, education on several technics (such as measuring, grading, and fitting) were required for the job. Current technical designers answered that they need more various work-related education. However, the analyzed results showed that pre work-related training was insufficient. The data shows that technical designers require re-education in 'Pattern Correction Method' (61.3%) and 'Sewing Education' (64.5%).

• 한국산업보건학회지
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• 제32권4호
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• pp.287-301
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• 2022

Objectives: This study compared the characteristics of the work environment between agricultural and general workers and analyzed the effects of agricultural working characteristics on work-related health problems. Methods: The participants of this study were 2,347 agricultural workers and 48,042 general workers who were selected by applying standardized weights to the raw data of 50,538 respondents from the 6th Korean Working Condition Survey (KWCS). Variables applicable to both worker groups and related to exposure to hazardous risk factors in the working environment, working hours and intensity of work, health problems and work-related status, and satisfaction with the work environment were selected. Chi-square tests and independent sample t-tests were performed to evaluate the differences in the variables between the two groups. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was conducted to analyze the effects of work environment characteristics on work-related health problems. Results: Compared to general workers, agricultural workers were more exposed to hazardous environments, irregular work patterns such as working on Saturday/Sunday, and short repetitive tasks. They reported more work-related and general health problems, including back pain, upper extremity muscle pain, lower extremity muscle pain, and general fatigue. Agricultural workers showed lower satisfaction with their work environment than general workers. Factors affecting one or more work-related health problems included gender, working years, hazardous factors, irregular work pattern, working hours, and labor intensity. Conclusions: Our findings showed that agricultural workers were relatively more vulnerable to safety issues compared to other occupational groups. Therefore, it is necessary to establish standardized safety and health standards and strengthen systematic safety and health management policies and services for agriculture.

• 한국안전학회지
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• 제38권6호
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• pp.16-25
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• 2023

This study investigated health problems and work-relatedness for fishermen. In total, 121 fishermen (103 males and 18 females) were extracted from the data of the 6th Korean Working Conditions Survey. Two groups (Symptomatic and Asymptomatic) were statistically compared in terms of health problems and exposure to hazards. The most common health problems identified for fishermen were muscular pain in the shoulder, neck, and upper limbs (73.6%), backache (71.1%), muscular pain in the lower limbs (58.7%), overall fatigue (33.9%), headaches or eyestrain (22.3%), and anxiety (8.3%). These health problems were found to be related to the working conditions of the fishermen (low temperatures, tiring or painful postures, stance, sitting position, repetitive hand or arm placement, and the experience of stress). This study's findings may help us better understand the characteristics of the health problems and work-relatedness of fishermen and could be helpful for improving fishermen's overall health and safety.

• Annals of Occupational and Environmental Medicine
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• 제35권
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• pp.21.1-21.11
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• 2023

Background: Recently, irregular working hours have become controversial issues in Korea. The health impact of irregular working hours on the work-related musculoskeletal pain (MSP) is scarcely researched before. We sought to investigate the association between irregular working hours and work-related MSP among South Korean workers. Methods: This study used data from the sixth Korean Working Conditions Survey in 2020. The prevalence of work-related MSP was analyzed using the χ² test. A multiple logistic regression analysis was conducted to assess the association between irregular working hours and work-related MSP. We conducted stratified analysis by gender, weekly working hours, and workers' control over their working hours. We calculated the adjusted odds ratios (ORs) of work-related MSP for irregular working hours combined with weekly working hours. Results: The OR for work-related MSP was significantly higher in the population with irregular working hours than in the population with regular working hours (OR: 1.43, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.29-1.58). Irregular and long (> 52 hours/week) working hours have the highest risk of work-related MSP in both genders (in men, OR: 3.48 [95% CI: 2.53-4.78]; in women, OR: 2.41 [95% CI: 1.46-4.00]). Conclusions: Irregular working hours were associated with work-related MSP in Korea. The association was magnified with long working hours. Reform of the Korean Labor Standards Act leading to increase irregular working hours may induce adverse health outcome.

• Annals of Occupational and Environmental Medicine
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• 제35권
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• pp.9.1-9.10
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• 2023

Background: Studies conducted so far on the link between commute time and mental health among Koreans remain insufficient. In this study, we attempted to identify the relationship between commute time and subjective mental health using the 6^th Korean Working Conditions Survey (KWCS). Methods: Self-reported commute time was divided into four groups: ≤ 30 (group 1), 30-60 (group 2), 60-120 (group 3), and > 120 minutes (group 4). Subjective depression was defined as a score of 50 points or less on the WHO-5 well-being index. Subjective anxiety and fatigue were defined as answering 'yes' to the questionnaire on whether they had experienced it over the past year. The analysis of variance, t-test, and χ² test was used to analyze the differences among the characteristics of the study participants according to commute time, depression, anxiety, and fatigue. Odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for depression, anxiety, and fatigue according to commute time were calculated using multivariate logistic regression models adjusted for sex, age, monthly income, occupation, company size, weekly working hours, and shift work status. Results: Long commute times showed increased ORs and graded increasing trends for depression, anxiety, and fatigue. The ORs for depression increased significantly in group 2 (1.06 [1.01-1.11]), group 3 (1.23 [1.13-1.33]), and group 4 (1.31 [1.09-1.57]) compared to group 1 (reference). The ORs for anxiety increased significantly in group 2 (1.17 [1.06-1.29]), group 3 (1.43 [1.23-1.65]) and group 4 (1.89 [1.42-2.53]). The ORs for fatigue increased significantly in group 2 (1.09 [1.04-1.15]), group 3 (1.32 [1.21-1.43]), and group 4 (1.51 [1.25-1.82]). Conclusions: This study highlights that the risk of depression, anxiety, and fatigue increases with commute time.

• 한국컴퓨터정보학회논문지
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• 제28권8호
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• pp.165-174
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• 2023

본 연구는 국내 근로환경조사 자료를 이용하여 조사 시기에 따른 제조업 종사자의 유해·위험요인 노출과 결근과의 관련성을 확인하였다. 이에 2011년도(3차), 2017년도(5차), 2020년도(6차)의 유해·위험요인 동일문항에 대하여 제조업 종사자 8,318명을 대상으로 분석하였다. 업무 관련 유해·위험인자와 결근과의 관련성을 보면 2011년도에 비하여 2020년도에 진동, 소음, 높은 온도, 먼지 등의 흡입, 증기흡입, 화학물질 취급, 감염물질 취급에서 노출 시간 3/4 이상이 결근에 영향을 미치는 것으로 나타났다. 결론적으로 업무 관련 유해·위험요인에 대해서는 조사시기가 증가함에 따라 비노출이 증가함을 알 수 있었고 업무 관련 유해·위험요인의 노출 시간이 결근에 영향을 미친다는 것을 확인할 수 있었다.

• 한국직업건강간호학회지
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• 제30권4호
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• pp.224-231
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• 2021

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to identify the psychosocial working environment and mental health of financial workers, and analyze the impact of the former on the latter. Methods: Data of 257 financial clerks were extracted from the 2017 5th Korean Working Conditions Survey. Psychosocial working environment was divided into five fields: demands at work, work organizations, interpersonal relations, workplace violence, and working hour quality. Mental health included sleeping problems, psychological well-being, and job stress. Results: A total of 6.1% subjects reported sleep problems, 28.2% experienced poor psychological well-being, and 39.6% had job stress. More than half the subjects were exposed to tight deadlines, complex tasks, hiding feelings at work, fair treatment, fair distribution of work, colleagues' support, and managers' support. Tight deadlines, workplace violence, long working hours, hiding feelings at work, and managers' support had a significant impact on the mental health of financial clerks. Conclusion: Based on the results of this study, we propose that employers, workers, and health managers in the financial industry should work together to establish a respectful organizational culture, prevent long working hours through recruitment, and conduct programs to protect emotional health.