• Safety and Health at Work
• /
• v.14 no.1
• /
• pp.1-9
• /
• 2023

Background: Firefighting involves exposure of firefighters to risks related to this activity, serious injuries, and occupational diseases are recorded. There are other consequences such as thermal and emotional stress. This systematic review is proposed in order to analyze the risks and consequences faced by these workers and thus provide elements to improve safety management systems in institutions. Method: A descriptive observational study of systematic literature review on the risks and consequences of exposure to firefighters' activity was proposed, and the information was analyzed and described based on the available data and according to the variables determined. Results: The studies showed data on mechanical, physical, chemical, psychosocial risks, workers' perception and resilience, and epidemiological data. Information related to firefighters' activity on falls and slips, exposure to noise, and high concentrations of carbon monoxide is detailed. In addition, the relationship between burnout, cognitive, and physical fatigue as adverse effects on health and performance is mentioned. Conclusions: Among the preventive measures, the use of personal protective equipment is suggested, incorporation in prevention programs of information on exposure to risk factors, as well as the implementation of models that can predict the perception of workers, additionally, the generation of management systems with safety climate models for fire departments.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Hazard Mitigation
• /
• v.10 no.5
• /
• pp.1-7
• /
• 2010

Since subway fire disaster at Daegu, Korea smoke control system and passengers evacuation distance has been focused to reform. Existing smoke control facilities need to expand volume of ventilation capacity however, the complicate subway station structure can hardly react dispersion of smokes from massive subway cabin fire. Smoke flow at platform level move upward thought vertical stairway and passengers evacuation goes with same direction. The victims of evacuees from subway station fire mainly due to exposure of heat radiation and smoke. The study demonstration the effect of downward evacuates stairway system by separating evacuation route to smoke movement pass way including saving times of evacuation.

• Proceedings of the Korea Institute of Fire Science and Engineering Conference
• /
• 2002.05a
• /
• pp.21-29
• /
• 2002

With regard to the personnel safety and other safety when the gas suppressants are discharged into the area where occupants exist, the short term and long term effects to the health of people are discussed mainly with the Carbon dioxide agent and Halon Replacement agents system. To gain the benefits of CO2 extinguishing systems while minimizing risk to people serious attention must be given to personnel safety in the design, installation, and maintenance of CO2 systems. Training of personnel is essential. A major factor in the use of a clean agent fire suppressant in a normally occupied area is toxicity. While all halocarbon agents are tested for long-term health hazards, the primary endpoint is acute or short-term exposure, The primary acute toxicity effects of the halocarbon agents described here are anesthesia and cardiac sensitization. For inert gases, the primary physiological concern is reduced oxygen concentration.

• Proceedings of the Korea Institute of Fire Science and Engineering Conference
• /
• 2009.04a
• /
• pp.358-364
• /
• 2009

본 연구에서는 우리나라 주요 침엽수종인 소나무(Pinus densiflora)와 활엽수종인 굴참나무(Quercus variabilis)의 낙엽에 대해 FTIR(Fourier Transform Infrared) 분광계를 이용하여 배출 연소가스 종류 및 농도를 측정하였다. 실험결과 소나무와 굴참나무 낙엽에서 Carbon monoxide, Carbon dioxide, Acetic acid, Butyl acetate, Ethylene, Methane, Methanol, Nitrogen dioxide, Ammonia, Hydrogen Fluoride, Sulfur dioxide, Hydrogen bromide 등 13개 연소가스가 검출되었고 굴참나무 낙엽에서는 Nitrogen monoxide가 추가로 검출되었다. 방출된 연소가스의 전체 농도는 소나무 낙엽이 굴참나무 낙엽에 비해 4.5배 많이 검출되었다. 특히, 시간가중평균가스농도(TWA : Time-weighted average, ppm) 기준을 초과하는 연소가스는 Carbon monoxide, Carbon dioxide, Butyl acetate가 검출되었고 단시간노출기준(STEL : Short Term Exposure Limit, ppm) 기준을 초과하는 연소가스는 Carbon monoxide, Carbon dioxide로 소나무 및 굴참나무 모두에서 나타났다. 이에 산불에서의 낙엽층 지표화 연소시 전체 가스 방출량의 99% 이상을 차지하고 있는 Carbon monoxide, Carbon dioxide의 건강 위험성이 높은 것으로 나타났다. 하지만, 검출된 다른 건강 위험성 가스의 경우에도 연소물질의 양이 증가할수록 연소가스의 농도가 높아져 건강안정성에 해가 있을 것으로 판단되며 또한 검출된 연소가스 중 나무의 주요구성 원소가 아닌 Bromide, Fluoride 화합물에 대해서는 토양으로부터의 오염 또는 분석과정에서의 노이즈로 인한 검출 등에 대한 보다 면밀한 검토가 필요할 것으로 판단된다.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Safety
• /
• v.38 no.6
• /
• pp.60-71
• /
• 2023

The purpose of this study is to propose a quantitative toxicity endpoint distance suitable for the initial response of firefighters by comparing and analyzing the commonly applied toxic level of concern (T-LOC), specifically emergency response planning guidelines (ERPG), acute exposure guideline levels (AEGL), and immediately dangerous to life or health (IDLH). This is to protect the fire brigade, which responds to toxic chemical accidents first during the golden time. Using areal locations of hazardous atmospheres, a damage prediction program, the amount of leakage for both acidic and basic substances, along with the endpoint distance, were analyzed for alternative accident and worst-case accident scenarios. The results showed that the toxicity endpoint distance, serving as a compromise between Level-3 and Level-2 of T-LOC, was longer than ERPG-3 and shorter than ERPG-2 with IDLH, while its values were analyzed in the order of ERPG-2, AEGL-2, IDLH, AEGL-3, and ERPG-3. It is suggested that the application of IDLH in an emergency (red card) and ERPG-2 endpoint distance in a non-emergency (non-red card) can be utilized for the initial response of the fire brigade.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Gas
• /
• v.22 no.6
• /
• pp.1-7
• /
• 2018

Currently chemical plant risk have been issued by occurring frequent accidents. Accidents can be generally composed of fire, explosion, release in chemical plant. In case of fire and explosion, accident victims are occurred immediately after accident but release accident, late emergency response cause damage to worker. Especially, there are many victims by late emergency response against chemical exposure to skin. In case of chemical exposure to skin, irreversible damage like death, blindness, burn can be prevented by washing immediately. Safety shower can provide the cleaning for chemical exposure to eye, skin. Most of chemical plants are built in 1980s so equipment become superannuated. In this reason, safety shower also cannot operate normally in emergency situation. Therefor safety shower should be managed by installation and management guideline. This study perform the establishment guideline for safety shower installation and inspection to increase the reliability.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Agriculture
• /
• v.42 no.4
• /
• pp.297-310
• /
• 2023

M.7 rootstock is moderately resistant to fire blight. However, M.7 is generally too vigorous for high-density apple systems, but it can be grafted onto cultivars that exhibit weak tree growth, such as 'Sansa'. This study investigated the vegetative growth, yield, and fruit quality of 'Sansa' apple trees grafted on M.7 or M.9 rootstocks to assess the feasibility of establishing domestic high-density apple systems using M.7 and to determine the optimum exposure length for rootstocks. Trees were planted with exposed rootstock lengths of 5, 10, and 15 cm. The vegetative growth of apple trees grafted onto M.7 was greater than that of M.9 and vegetative growth tended to decrease as the exposed length of rootstock increased. However, the differences in yield per tree, average weights, soluble solids contents, and titratable acidity due to the rootstock and its exposure length varied. The accumulated yield over a 10 year period and the yield efficiency of M.7 were lower than that of M.9 and the yield efficiency tended to decrease as the exposed length of rootstock increased. When apple trees were grafted onto M.9, biennial bearing and tree vigor weakening occurred if the exposed length of the rootstock was over 10 cm. Conversely, when apple trees were grafted onto M.7, vegetative growth was excessive if the exposed length of rootstock was below 10 cm. Based on the results from this study, the optimum M.7 and M.9 exposure lengths for 'Sansa' were 15 cm and 5 cm, respectively.

• Journal of the Korea Concrete Institute
• /
• v.16 no.5 s.83
• /
• pp.597-604
• /
• 2004

This work involves quantitatively investigating the correlation between reductions in strength and variations in pore structure under high temperature that can be utilized as estimation for predicting the inner temperature of member damaged by fire. The experimental results were remarkedly affected by micro-filling effect of silica fume and the different water-binder ratios. The increase of the exposure temperature caused the increase of porosity, which resulted from the reason that evaporable water in gel pore or capillary pores as well as chemically bound water was eliminated from hardened cement paste due to the dehydration of C-S-H and $Ca(OH)_2$. Thermal shrinkage of hardened cement paste gives rise to micro-crack, which cause the increase of porosity. Based on the experimental result that the increase of porosity is in charge of exposure temperature, how porosity is distributed can predict temperature-time history and assess the performance of concrete damaged by fire.

• Fire Science and Engineering
• /
• v.26 no.6
• /
• pp.45-50
• /
• 2012

The spalling causes the sever reduction of the cross sectional area with the exposure of the reinforcing steel, which originates a problem in the structural behaviour. By coating surface of high strength concrete with fireproof mortar, the high strength concrete is protected from the spalling in fire and the method to constrain the temperature increase of steel bar within the concrete. The purpose of this study is to investigate the temperature history properties of lightweight mortar using perlite and polypropylene fiber for fire protection covering material. For this purpose, selected test variables were the contents and length of polypropylene fiber. As a result of this study, it has been found that addition of polypropylene fiber to mortar modifies its pore structure and this causes the internal temperature to rise. And it has been found that a new lightweight mortar can be used in the fire protection covering material.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
• /
• v.46 no.5
• /
• pp.555-564
• /
• 2020

Objectives: To identify and investigate through qualitative and quantitative analysis the hazardous substances generated when compressed wood was burned at a live fire-training center. Methods: Four types of compressed wood that are actually used in live fire training were burned in a chamber according to KS F2271. The gaseous material was sampled with a gas detector tube and conventional personal samplers. Results: 1,3-butadiene, benzene, toluene, xylene, formaldehyde, hydrogen chloride, hydrogen cyanide, ammonia, carbon monoxide, and nitric acid were detected. In particular, 1,3-butadiene (497.04-680.44 ppm), benzene (97.79-125.02 ppm), formaldehyde (1.72-13.03 ppm), hydrogen chloride (4.71-15.66 ppm), hydrogen cyanide (3.64-8.57 ppm), and sulfuric acid (3.85-5.01 ppm) exceeded the Korean Occupational Exposure Limit as measured by sampling pump according to the type of compressed wood. Conclusions: We found through the chamber testing that firefighters could be exposed to toxic substances during live fire training. Therefore, firefighter protection is needed and more research is required in the field.