• Korean Journal of Occupational Health Nursing
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• v.7 no.2
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• pp.186-199
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• 1998

Necessity for the guidebook of occupational health nursing practice has been perceived by our OH research members since the health management of small scale enterprises(SSE) was controlled by law. Mean-while, developing the OH manual, our team found that the work situation of occupational health nursing(OHN) services should be prior to the construction of the OHN manual. This procedure was regarded as helpful for producing the OH manual which is fitting to the Korean nursing circumstances. Thus, this study was planned and carried out. The study aimed to find out current situation of work performance on occupational health nursing practice perceived by nurses working for health management of SSE. Questionnaire was distributed to the OH nurses working in the 55 group occupational health service(GOHS) agencies throughout the Korea from January to March in 1997. Ninety-seven nurses of the 31 GOHS agencies responded. Descriptive statistics was used in the SAS programme. Four nurses participated to select nursing area investigated in the study. Those area were 'document', 'job orientation', 'OH reference', 'nursing theory', 'group health education', 'health examination', 'work dilemma', 'approach attitude', 'workplace visit', 'health promotion' and 'communication'. Results can be summarized as follow : Types of document were mentioned diversely depending on the GOHS agencies. Job orientation was seen to be performed by nurses in 56% among the 75.3% nurses responded. Sixty five percents of nurses agreed to apply nursing theories into the OH with lack of knowledge on them. Health screening and health education were responded as commonly provided nursing activities with various nursing obstacles as well as indicated in the area of 'work dilemma', 'approach attitude', 'workplace visit', 'health promotion'.

• Journal of Korean Public Health Nursing
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.13-22
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• 1998

This study was conducted to find qualitative approaches to occupational reference to group health practices. In-depth interviewing was done on 8 subjects health monitor members, owners and occupational nurses, respectively). The major findings were as follows; 1. Visiting health management Useful services were 'health counseling', 'medical examination', 'providing informations about managing diseases', 'agency business in relation to Labour Ministry' and 'giving a recognition about occupational health service to owners'. Insufficiencies were 'lack of treatment service after medical examination' and 'lack of follow up services constantly'. 2. Occupational nursing service Useful services were 'providing health information' and 'counselling about health'. Major contents of occupational nursing services were 'management of occupational and adult diseases' and 'explanation of the results after medical examination'. Insufficiencies were 'deficiency of the place where group health education could be performed', 'lack of additional or closer examinations needed in counselling' and 'discontinuous selection of additional or more exact examinations'. 3. Health monitor members Health monitor members in industries were classified into two. Some were selected by owners and the others were selected simply by considering their administrative abilities such as proficient management of documents. Their major tasks were to connect workers with occupational health management agencies. This study suggests that programs should be developed which enable health monitor members to cooperate with occupational nurses.

• Research in Community and Public Health Nursing
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• v.14 no.1
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• pp.83-94
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• 2003

The purpose of this study is to analysis the awareness and opinion of occupational health managers on the deregulation of occupational safety and health. The data were collected by using constructed questionnaires from December 1 to December 20, 2000. The subjects for this study were 107 respondents. The results were as follows ; 1. The highest awareness score was voluntary employment for occupational health doctor. High awareness score was exemption from obligatory education for occupational health manager, and expansion cover range of group occupational health agencies. 2. Most of the occupational health managers had a negative opinion on the deregulation of occupational safety and health. In particular, one of the most negative opinions was no restrictions on occupational health managers holding other jobs. 3. The correlation between awareness and opinion on the deregulation of occupational safety and health was negative, showing that the negative opinion on the deregulation of occupational safety and health tended to increases as awareness increases.

• Korean Journal of Occupational Health Nursing
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• v.8 no.2
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• pp.193-211
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• 1999

This study was carried out to investigate the management and support system affecting to the occupational health nursing services(OHNS) provided in group occupational health agencies(GOHA). Questionnaire was developed and distributed to 82 nurses who were working in GOHA and who agreed to participate in the survey. The results were as follow: 1. OH nurses responded were mostly in the age of twenty to thirties(89%), married(73.7%), technical college graduates(88.9%), worked in hospital(85.4%) and participated more than 1 year in group occupational health services (96.3%). 2. Fifty eight point four percent of the OH nurses worked in number of workplace more than 30 to less than 60 in the OHNS form. The figure of workplaces undertaken by nurses was ranged greatly from 9 to more than 100. Number of employees who cared by nurses were mostly under 5,000 peoples in 93.3%. The types of industry was mostly manufacturing and located in the order of factory complex area, suburban, urban and others. 3. Most OH nurses(87.8%) were fully involved in the OHNS for the SSE. Their working days to visit SSE was 5 days per week(77.8%) and one day in the GOHA at 41.3%. 4. The OH documents using by nurses were found in more than 23 different types. However, they were largely summarized in the types of 'Workplace Health Management Card', 'Personal Health Counselling Card', 'Daily Health Management Report', 'Visiting List of Workplace' and 'Sick Employee List'. 5. The items of laboratory test provided by GOHA were mostly achieved in the purpose of basic health examination. They were used to be the blood pressure check(98.8%), blood sugar test (98.8%), urine sugar and protein(91.4%), SGOT and SGPT(85.3% each), cholesterol (82.9%), hepa vaccine immunization(82.9%), r-GPT(81.7%), hemoglobin(79.3%) and triglyceride(75.5%). 6. The OH nurses(92.7%) followed the work pattern to visit the GOHA before and after small-scale enterprises(SSE) visit by car driven by nurses in 74.3%. They were payed by GOHA for transportation fees in certain amounts. However, nurse is the main person(75.0%) who covers up in case of traffic accident. If the GOHA has no transportation regulation for the formal workplace visit, data showed that nurses had been responsible to take charge(31.7%). 7. The personnel manager who takes in charge for nursing services was 'nurse' in 61.7% and 41.2% worked as the final decision maker related to nursing work. The OH nurses' opinions about factors affecting to the management were classified in the four areas such as 'Nature(Quality) of health professional'. 'Content of OHNS', 'Delivery system of the GOHS', and 'Others'. The factors were indicated highly in 'Authority as health professional', 'Level of perception of director on the OH' and 'Physical work condition for OHNS'. The things that this study suggests in the recommendation would be summarized in such as the management and supporting system working for SSE in the OHNS is necessary to reform thoroughly. The reconsidered aspects might be in the matters of number of workplaces undertaken by nurses, development of effectively practical health documents, preparation for guideline of the laboratory test in the workpleces, establishment of convenient and encouraging support system and cooperation between other health professionals with respect and skill.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.2 no.2
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• pp.87-96
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• 2011

In 1967, the problem of occupational lead exposure came to public attention in Korea. Since then, regular progress has been made in lowering workplace lead exposures, instituting new workplace controls, and implementing health examinations of exposed workers. Past serious lead poisoning episodes made it possible to introduce biological monitoring programs on a voluntary basis in high-lead-exposure facilities in Korea. Industry-specific occupational health services for lead workers in Korea during the last 22 years can be categorized into three phases. During the first phase (1988-1993), efforts were directed at increasing awareness among workers about the hazards of lead exposure, biological monitoring of blood zinc protoporphyrin began, and a respiratory protection program was introduced. During the second phase (1994-1997), a computerized health management system for lead workers was developed, blood-lead measurement was added to biologic monitoring, and engineering controls were introduced in the workplace to lower air-lead levels to comply with air-lead regulations. Finally, during the third phase (1998-present), a new biomarker, bone-lead measurement by X-ray fluorescence, was introduced. Bone-lead measurement proved to be useful for assessing body burden and to demonstrate past lead exposure in retired workers. Occupational health service practice for lead workers, including the industry-specific group occupational health system, has brought considerable success in the prevention of lead poisoning and in reducing the lead burden in Korean lead workers during the last several decades. The successful achievement of prevention of lead poisoning in Korea was a result of the combined efforts of lead workers, employers, relevant government agencies, and academic institutes.

• Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
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• v.18 no.4
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• pp.303-309
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• 2008

The reduction of risk within the workplace has long been focus of attention both through industry initiatives and legislation. Exposure matrices according to industries and processes treated DMF (N,N-Dimethylformamide) were constructed based on KOSHA (Korean Occupational Safety and Health Agency)'s 2005 exposure database which were gathered from Korean agencies of workplace hazards evaluation for business place. These exposure matrices were assessed by danger value (DV) that was calculated from combination of hazard rating, duration of use rating, and risk probability rating of exposure to chemical hazardous agents in accordance with Hallmark Risk Assessment Tool. The results of risk assessment is divided four kinds of control bands which were related with control measures. The applicability of risk assessment using exposure matrices was performed by field study and survey for high matrices group. This study found that more attentions should be paid to two industries, manufacture of sewn wearing apparel and manufacture of textiles, among 19 industries, and to 3 processes, coating, processing & mixing, and lab, among 80 processes because those were regarded as having the highest risk.

• Korean Journal of Occupational Health Nursing
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• v.10 no.1
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• pp.74-92
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• 2001

This study was carried out to investigate the types of health documents for nurses, the content of informations in the documents, and writing behaviors of occupational health nurses. Health documents were collected from 7 nurses who were working in 7 group occupational health agencies (GOHA) located at Seoul and Inchon area in Korea. The collected health documents written in January to June 1999 were analyzed, and revealed the following results. 1) The occupational health nurses were using 9 to 18 different types of health documents. The contents of the documents were considered quite similar to each other with slightly different headings and items to record. Among different types of health documents. Health Management Card for Workplace', Nursing performance sheet and Workplace environmental checklist were in common among nurses and were used for content analysis. 2) The 'Health Management Card for Workplace' was the only formal sheet of small-scale-enterprises (SSE) for health management, in which health and safety related information was recorded. The information on nursing services were recorded on the Nursing performance sheet, which has slightly different names on each type with similar contents. The Workplace environment checklist was for the information on general work environment management and mainly status of workplace hygiene. This checklist is to be used by or with nurses among the 3 types health professional team such as doctor, hygienist, and nurse, but it seemed not being used frequently by nurses. 3) Analysis on recording tendencies of nurses revealed that the writing styles of occupational health nurses were associated with 'memo' using a few number of words and short sentences. The amount of information by this kind of recording style was considered not enough for health management situation. The possible reasons for nurses to use this writing style might be insufficient time for recording and improper designed format of health documents. Because nurses working in SSE spend more time on the roads to visit workplaces, nurses may not found enough time for recording properly within their working time. In addition, the health records were designed to focus on the frequency of nurse's performance in certain types of work rather than on the method they used to deal with health problems. In conclusion, this study suggests that some steps are necessary to develop health documents and recording system which is appropriate to occupational health nurses. The educational need for nurses on appropriate recording behavior is also recommended.

• Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
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• v.10 no.1
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• pp.74-92
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• 2000

This study was performed to evaluate the working conditions In construction workers through measurements of working environments and to improve the working conditions and to design the appropriate environmental and health management system. The results of measurement for working environments in construction work are as following: 1. The excess rate of noise and dust concentration in express highway construction, road construction, building construction and interior painting was 28.6% and 24.5% respectively. 2. The excess rate of mixed organic solvents concentration in interior painting was 39.3%. 3. The chain type bulldozer has the highest level of vibration; the excess rate was 85.7%, and among the vibration instruments, the level of left hand's vibration of all vibrators exceeded the criterion and in the case of drilling all the level of vibration exceeded the criterion in both hands. On the basis of the results in this research the environmental and health management system for construction workers must be considered. Therefore, it is necessary to be introduced the special medical examination and measurement of working environments in construction industry. In defining "the working place" of Article 39 of Enforcement regulations of industrial safety and health act, the word "indoors" should be deleted. Then the eligible industry for measurement of working environment must be extended. And it is also necessary for construction industry to be performed group health management service by agencies such as other manufacturing industry.