• Journal of the Society of Disaster Information
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• v.18 no.2
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• pp.395-404
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• 2022

Purpose: Small-scale construction sites have insufficient systematic safety management activities, and due to the characteristics of the construction site, the production structure is complex due to external environmental factors, and the risk of construction equipment is very high. We would like to propose a checklist method among practical risk assessment techniques that can derive risk factors for disaster prevention at small construction sites and reduce disasters. Method: Risk factors were derived by analyzing literature research and disaster cases, and detailed work for a checklist of risk assessment suitable for small-scale construction sites was classified based on risk factor items. Result: Hazard factors were divided into 6 major categories, and 29 detailed types of work were classified based on actual work types, and 80 detailed works were classified accordingly. Conclusion: By arranging risk factors suitable for small-scale construction sites according to the classification system, the lack of expertise in the construction site can be supplemented, and risk factors can be derived more easily and disaster reduction can be expected through establishment of safety measures.

• Proceedings of the Korea Water Resources Association Conference
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• 2023.05a
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• pp.183-183
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• 2023

Smart water cities (SWC) are urban municipalities that utilizes modern innovations in managing and preserving the urban water cycle in the city; with the purpose of securing sustainability and improving the quality of life of the urban population. Understanding the different urban water characteristics and management strategies of cities situate a baseline in the development of evaluation scheme in determining whether the city is smart and sustainable. This research herein aims to develop measurements and evaluation for SWC Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), and set up a unified global standard and certification scheme. The assessment for SWC is performed in technical, as well as governance and prospective aspects. KPI measurements under Technical Pillar assess the cities' use of technologies in providing sufficient water supply, monitoring water quality, strengthening disaster resilience, minimizing hazard vulnerability, and maintaining and protecting the urban water ecosystem. Governance and Prospective Pillar on the other hand, evaluates the social, economic and administrative systems set in place to manage the water resources, delivering water services to different levels of society. The performance assessment is composed of a variety of procedures performed in a quantitative and qualitative manner, such as computations through established equations, interviews with authorities in charge, field survey inspections, etc. The developed SWC KPI measurements are used to evaluate the urban water management practices for Busan Eco Delta city, a Semulmeori waterfront area in Gangseo district, Busan. The evaluation and scoring process was presented and established, serving as the basis for the application of the smart water city certification all over the world. The established guideline will be used to analyze future cities, providing integrated and comprehensive information on the status of their urban water cycle, gathering new techniques and proposing solutions for smarter measures.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Safety
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• v.38 no.1
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• pp.70-77
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• 2023

Gas has replaced coal or petroleum as primary fuel because of its convenience. However, gas has risk of fire, explosion, or poisoning. To reduce gas-related accidents, many strategic projects have been being carried based on 'Gas Safety Management Basic Plans' on a domestic scale. In spite of those projects, the gas-related accident rate did not decrease over past decades. Thus, this study was conducted to analyze the effectiveness of ongoing projects, and to find out ways to make improvements. Conventional statistical analyses on accident data published by gas-related institutions were not useful to determine meaningful attributes to predict future. Whereas, accident case analyses adopted in the present study discovered differences in the type of people and their unsafe acts for each gas type. Meanwhile, the overall average priority of projects was not high in the aspect of System Safety Precedence. If the current trend is maintained, with sigmoid functions, it can be estimated that mean annual accident rate will decrease by only 2.0% in the next two decades. To improve the current trend, the present study made conclusions as followings: (1) safety projects should be designed with careful consideration of accident traits including gas type, unsafe acts, and persons involved and (2) alternative strategies should include system considerations such as minimum hazard design and safety devices prior to mere education or training. To summarize briefly, the present state related with gas accidents highlights the necessity of a system-based multidisciplinary approach.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.13 no.4
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• pp.394-400
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• 2022

Background: Impacts of exposure are generally monitored and recorded after injuries or illness occur. Yet, absence of conventional after-the-effect impacts (i.e., lagging indicators), tend to focus on physical health and injuries, and fail to inform if workers are not exposed to safety and health hazards. In contrast to lagging indicators, leading indicators are proactive, preventive, and predictive indexes that offer insights how effective safety and health. The present study is to validate an extended Voluntary Protection Programs (VPP) that consists of six leading indicators. Methods: Questionnaires were distributed to 13 organizations (response rate = 93.1%, 1,439 responses) in Taiwan. Cronbach α, multiple linear regression and canonical correlation were used to test the reliability of the extended Voluntary Protection Programs (VPP) which consists of six leading indicators (safe climate, transformational leadership, organizational justice, organizational support, hazard prevention and control, and training). Criteria-related validation strategy was applied to examine relationships of six leading indicators with six criteria (perceived health, burnout, depression, job satisfaction, job performance, and life satisfaction). Results: The results showed that the Cronbach's α of six leading indicators ranged from 0.87 to 0.92. The canonical correlation analysis indicated a positive correlation between the six leading indicators and criteria (1st canonical function: correlation = 0.647, square correlation = 0.419, p < 0.001). Conclusions: The present study validates the extended VPP framework that focuses on promoting safety and physical and mental health. Results further provides applications of the extended VPP framework to promote workers' safety and health.

• Journal of the Korea Safety Management & Science
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• v.25 no.3
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• pp.73-81
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• 2023

This study uses FMECA (Failure Modes, Effects, and Criticality Analysis) and HAZOP (Hazard and Operability), which are widely applied in industrial areas, among risk assessment methods, and applies them to the same system. While FMECA evaluates system failure conditions and analyzes risks, HAZOP evaluates the system comprehensively by evaluating operational risks that may occur based on system parameters. According to data released by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, as of December 2021, the length of roads in Korea is 113,405 km, and the repair of guardrails that have expired must be fixed urgently in terms of traffic safety. Replacing all of these guardrails with new ones requires a very large cost, but if the guardrails are repaired with a vehicle equipped with the G-Save method, carbon emissions are reduced, the repair period is shortened, and great economic benefits can be obtained. However, risk assessment for guardrail coating vehicles has not been done so far. Focusing on this point, this study aims to evaluate the risk of these coating vehicles and describe the results. Finally, we found that the Risk Priority Numbers(RPN) in the FMECA risk assessment were greatly reduced, and 6 risk factors from HAZOP risk assessment and actions were taken.

• International Journal of Internet, Broadcasting and Communication
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.237-246
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• 2024

In recent years, the frequent occurrence of fire accidents in university libraries has posed significant threats to the safety of students' lives and property, alongside negative social impacts. Accurately analyzing the factors affecting evacuation during library fires and proposing optimized measures for safe evacuation is thus crucial. This paper utilizes a specific university library as a case study, simulating fire evacuation scenarios using the Pathfinder software, to assess and validate evacuation strategies and propose relevant optimizations. Pathfinder, developed by Thunderhead Engineering in the United States, is an intuitive and straightforward personnel emergency evacuation assessment system, offering advanced visualization interfaces and 3D animation effects. This study aims to construct evacuation models and perform simulation analysis for the selected university library using Pathfinder. The library's structural layout, people flow characteristics, and the nature of fire and smoke spread are considered in the analysis. Additionally, evacuation scenarios involving different fire outbreak locations and the status of emergency exits are examined. The findings underscore the importance of effective evacuation in fire situations, highlighting how environmental conditions, individual characteristics, and behavioral patterns significantly influence evacuation efficiency. Through these investigations, the study enhances understanding and optimization of evacuation strategies in fire scenarios, thereby improving safety and efficiency. The research not only provides concrete and practical guidelines for building design, management, and emergency response planning in libraries but also offers valuable insights for the design and management of effective evacuation systems in buildings, crucial for ensuring occupant safety and minimizing loss of life in potential hazard situations

• Journal of the Korea Safety Management & Science
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• v.26 no.1
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• pp.99-106
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• 2024

In the event of an emergency such as facility shutdown during process operation, the by-product gas must be urgently discharged to the vent stack to prevent leakage, fire, and explosion. At this time, the explosion drop value of the released by-product gas is calculated using ISO 10156 formula, which is 27.7 vol%. Therefore, it does not correspond to flammable gas because it is less than 13% of the explosion drop value, which is the standard for flammable gas defined by the Occupational Safety and Health Act, and since the explosion drop value is high, it can be seen that the risk of fire explosion is low even if it is discharged urgently with the vent stock. As a result of calculating the range of explosion hazard sites for hydrogen gas discharged to the Bent Stack according to KS C IEC 60079-10-1, 23 meters were calculated. Since hydrogen is lighter than air, electromechanical devices should not be installed within 23 meters of the upper portion of the Bent Stack, and if it is not possible, an explosion-proof electromechanical device suitable for type 1 of dangerous place should be installed. In addition, the height of the stack should be at least 5 meters so that the diffusion of by-product gas is facilitated in case of emergency discharge, and it should be installed so that there are no obstacles around it.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.87 no.4
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• pp.473-482
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• 2024

Background: Chronic airway diseases, such as asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), are increasingly being treated with inhaled corticosteroid (ICS). However, ICSs carry potential infection risks, particularly nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM). This study investigated the association between ICS use and NTM infection risk using national insurance data, particularly for individuals with chronic airway diseases. Methods: We conducted a nationwide population-based study using data from the National Health Insurance Service-National Sample Cohort in South Korea from 2002 to 2019. The cohort included 57,553 patients diagnosed with COPD or asthma. To assess the risk of NTM infection, we used Cox proportional hazards models and propensity score-based inverse probability of treatment weighting (IPTW) to ensure a balanced analysis of covariates. Results: Of the 57,553 patients (mean age 56.0 years, 43.2% male), 16.5% used ICS and 83.5% did not. We identified 63 NTM infection cases, including nine among ICS users and 54 among non-users. Before and after IPTW, ICS use was associated with a higher risk of NTM infection (adjusted hazard ratio [HR], 4.01; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.48 to 15.58). Higher risks were significant for patients ≥65 years (adjusted HR, 6.40; 95% CI, 1.28 to 31.94), females (adjusted HR, 10.91; 95% CI, 2.24 to 53.20), never-smokers (adjusted HR, 6.31; 95% CI, 1.49 to 26.64), systemic steroid users (adjusted HR, 50.19; 95% CI, 8.07 to 312.19), and those with higher comorbidity scores (adjusted HR, 6.64; 95% CI, 1.19 to 37.03). Conclusion: ICS use in patients with chronic airway diseases might increase the risk of NTM infection, particularly in older females, never-smokers, and systemic steroid users.

• Journal of the Korean Association of Geographic Information Studies
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• v.12 no.2
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• pp.52-68
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• 2009

The purpose of this study is to establish the management area using assessment of the conservation value on forest wetland, Sandeul wetland in Mt. Jaeyak, Miryang-si, Gyeongsangnam-do, Korea. The six assessment factors were selected through the review of previous researches and written evidences such as wetland vegetation, hydrological factor, soil factor, topographical factor, naturalness and risk. The assessment data were built on the basis of digital topographic maps, digital detailed soil maps, high resolution satellite images and field surveys of three times. According to the result of assessment of the conservation value and establishment the management area, the core area which has the highest conservation value was occupied by 1.9ha and the conservation area which conservation value is 2 grades was occupied by 33.7ha. The buffer area surrounded core area and conservation area was analyzed by 33.7ha. The transition area which conservation value is 4 grades showed by the widest area(151.2ha) and restoration area that is the ecological hazard area was occupied by 1.7ha. In conclusion, these results can provide methods and basic informations for conserving and managing wetlands because the management area was classified scientifically considering rational processes.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.36 no.4
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• pp.359-366
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• 2003

Objectives : This study was conducted to review the diffusion process and factors affecting the adoption of the Health Center Information System (HIS). Methods : Data were collected from POSDATA (private company), MOHW, other Ministries and local governments. To specify the date of adoption, supplementary information was collected from 40 health centers. The following three kinds of factors were analyzed. Internal factors included type, size, and innovativeness of health centers. Community factors were composed of population sire, economic status, and level of education. Organizational environmental factors consisted of information score of the municipalities, financial support of the from central government, and the neighborhoodness of innovator health centers. Results : All health centers in the metropolitan cities of Seoul, Gwangju and Jeju adopted the HIS. The laggards were those in the metropolitan cities of Busan (18.8%), Incheon (20.0%) and Daejun (20.0%), and cities with population more than 300,000 (54.8%) and counties with health center hospitals (47.1%). Financially supported rural health centers adopted the HIS more rapidly than those not supported. The factors identified as being statistically significant (p<0.05), from a univariate analysis by Kaplan-Meier method, were: (1) internal factors of the type, size and innovativeness of health centers; (2) community factors of population size and economic status; (3) organizational environmental factors of the central government financial support and the neighborhoodness of innovator health centers. A multivariate analysis, using a Cox proportional hazard method, proved the innovativeness of health centers, central government financial support and the neighborhoodness of innovator health centers, were statistically significant (p<0.05). Conclusions : The innovativeness of health centers, financial support from central government and the neighborhoodness of innovator health centers, rather than community factors related to regional socioeconomic status, affected ffe adoption of the HIS in health centers. Further in-depth studies, modifying the MOHW's strategy to propagate the HIS to the laggard health confers, are recommended.