• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.9 no.3
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• pp.277-289
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• 2018

Background: Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service (LFRS), the subject of this evaluative research document employs 1400 people. 80% of employees are operational firefighters and officers whom operate across a range of duty systems and support functions, providing prevention, protection and emergency response to the communities of Lancashire. Methods: The overarching purpose of this epidemiological study is to assess the prevalence of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) amongst operational LFRS personnel and to analyse the effects upon those who may be suffering from it, whether brought about by a single traumatic event or by repeated exposure to traumatic occurrences over a period of time. A combination of primary and secondary research was carried out. Primary data was collated using two recognised clinical questionnaires and statistical analysis was conducted with the aid of the software package SPSS. Results: The findings and statistical analysis showed that out of the 100 people surveyed, 30% of respondents had signs of probable distress. Of this quota, 4% showed symptoms of PTSD. The study considers how an organisation can recognise and manage PTSD and provides recommendations to assist in better recognising and managing the associated risks. Conclusion: Based upon the findings, the authors conclude that the level of PTSD within LFRS is slightly lower than those found in other studies undertaken within the Fire and Rescue Service sector. The paper provides recommendations for future studies and a series of actions for consideration by LFRS senior management to improve PTSD support services for employees.

• Journal of the Computational Structural Engineering Institute of Korea
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• v.21 no.6
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• pp.615-632
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• 2008

The bridge health monitoring has become an important research topic in conjunction with damage assessment and safety evaluation of structures owing to the improvement of structural modeling techniques incorporating response measurements and the advancements in signal analysis and information processing capabilities. The bridge monitoring systems are generally composed of hardwares such as sensors, data acquisition equipment, data transmission systems, etc, and softwares such as signal processing, damage assessment, display and management, etc. In this paper, the research and development(R&D) activities on the information processing for structural health monitoring of bridges are reviewed. After a brief introduction to the process of bridge health monitoring, various information processing techniques including various signal processing and damage detection algorithms are introduced in detail. Several challenges addressing critical issues in the current bridge health monitoring system and future R&D activities are discussed.

• Korea Journal of Hospital Management
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• v.27 no.3
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• pp.26-38
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• 2022

Purposes: We analyzed the profitability determinants of regional public hospitals during the entire period between 2010 and 2020 and the period before and after COVID-19. We intended to provide fundamental data for developing publicness evaluation index and task of establishing and expanding regional public hospitals. Methodology: The financial and non-financial information of the regional public hospitals were used as the main analysis data; The financial data was established by the Center for Public Healthcare Policy of National Medical Center, and the non-financial data by the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service. T-test and regression analysis were used. Findings: The results can be summarized in two. First, the main determinants of profitability of the regional public hospitals were appeared to be the total asset turnover rate and the labor cost rate. Second, during the COVID-19 pandemic in the regional public hospitals, the number of sickbeds, the number of isolation rooms, the total asset turnover rate and the labor cost rate appeared to be the factor worsening the profitability. Practical Implication: The results of this study suggests that the management of the regional public hospitals is not aiming for the profit making, but it performs the functions as the community healthcare safety net such as controlling infectious diseases.

• International conference on construction engineering and project management
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• 2005.10a
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• pp.527-532
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• 2005

The construction industries are facing problems of productivity, quality of work, safety, and the completion of projects in time. In construction industry a worker is exposed to hazardous environment, and has to do more physical work, effecting his health and also productivity. The automation and robotics can offer solution to many problems of the industry. In the past the major barrier to construction automation is the lack of electronic components and systems. This is solved now with the development of information technology, and the current obstacle is the high cost of automated systems, shortage of public money for R&D, and problems of acceptance. The robots employed in construction have followed the same concept as those employed in manufacturing. However, construction industry requires a different kind of robot compared to manufacturing Industry. The robots are stationery and product moves along the assembly line in manufacturing sector, but construction robots have to move about the site because buildings are stationary and of large size. The construction robots must function in adverse weather conditions, including variation in humidity, and temperature and increase the overall construction productivity rate. The major objective of the paper is to review the existing applications of building robots and to assess their implementation in building industry. A case study is considered for the implementation of robots for the painting work of the University Building at Saifabad PG College of Science, Hyderabad, India.

• Journal of the Korea Convergence Society
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• v.7 no.1
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• pp.125-136
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• 2016

In this study, the convergent relation between perception of patient safety culture and safety nursing activity was investigated to prevent safety accidents and prepare data of nursing intervention for patient safety. Nurses in B City who signed on the written consent participated in this study between February 16 and 28, 2015. A total of 266 copies were collected and were analyzed using the SPSS 20.0 program. The mean score of patient safety culture was 3.60 on a scale of 0 to 5, and safety nursing activity, 4.28. The subcategory of perception of patient safety culture, which included the accident report frequency and patient safety level positively (+) influenced safety nursing activity. Therefore, effective communications and report systems in hospitals may be necessary to enhance patient safety culture. Education programs of patient safety should be developed and provided to nurses in hospitals to enhance the levels of patient safety management and their services.

• Journal of Pharmacopuncture
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.59-67
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• 2021

Objectives: We aimed to compare the external herbal dispensary (EHD) evaluation criteria for pharmacopuncture and the Korea Good Manufacturing Practice (KGMP) sterile medicine standards to contribute to the establishment of quality control criteria for pharmacopuncture. Methods: We obtained the KGMP standards from the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety and the pharmacopuncture certification criteria from the Ministry of Health and Welfare of South Korea. The EHD evaluation items were classified into three categories: facilities, quality control, and validation. The evaluation items were compared with the KGMP sterile medicine criteria to determine their conformance with each other, followed by a discussion among the committee of six experts and their consensus to suggest the items to complement the EHD evaluation criteria. Results: Among the KGMP sterile medicine criteria, 44 were related to the management of the facilities, and 32 pharmacopuncture evaluation items corresponded to these KGMP items (66.7%). Fifty-eight KGMP criteria were related to quality management, and 42 pharmacopuncture evaluation items corresponded to these KGMP items (72.4%). Twentyfive KGMP sterile medicine criteria were related to validation, and 11 pharmacopuncture evaluation items corresponded to these KGMP items (44.0%). Sixteen items under the pharmacopuncture EHD criteria corresponded to the KGMP sterile medicine criteria based on the consent of the experts. Among these, 4 were related to facility management, 6 were related to quality control, and 6 were related to validation. Conclusion: For the safety and quality control of pharmacopuncture, there is a need to select the criteria for the mandatory items among the proposed pharmacopuncture-EHD criteria laws and systems to ensure that the pharmacopuncture materials are produced under the pharmacopuncture-EHD in compliance with the relevant requirements. More studies are needed to secure the safety level of pharmacopuncture materials corresponding to that of conventional medicine.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.44 no.3
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• pp.225-236
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• 2012

The Fukushima-Daiichi accident shook the world, as a well-known plant design, the General Electric BWR Mark I, was heavily damaged in the tsunami, which followed the Great Japanese Earthquake of 11 March 2011. Plant safety functions were lost and, as both AC and DC failed, manoeuvrability of the plants at the site virtually came to a full stop. The traditional system of Emergency Operating Procedures (EOPs) and Severe Accident Management Guidelines (SAMG) failed to protect core and containment, and severe core damage resulted, followed by devastating hydrogen explosions and, finally, considerable radioactive releases. The root cause may not only have been that the design against tsunamis was incorrect, but that the defence against accidents in most power plants is based on traditional assumptions, such as Large Break LOCA as the limiting event, whereas there is no engineered design against severe accidents in most plants. Accidents beyond the licensed design basis have hardly been considered in the various designs, and if they were included, they often were not classified for their safety role, as most system safety classifications considered only design basis accidents. It is, hence, time to again consider the Design Basis Accident, and ask ourselves whether the time has not come to consider engineered safety functions to mitigate core damage accidents. Associated is a proper classification of those systems that do the job. Also associated are safety criteria, which so far are only related to 'public health and safety'; in reality, nuclear accidents cause few casualties, but create immense economical and societal effects-for which there are no criteria to be met. Severe accidents create an environment far surpassing the imagination of those who developed EOPs and SAMG, most of which was developed after Three Mile Island - an accident where all was still in place, except the insight in the event was lost. It requires fundamental changes in our present safety approach and safety thinking and, hence, also in our EOPs and SAMG, in order to prevent future 'Fukushimas'.

• Korean Chemical Engineering Research
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• v.51 no.2
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• pp.221-225
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• 2013

Sustainability, in general, means the protection of environmental resources and economic prosperity, with the consideration of the social, economic and environmental effect, as well as human health and the enhancement of life. Profound consideration about sustainability has to handle the overall cycle of feedstock, resource extraction, transportation and production in addition to the environmental effect. Sustainable development of the chemical industries should be carried out complementarily by strengthening the chemical process safety of the industries. In this respect, chemical process safety can be called an opportunity to enhance the compatibility internationally. Changing new paradigm in chemical process safety is formed from the overall life cycle considering basic design of existing systems and production processes. To improve the chemical process safety, the integrated smart system is necessary, comprising various chemical safety database and knowledge base and improved methods of quantitative risk analysis, including management system. This paper discussed the necessity of overall life cycle in chemical process safety and proposed new technology to improve the sustainability. To develop the sustainable industries in process systems engineering, three S, which include Safety, Stability and Security, will have to be combined appropriate.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.50 no.3
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• pp.221-228
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• 2024

Background: Social interest is increasing due to frequent accidents caused by chemicals in the electronics industry. Objectives: The purpose of this study is to present a management plan by evaluating the exposure characteristics of dichloromethane (DCM), trichloromethane (TCM), and tetramethyl ammonium hydroxide (TMAH), which are high-risk substances to which people may be exposed in the electronics industry in South Korea. Methods: To investigate the handling companies and status of the hazardous chemicals DCM, TCM, and TMAH, the handling status of the three substances was classified based on electronics industry-related codes from the 2019 Work Environment Survey (Chemical Handling and Manufacturing) data with work environment measurement results for five years. Results: DCM, TCM, and TMAH are commonly used as cleaning agents in the electronics industry. For DCM, it was found that all work environment measurement results from 2018 to 2021 but not 2022 exceeded the exposure standard. Conclusions: Identifying the distribution channels of hazardous chemicals is an intervention point that can reduce exposure to hazardous chemicals. It requires management through tracking systems such as unique verification numbers at the import and manufacturing stages, and proper cultivation of and related support for handling chemicals by business managers.

• PNF and Movement
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• v.18 no.2
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• pp.275-286
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• 2020

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to understand and analyze the current status of dementia management and rehabilitation services in Busan, South Korea, in response to the rapid increase of people with dementia due to the aging of the population. Methods: To investigate the current status of dementia rehabilitation in Busan, a survey was disseminated to dementia safety centers and day- and night-care centers in 16 districts/counties in Busan. Of the 209 day- and night-care centers, 23 institutes were registered in the National Health Insurance Service and received the highest grade (Grade A) in the institute evaluation that was implemented in each district. A telephone interview was conducted, and survey questions were related to the existence of an ongoing dementia rehabilitation program, program presenter, number of participants, progress method, program time, program duration, program contents, and participation path. Results: Dementia safety centers were implementing dementia prevention program, cognitive enhancing program, dementia program, self-help meeting and education program for family of dementia patient. The majority of the presenters of all four dementia-related programs were occupational therapists. The highest number of participants in the dementia prevention program was 15, and the highest number of participants in the cognitive enhancing program, dementia program, self-help meeting and education program for family of dementia patient was 10. All institutes' programs delivered group therapy. As for the time and frequency of the program, most dementia program included three-hour sessions five times a week. Most dementia prevention program, cognitive enhancing program, self-help meeting and education program for family of dementia patient included 60-minute sessions once a week. The most frequently observed program duration for the dementia prevention program and cognitive enhancing program was six months, and the most frequently observed duration for the dementia program was three months. Lastly, study participants most often reported that self-help meeting and education program for family of dementia patient lasted for two months. Among day- and night-care centers in Busan, programs related to cognition were implemented in 18 institutes, and the majority of the program presenters were social workers. Conclusion: In response to the rapidly growing number of dementia patients due to the aging of the population, this study examined the current status of dementia rehabilitation in Busan. The study results underscore the need to develop systems that consider the circumstances in Busan and continuously and systematically support dementia programs.