• Journal of the Ergonomics Society of Korea
• /
• v.31 no.1
• /
• pp.203-209
• /
• 2012

Objective: The aim of this paper is to introduce the roles of H&S(Health and Safety) department and its future directions in the shipbuilding industry. Background: It is necessary to improve the level and quality of Safety & Health department. Method: Various documents and performances involving a shipbuilding company have been reviewed to describe the job of the Safety & Health department. Results: The role of the Safety & Health department has increased and developed in recent domestic industry. Conclusion: The status of the Safety & Health department should be improved by introducing of new systems and skills. Application: These results can be used to provide information for establishing a more effective safety and health organization.

• Safety and Health at Work
• /
• v.2 no.4
• /
• pp.365-374
• /
• 2011

Objectives: This study was designed to investigate whether long-term, low-level exposure to monocyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (MAHs) induced insulin resistance. Methods: The subjects were 110 male workers who were occupationally exposed to styrene, toluene, and xylene. One hundred and ten age-matched male workers who had never been occupationally exposed to organic solvents were selected as a control group. Cytokines, which have played a key role in the pathogenesis of insulin resistance, and oxidative stress indices were measured. Assessment of exposure to MAHs was performed by measuring their ambient levels and their urinary metabolites in exposed workers, and the resulting parameters between the exposed group and non-exposed control groups were compared. Results: There was no significant difference in general characteristics and anthropometric parameters between the two groups; however, total cholesterol, fasting glucose, fasting insulin, and homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance levels were significantly higher in the exposed group. Phenylglyoxylic acid levels showed significant association with tumor necrosis factor-${\alpha}$, total oxidative status, and oxidative stress index via multiple linear regression analysis. Further, there was a negative correlation between methylhippuric acid levels and total anti-oxidative capacity, and there was a significant relationship between MAHs exposure and fasting glucose levels, as found by multiple logistic regression analysis (odds ratio = 3.95, 95% confidence interval = 1.074-14.530). Conclusion: This study indicated that MAHs increase fasting glucose level and insulin resistance. Furthermore, these results suggested that absorbing the organic solvent itself and active metabolic intermediates can increase oxidative stress and cytokine levels, resulting in the changes in glucose metabolism and the induction of insulin resistance.

• Safety and Health at Work
• /
• v.5 no.2
• /
• pp.43-52
• /
• 2014

Because information on biological agents in the workplace is lacking, biological hazard analyses at the workplace to securely recognize the harmful factors with biological basis are desperately needed. This review concentrates on literatures published after 2010 that attempted to detect biological hazards to humans, especially workers, and the efforts to protect them against these factors. It is important to improve the current understanding of the health hazards caused by biological factors at the workplace. In addition, this review briefly describes these factors and provides some examples of their adverse health effects. It also reviews risk assessments, protection with personal protective equipment, prevention with training of workers, regulations, as well as vaccinations.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Safety
• /
• v.19 no.4 s.68
• /
• pp.129-134
• /
• 2004

Educational programs for promoting occupational safety and health have widely been established in advanced countries, such as United States and Germany, in the area of disaster prevention Focused attentions and investments for safety and health education have been placed especially for small and medium sized companies. Recently, information technologies have also been applied for the development and management of educational programs in those countries. It is also worth noting that a wide variety of incentive systems has been implemented for managers and workers to voluntarily Participate in safety and health education. Based on the brief survey on incentive systems in advanced countries, this study proposes two different incentive models, such as 'Supervision Exemption Model for Participants in Safety and Health Education' and 'Compensation Program fur Educational Expenses and Losses', which may efficiently be employed in Korea. These incentive models may contribute to revitalizing the occupational safety and health education which has recently been dwindled due to the changes in governmental regulations.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Safety
• /
• v.30 no.5
• /
• pp.59-66
• /
• 2015

This study investigated the recognition difference among construction work participants for the assignment of the safety and health management responsibility to a client by survey. Recently, there were some studies for the client's responsibility and duty and they suggested the client-initiative safety and health management system in order to prevent construction accidents. To supplement the existed studies, this study surveyed various construction participants such as clients, safety managers, construction managers, supervisors, others. The clients and construction managers considered the contractor as most important person to prevent construction accidents, but the safety managers and supervisors considered the client. For the opinion that the assignment of the safety and health management duty to a client is helpful, safety managers were agreed with the most. However, the clients showed the lowest agreement. The reasons that the negative opinion for the assignment of client's the safety and health management were different between clients and other construction parties. Since, clients showed large difference to other construction participants for the recognition of works' safety and health, the education about the works' safety and health management should be continuously performed for clients to have correct recognition for works' safety and health.

• Safety and Health at Work
• /
• v.2 no.1
• /
• pp.26-33
• /
• 2011

Objectives: The purpose of this retrospective cohort study was to investigate the relationship between exposure of Korean workers to petrochemicals in the refinery/petrochemical industry and lymphohematopoietic cancers. Methods: The cohort consisted of 8,866 male workers who had worked from the 1960s to 2007 at one refinery and six petrochemical companies located in a refinery/petrochemical complex in Korea that produce benzene or use benzene as a raw material. Standardized mortality ratios (SMRs) and standardized incidence ratios (SIRs) were calculated for 1992-2007 and 1997-2005 based on the death rate and cancer incidence rate of the Korean male population according to job title (production, maintenance, laboratory, and office workers). Results: The overall mortality and most cause-specific mortalities were lower among these workers than those of the general Korean population. Increased SMRs were observed for leukemia (4/1.45; SMR 2.77, 95% CI: 0.75-7.09) and lymphohematopoietic cancers (5/2.51; SMR 2, 95% CI: 0.65-4.66) in production workers, and increased SIRs were also observed in leukemia (3/1.34; SIR 2.24, 95% CI: 0.46-6.54) and lymphohematopoietic cancers (5/3.39; SIR 1.47, 95% CI: 0.48-3.44) in production workers, but the results were not statistically significant. Conclusion: The results showed a potential relationship between leukemia and lymphohematopoietic cancers and exposure to benzene in refinery/petrochemical complex workers. This study yielded limited results due to a short observational period; therefore, a follow-up study must be performed to elucidate the relationship between petrochemical exposure and cancer rates.

• Safety and Health at Work
• /
• v.13 no.4
• /
• pp.429-439
• /
• 2022

Background: The risk observatory (RO) of the German Social Accident Insurance (DGUV) provides strategic support to the German Social Accident Insurance Institutions (GSAII) in proactive prevention. It does so by identifying future challenges and opportunities for occupational safety and health (OSH) resulting from new trends and developments that affect employees as well as children in elementary education, pupils, and students. Methods: The core of the RO is an online survey that relies on a pool of new trends and developments identified via internet and literature research. 865 prevention experts of the GSAII and the DGUV participated in the survey. They rated trends and developments regarding their sector-specific risks and opportunities for OSH in the 5 years to come. Results: Sector-specific and over-all results show that besides well-known OSH risks such as musculoskeletal stress and noise, developments relevant for OSH come to the fore that do not have their origin in work itself, but are strongly influenced by political, social, economic, environmental, or technical developments that accident insurance can only peripherally influence. Shortage of skilled staff was identified as a threat to OSH in almost all sectors. Conclusions: Prevention must find ways to address repercussions of such OSH risks. Cooperation and political awareness are therefore gaining in importance. Also, implementing a prevention culture in society and strengthening individuals' health and safety literacy, e.g., by target-group-specific communication and sensitization, as well as early safety and health education, help to counteract those OSH risks.

• Safety and Health at Work
• /
• v.10 no.1
• /
• pp.21-29
• /
• 2019

Background: Promoting healthy lifestyles at work should complement workplace safety programs. This study systematically investigates current states of occupational health and safety (OHS) policy as well as practice in the European Union (EU). Methods: OHS policies of EU member states were categorized as either prevention or health promotion provisions using a manifest content analysis. Policy rankings were then created for each prevention and promotion. Rankings compared eight indicators from the European Survey of Enterprises on New and Emerging Risks-2 data on prevention and promotion practices for each member state using Chi-square and probit regression analyses. Results: Overall, 73.1% of EU establishments take preventive measures against direct physical harm, and about 35.4% take measures to prevent psychosocial risks. Merely 29.5% have measures to promote health. Weak and inconsistent links between OHS policy and practice indicators were identified. Conclusion: National OHS policies evidently concentrate on prevention while compliance with health and safety practices is relatively low. Psychosocial risks are often addressed in national policy but not implemented by institutions. Current risk assessment methods are outdated and often lack psychosocial indicators. Health promotion at work is rare in policy and practice, and its interpretation remains preventive. Member states need to adopt policies that actively improve health and well-being at the workplace.

• Journal of the Korea Safety Management & Science
• /
• v.16 no.4
• /
• pp.53-62
• /
• 2014

According to the statistics of occupational injuries in 2013, the work platforms were main objects causing fall injuries in construction sites. But many scaffold and platform workers use and install the work platforms and the fixed and mobile scaffolding without considering about safety and health standards. We had done a nationwide survey about how the platform workers obey safety and health standards. As the result of this survey, in order to ensure the safety of the work platforms, we founded that the platform workers must obey the safety and health standards when using and installing the work platforms. To improve the safety and health conscious of the workers, it needs to educate a worker on safety and health standards for work platforms. Also, to effectively prevent constructin injuries for the work platforms, it is rextricted for workers to use only safety certified work platforms. And, before installing and using work platforms, it needs to make a work plan for work platforms and obey it.

• Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
• /
• v.30 no.1
• /
• pp.39-49
• /
• 2020

Objectives: We investigated the status of accidents and deaths caused by chemical leakage and skin contact in Korea. The purpose of this study was to produce and provide technical reference data for the efficient management of accidents and the rational management of accidental chemicals. Methods: Accidents and deaths caused by chemical leakage and skin contact in industry were investigated. Based on 68 accident reports related to chemical leakage and skin contact, the causes of accidental deaths were analyzed. In addition, we investigated the chemical substances and articles that caused these accidents and deaths. Based on the results of the investigation, the causes of accidents caused by chemical leakage and skin contact were identified and practical management measures for the chemicals were suggested. Results and Conclusions: In 2018, 372 people suffered from chemical leaks and skin contact, up by 123 (about 49.4%) from the previous year. The number of accident deaths was 14, an increase of five (about 55.6%) from the previous year. In the last three years (2016-2018), 91 chemical substances and article groups were involved in accidents caused by chemical leakage and skin contact. There were 16 chemical substance and article groups involved in accidental deaths. There were ten cases of accidents involving two or more casualties due to chemical leakage and skin contact, and 23 deaths occurred. Most of these accidental deaths were caused by subcontractor workers outsourcing risks. Therefore, there is an apparent need to strengthen the responsibility for safety and health among subcontractors.