• Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
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• v.27 no.2
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• pp.105-114
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• 2017

Objectives: The Ministry of Employment and Labor's enforcement programs, such as workplace monitoring inspection, are one of the major public efforts to protect worker's health. Therefore, a more effective inspection method is required for workplace monitoring, which is helpful for controlling health hazards in the workplace. Methods: For this study, we investigated the related safety and health laws, regulations, and inspection guidelines from the USA, Japan, and Korea. We also analyzed the provisions of industrial safety and health acts, which are related to enhancing the reliability of workplace monitoring. We applied the process of opinion convergence through an experts meeting for our research. Results: We proposed an efficient inspection scheme for workplace monitoring that includes how to select companies(mainly randomized inspections by using a workplace measurement database and workers' compensation insurance database), how to proceed with the inspection process(mainly unannounced visits), and who should carry out this project. Conclusions: We conclude that our proposal for the inspection of workplace monitoring could be a very effective tool for reducing the numbers of companies that do not undertake workplace monitoring and could produce reliable monitoring results.

• Korean Journal of Social Welfare
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• v.68 no.1
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• pp.23-52
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• 2016

This study aims to reveal the meaning and essence of male immigrant workers' life who underwent industrial accidents through specific experiences. This study is based on the Van Manen(1990)'s lived experience phenomenological method, which actively describes the experiences about the industrial accidents in the perspective of male immigrant worker. The in-depth interviews were carried out with the thirteen male immigrant workers participants who underwent the industrial accidents. Through the interview, 121 meaning units and 38 disclosed themes were constructed. The following is the summarized results as 9 essential themes: < the oppression of the Industrial accident compensation insurance's hospitals to the aliens >, < being treated like the surplus man who lost the labor force >, < the class rank below despite undergoing the industrial accidents >, < survival having resistance sentiments >, < living at the anonymous lands as the Homo sacer >, < the stratified strategies between the immigrant workers >, < the origins as the bodiless shadow >, < struggling to escape the present conditions >, < present circumstances tied by the past experiences without hope >, researcher sought the essential meaning structure about the four Life-world Existentials (Body, The other, Space and Time) of constructing human's live-world. Based on the study results, some suggestions were made to restore the male immigrant workers' damaged quality of their lives who experienced industrial accidents and to contribute the social integration in view of the social welfare.

• Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
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• v.26 no.2
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• pp.210-218
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• 2016

Objectives: The objectives of this study were to investigate female labor workers' occupational stress and musculoskeletal symptoms and to identify the effects of their occupational stress and musculoskeletal symptoms on their health-related quality of life. Methods: A survey was conducted through direct interviews using a musculoskeletal symptoms questionnaire, the Korean Occupational Stress Scale(KOSS), and the Short-Form 36-Item Health Survey(SF-36). Subjects were 112 female labor workers in three factories in D city who were selected by convenience sampling. Results: Factors significantly affecting health-related quality of life were found to be: occupational stress(${\beta}$=-.36); degree of pain, with medium pain(${\beta}$=-.31) and extremely severe pain(${\beta}$=-.24); duration of pain, with more than 1 week-less than 1 month(${\beta}$=-.25) and more than 6 months(${\beta}$=-.16); frequency of pain, with once per 2-3 months(${\beta}$=-.22); responses to pain such as medical leave, use of worker's compensation insurance, task change, etc.(${\beta}$=-.16), and Slightly difficult(${\beta}$=-.16) versus Not hard at all. These variables demonstrated that health-related quality of life is 48%(F=11.72, p<.001) in female workers. Conclusions: To improve female labor workers' health-related quality of life based on the above results, occupational health managers should reduce the workers' occupational stress, develop and apply health interventions regarding musculoskeletal symptoms, prevent the early onset of musculoskeletal symptoms, and protect and promote the workers' health.

• Journal of the Ergonomics Society of Korea
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• v.29 no.4
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• pp.465-471
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• 2010

Work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs) have been the most common health problem covered by worker's accident compensation insurance for several years in Korea. Korean government has strengthened related regulations since 2003. People looked forward to decreasing the incidence and prevalence of WMSDs. At first, the expectation could be realized. However, we were bumped against to limit at present. The authors think it is due to the negligence of psychosocial factors for WMSDs. Many researchers reported that the various psychosocial factors were associated with WMSDs or symptoms. Job demand, social support, job satisfaction and decision latitude are the major risk factors in job stress aspect. Work pressure, lack of rest, qualified workload, workload variability and monotonous job are the significant risk factors in work context of work organization. Employment flexibility, downsizing, lean production, contingent work and pay for by the piece are also the risk factors in an organizational context. Furthermore, these risk factors are associated with each other across different dimensions of work organization. Suggestive possible pathways between these risks and WMSDs have been taken note of increasing muscle strain or ergonomic stress and of a cognitive aspect. The authors suggest these risk factors could explain the limitation of the regulation system for WMSDs. In conclusion, the strategy to manage psychosocial factors is the one of the essential approach to prevent WMSDs.

• Korean Journal of Social Welfare Studies
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• v.48 no.4
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• pp.221-249
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• 2017

This study aims to investigate determinants that affect job retention of injured workers depending upon types of return to work in order to suggest define the intervention priority for those who returned to original works and for those who did not. After constructing explaining variables based on literature reviews, determinants were verified analyzing 1,292 people using Panel Study of Worker's Compensation Insurance(PSWCI) data. The job retention period turned out to be 46.6 months for those who returned to original work and 34.2 month for those who returned to new works. Injured workers who return to new works tend to have more unemployment experiences. As a result of Cox proportional regression analysis, the longer it takes to return to work, the longer both groups tend to retain after the accident. Age, recuperation period, health status, psycho-social rehabilitation, education and occupational training also affect on job retention probability for those who return to new work. Based upon the analyzed result, setting up an adequate duration for return-to-work, intervention for injured workers who experienced vulnerable working condition before the accident and continuous case management after return-to-work are suggested.

• Health Policy and Management
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• v.31 no.1
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• pp.74-90
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• 2021

Background: It is getting important to improve the oral health status of the elderly because oral health status may affect their health status of the whole body. In this respect, we aimed to explore the association of oral health status and behavior factors with self-rated health status by sex. Methods: Using the data from the 7th Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey for health surveys and oral examinations (2016-2018), we analyzed a total of 3,070 people aged 65 or older (men: 1,329; women: 1,741). Our dependent variable, self-rated health status, was divided into two groups: not good (bad and very bad) and good (very good, good, and fair), whereas our independent variables of interest were oral health status and behavior factors. In addition to descriptive analysis and the Rao-Scott chi-square test, reflecting survey characteristics, we conducted hierarchical multivariable logistic regression analyses adjusted for socio-demographics and health status and behavior factors. All analyses were stratified by sex. Results: The proportion of people having 'not good' self-rated health was 36.5% in women but 24.5% in men. In a model adjusted for all covariates, the self-rated health status showed significant association with the self-rated oral health status. For example, in men, the risk of having 'not good' self-rated health was high in people having 'poor' (odds ratio [OR], 5.31; 95% confidence interval [CI], 2.34-12.03) self-rated oral health status and in those having 'fair' (OR, 4.03; 95% CI, 1.68-9.70) in comparison with those having 'good' self-rated oral health status. Dental status regarding speaking difficulty seemed to be very important in influencing self-rated health status. For instance, in women, compared to people having 'no discomfort' speaking difficulty, the risk of having 'not good' self-rated health was high in people having 'not bad' (OR, 1.60; 95% CI, 1.14-2.24) and 'discomfort' (OR, 1.79; 95% CI, 1.30-2.47) speaking difficulty. The covariates significantly associated with the risk of having 'not good' self-rated health were: physical activity, chronic disease, stress, and body mass index in both sexes; health insurance type and drinking only in men; and economic activity only in women. Conclusion: Oral health status and behavioral factors were associated with self-rated health status among the elderly, differently by sex. This suggests that public health policies toward better health in the elderly should take their oral health status and oral health behaviors into account in a sex-specific way.

• Quality Improvement in Health Care
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• v.7 no.2
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• pp.138-155
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• 2000

Background: Factors related to waiting and staying time for patient care in emergency care center (ECC) were examined during 1 month from Apr. 1 to Apr. 30, 1997 at an ECC of Yeungnam university hospital in Taegu metropolitan city, to obtain the baseline data on the strategy of effective management of emergency patients. Method: The study subjects consisted of the 1,742 patients who visited at ECC and the data were obtained from the medical records of ECC and direct surveys. Results: The mean interval between ECC admission time and initial care time by each ECC duty residents was 83.1 minutes for male patients and 84.9 minutes for female patients, and mean ECC staying time (time interval between admission and final disposition from ECC) was 718.0 minutes in men and 670.5 minutes in women. As the results, the mean staying time in ECC was higher in older age, and especially the both of initial care time and staying time were highest in patients of medical aid, and shortest in patients of worker's accident compensation insurance. The on admission or not, previously endotracheal-intubation state of patient. The ECC staying ti initial care time was much more delayed in patients of not having previous medical records and the ECC staying time was higher in referred patients from out-patient department, in transferred patients from the other hospitals and patients having previous records, and in patients partly used the order-communicating system. The factors associated with the initial care time were the numbers of ECC patients and the existence of any true emergent patients, being cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) statusme was much more longer in patients of drug intoxication, in CPR patients, in medical department patients, in transfused patients and in patients related to 3 or more departments. And according to the numbers of duty internships, the ECC staying time for four internships was more longer than for five internships and after admission ordering was done, also-more longer in status being of no available beds. As above mentioned results, the factors for the ECC staying time were thought to be statistically significant (P<0.01) according to the patient's age and the laboratory orders and the X-ray films checked. And also the factor for the ECC staying time were thought to be statistically significant (P<0.01) according to the status being of no available beds, the laboratory orders and/or the special laboratory orders, the X-ray films checked, final disposing department, transferred to other hospital or not, home medication or not, admission or not, the grades of beds, the year grades of residents, the causes of ECC visit, the being CPR status on admission or not, the surgical operation or not, being known personells in our hospital. Conclution: Authors concluded that the relieving method of long-staying time in ECC was being establishing the legally proved apparatus which could differentiate the true emergency or non-emergency patients, and that the methods of shortening ECC staying time were doing definitely necessary laboratory orders and managing beds more flexibly to admit for ECC patients and finally this methods were thought to be a method of unloading for ECC personnels and improving the quality of care in emergency patients.