• Title/Summary/Keyword: Laboratory Safety & Environment

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Biomedical Laboratory: Its Safety and Risk Management

  • Tun, Tin
    • Biomedical Science Letters
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    • v.23 no.3
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    • pp.155-160
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    • 2017
  • Biomedical laboratory is full of risks. Risk could be biological, chemical, radioactive, mechanical, physical, fire and electrical. All possible risks need to be identified, evaluated and controlled. A risk management system must be in place to prevent accident or loss of lives and to improve overall workplace safety and productivity. Safety in laboratory is a combination of appropriate risk management system, engineering controls and technical facilities, administrative controls and safety procedures and practices. Laboratory safety culture must be developed so that exposure to hazards for laboratory personnel, community and environment will be minimized or eliminated. In this review, importance of safety in a biomedical laboratory and risk management will be discussed.

A Study for Rationalization of Appointment Criteria to Laboratory Safety Managers in Universities and Colleges (대학의 연구실 안전환경관리자 선임기준 합리화 방안)

  • Kang, Mee-Jin
    • Journal of the Korean Society of Safety
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    • v.27 no.2
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    • pp.127-133
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    • 2012
  • This paper shows survey result on safety management status of laboratories in Korea. In Korea, many studies and reports on laboratory safety have been published since the ministry of education, science and technology (MEST) enforced the Act on Establishing a Safe Environment of Laboratories (Lab Safety Act) in 2006. The MEST has surveyed status of safety management in institutions subject to Lab Safety Act in 2008 and 2010. According to the survey result, safety management status of universities and colleges has been improved on several factors such as establishment of safety manual and implementation of safety inspection; while the number of safety managers of universities and colleges have increased. However, the difficulties in performing duties of safety managers has increased because the number of exclusive safety managers has decreased. This paper identifies the similarities and differences between Occupational Safety and Health Act and Lab Safety Act on assignment and duties of safety managers; therefore, this paper suggests a standard to determine the number of safety managers and decide whether or not their duties should be exclusive. Besides current standard that is based on the number of researchers, the number of individual laboratories should be considered. The new method would be helpful to determine the number of exclusive safety managers because the amount of safety managers' duties generally do not depend on only the number of people who may be exposed to any risk but also the number of facilities that may be cause of any accident.

A Satisfaction Survey On the Safety Environment and Education Time in University Laboratories (대학 연구실험실 안전환경과 교육시간에 대한 만족도 조사)

  • Lee, Jong-Ho
    • Journal of the Korean Society of Safety
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    • v.25 no.4
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    • pp.36-41
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    • 2010
  • This paper seeks to survey and analyze the status of obligatory execution from key institutional aspects that have taken effect according to laws on creating safe environment for laboratory and of general details such as the level of satisfaction on the part of people engaged in research activity regarding the laws after they have taken effect. The subjects of this study were MA and PhD graduate students in science and engineering who are primarily involved in research. This questionnaire survey was focused on finding basic data required for safety education for researcher and for efficient safety management by examining the correlation between education time and level of satisfaction. The collected data were analyzed by using frequency analysis, descriptive statistics, one way anova by SPSS12 package. The results obtained by this study are as follow. 1) Awarences of safety management rules, ordinary inspection, safety education were around 70% and other law clauses were around 50%. 2) The general satisfaction after the Laboratory Safety Act enforcement was usual level with 4.72 points in 7. 3) Researchers demanded ordinary inspection and protective equipment in a safe environmental composition. 4) The safety education time for improvement of a safe consciousness level was needed 12h or 24h at 1 years.

Comparative Study for nominated safety manager and the organization of safety management committee by year through the research on the actual condition (실태조사를 통한 연도별 기관의 안전관리 위원회 구성 및 안전관리자 선임에 관한 비교 연구)

  • Kwon, Yuna;Kwon, Young-Guk
    • Journal of the Korea Safety Management & Science
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    • v.17 no.3
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    • pp.97-104
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    • 2015
  • The study is conducted in order to identify whether there is difference in laboratory safety management committee and safety manager appointment for type of institutes(university, research institute, enterprise institute). The study conducted statistical analysis of 2484 institutes (university, research institute, enterprise institute) that attended 'current status of laboratory safety management' by year(number of current status participation). As a result, university showed increase in forming safety management committee as the number of current status(year) increases. The number of safety management committee held were the highest amongst all institutes being 2 held/2 year. Furthermore, period of safety management committee held at university and research institutes are decreasing stately. For 2014, the rate of hosting periodic committee and temporary committee simultaneously when necessary are increasing. The rate of appointing safety manager who is in charge of laboratory safety is increasing in university, but it is decreasing in research institute and enterprise institute. The work pattern of safety manager in university is increase in exclusive duties and decrease in adjunct duties, while work pattern in research institute and enterprise institute is more on the contract duties.

Study on the Improvement of MSDS Awareness among University Laboratory Workers

  • Sung-Min HAN;Sei-Yeon KWON;Min-Ji RYU;Woo-Taeg KWON;Hee-Sang YU
    • Journal of Wellbeing Management and Applied Psychology
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    • v.6 no.3
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    • pp.25-32
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    • 2023
  • Purpose: This study is to improve awareness of MSDS in order to prevent university accidents and protect university laboratory workers. In order to improve awareness, measures to increase accessibility through auxiliary means (warning signs, One Page Sheet MSDS, etc) and ways to strengthen safety training (improvement and strengthen MSDS training). Research design, data and methodology: A questionnaire survey was adopted as a research method for this study. Question items were selected, modified, and supplemented by referring to the previous paper. Results: As a result of the survey, MSDS found that it was difficult to find the information they wanted and that there were many technical terms and limitations in using it. In addition, MSDS training is underway, but few university laboratory workers felt that training was helping. This shows that the effectiveness of training is virtually insignificant. Therefore, it seems that improvement measures are needed to solve this. Conclusions: One Sheet MSDS, an effective way for university laboratory workers to communicate information, and MSDS information should be provided with warning signs with large phrases and good visibility. In addition, this study proposes a One Sheet MSDS that prioritizes important MSDS items over all items in the MSDS, and in the field of education, several improvements are proposed, such as "To prevent problems and answers from being shared on the Internet" and "To improve the difficulty of checking the online curriculum".

Very long life fatigue behaviors of 16Mn steel and welded joint

  • Liu, Yongjie;He, Chao;Huang, Chongxiang;Khan, Muhammad K.;Wang, Qingyuan
    • Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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    • v.52 no.5
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    • pp.889-901
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    • 2014
  • Very long life fatigue tests were carried out on 16Mn steel base metal and its welded joint by using the ultrasonic fatigue testing technique. Specimen shapes (round and plate) were considered for both the base metal and welded joint. The results show that the specimens present different S-N curve characteristics in the region of $10^5-10^9$ cycles. The round specimens showed continuously decreasing tendency while plate specimens showed a steep decreasing step and an asymptotic horizontal one. The fatigue strength of round specimen was found higher than plate specimen. The fatigue strength of as-welded joint was 45.0% of the base material for butt joint and 40% for cruciform as-welded joint. It was found that fracture can still occur in butt joint beyond $5{\times}10^6$ cycles. The cruciform joint has a fatigue limit in the very long life fatigue regime ($10^7-10^9$ cycles). Fatigue strength of butt as-welded joint was much higher as compared to cruciform as-welded joint. Improvement in fatigue strength of welded joint was found due to UPT. The observation of fracture surface showed crack mainly initiated from welded toe at fusion areas or geometric discontinuity sites at the surface in butt joint and from welded toe in cruciform joint.

A Study on Development of Pre-Hazards Risk Analysis Guide Tool (연구실 위험분석을 위한 사전유해인자 가이드 Tool 개발 연구)

  • Choi, Byeong Kyu;Rhie, Kwang Won
    • Journal of the Korea Safety Management & Science
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    • v.19 no.4
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    • pp.133-140
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    • 2017
  • The Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning made law for Pre-Hazard Risk Analysis in December 31, 2014 to protect researchers from continuing accidents in laboratory. Conducted before an experiment, Pre-Hazard Risk Analysis finds hazards of the experiment and rules to manage the hazards.So the Pre-Hazard Risk Analysis can support laboratory safety system by prevent accidents in laboratory. Pre-Hazards Risk Analysis is newly created system so that executors need Guidelines to perform this analysis properly. This study is to develop guide tool for Pre-Hazard Risk Analysis by analyzing other risk assessment systems; PSM, Off-site Consequence Assessment, laboratory safety system. Also, this study suggested how to establish database for Pre-Hazard Risk Assessment by analyse KRAS.

A study on improvement of the safety level in university laboratory using the safety management assessment (안전관리 평가를 통한 연구실 안전수준 개선방안에 관한 연구 -호남지역 대학 중심으로-)

  • Park, Hai-Chun;Cho, Sang-Hoon;Sim, Chul-Woo
    • Journal of the Korea Safety Management & Science
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    • v.14 no.3
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    • pp.11-19
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    • 2012
  • Especially because of the distinctiveness that new experiments and research provoke coexistence of various risk factors, the researchers in university laboratory are being exposed to incidents that are difficult to predict. Due to the fact that the numbers of accidents that occur at the university laboratory are increasing, the necessity for laboratory safety management is on the rise. Most laboratory accidents are caused by the ability that can detect risk factors such as unsafe behavior or unsafe condition but is not working perfectly. In order to prevent researchers in advance from unsafe behavior or unsafe condition, effective safety education, systematic safety management, safe research environment, continuous safety check and proper measures after accident are the most important factors. In this study, survey was conducted in university laboratory to identify the factors that affect on safety management and to measure the safety management level. As a result, effective measures are proposed for the improvement of the safety management level.

Analysis of Safety Management Condition & Accident Type in Domestic and Foreign Laboratory

  • Cho, Nam Joon;Ji, Yong Gu
    • Journal of the Ergonomics Society of Korea
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    • v.35 no.2
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    • pp.97-109
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    • 2016
  • Objective: The aim of this study is to identify the domestic and foreign laboratory safety management system and to suggest domestic laboratory safety management policy priority. Background: Various types of accidents are occurred in research laboratories according to a variety of laboratory safety risks. However, there are only lists of incidents without any precise accident analysis. Method: We analyzed statistically the survey on current status of laboratory safety management of universities, research institutes, and industrial research institutions carried out by Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning in Korea. We also investigated laboratory safety management systems and safety organization carried out mainly in overseas countries such as USA, Japan, Switzerland and France. In addition, we analyze the UCLA College laboratory explosion occurred in the US in 2010. Results: More than 75 percent of 2015 domestic laboratory accidents were occurred in the field of operation management and chemistry research. Also, approximately 55% of accidents took place due to careless use mechanical instruments & dangerous chemicals. In addition, common difficulties of lab safety act applicable organizations are overlapping and comprehensive application of legal requirements. Conclusion: There is a need for laboratory safety professional organizations. Also, the high frequency of use of hazardous substances in the high-risk, such as the chemical field must be strengthened the laboratory safety management. In addition, it is needed to minimize the problems of the research organizations through close cooperation between related ministries and government support policy such as professional development program. Application: The result of this analysis might help to present a differentiated safety management policy and advanced safety management system in laboratory.

A Study on the Improvement of the Safety Insurance for the Laboratory at the Korean Worker's Compensation Insurance - Focusing on Disability Benefit Pension Type Payment - (산재보험 수준의 연구실안전보험 보장성강화 방안 - 장해보험금 연금형태 지급을 중심으로 -)

  • Song, H.S.;Yee, N.H.;Choi, J.G.;Chun, S.H.;Kim, Jai Jung;Lee, B.H.
    • Journal of the Korean Society of Safety
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    • v.34 no.1
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    • pp.115-121
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    • 2019
  • Background: Due to the diversification and advancement of research, researchers have become to deal with a variety of chemical and biological harmful materials in the laboratories of universities and research institutes and the risk has increased as well. Therefore, it is necessary to strengthen the social safety net for laboratory accidents by strengthening the compensation to the level comparable to that of Korean Workers' Compensation & Welfare Service, when the researchers become physically disabled by laboratory accidents. The purpose of this study is to secure researchers' health rights and to create a research environment where researchers can work with confidence by strengthening the compensation to the level comparable to that of Korean Workers' Compensation & Welfare Service. Method: We analyzed the laboratory accidents by year, injury type, severity of accident and disability grade with the 6 year data from 2011 to 2016, provided by Laboratory Safety Insurance. Based on the analysis result, we predicted the financial impact on Laboratory Safety Insurance if we introduce a compensation annuity by disability grade which is similar to Injury-Disease Compensation Annuity of Korean Workers' Compensation & Welfare Service. Result :As of 2011, the insured number of Laboratory Safety Insurance was approximately 700,000. The Average premium per insured was KRW 3,339 and there were 158 claims. Total claim amount was KRW 130 million, whereas the premium was about KRW 2.3 billion. The loss ratio was very low at 5.75%. If we introduce a compensation annuity by disability grade similar to Injury-Disease Compensation Annuity of Korean Workers' Compensation & Welfare Service, the expected benefit amount for 1 case of disability grade 1 would be KRW 1.6 billion, assuming 2% of interest rate. Given current premium, the loss ratio, the ratio of premium income to claim payment, is expected 41.4% in 2017 and 151.6% in 2026. The increased loss ratio due to the introduce of the compensation annuity by disability grade is estimated to be 11.0% in 2017 and 40.4% in 2026. Conclusion: Currently, laboratories can purchase insurance companies' laboratory safety insurance that meets the standards prescribed by Act on the Establishment of Safe Laboratory Environment. However, if a compensation annuity is introduced, it would be difficult for insurance companies to operate the laboratory safety insurance due to financial losses from a large-scale accident. Therefore, it is desirable that one or designated entities operate laboratory safety insurance. We think that it is more desirable for laboratory safety insurance to be operated by a public entity rather than private entities.