• Journal of the Ergonomics Society of Korea
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• v.29 no.4
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• pp.423-433
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• 2010

The presence of musculoskeletal burden tasks and work related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs) at Industrial workers was not well-known until 2000 in Korea. Since The Occupational Safety & Health Law was registered a business of proprietor duty in preventing work-related MSDs of workers In July of 2003 WMSDs became a big issue in Korea. A social previous interest was focused on the manufacturing industry just like auto and shipping industry in manufacturing sectors but nowadays it is spreading out to non-manufacturing fields gradually. Nevertheless, we have WMSD prevention Law and System in Korea to reduce WMSDs effectively and systematically we recognized some mistakes and problems of WMSD Law and System. In this paper we study these recent problems in Korea from about 10 years experience and proposed some proposals as discussion.

• Annals of Occupational and Environmental Medicine
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• v.35
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• pp.4.1-4.11
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• 2023

Background: Shift work has been shown to increase the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) based on several evidences. The classic risk factors of CVD include age, hypertension, smoking, obesity and diabetes. Recently, the serum homocysteine level has been reported to be a valuable indicator of CVD risk. This study aimed to determine the variation in serum homocysteine level as a cardiovascular risk indicator among female workers according to shift work. Methods: The data of regular health examination of workers at an electronic manufacturing services company in Yeongnam region, South Korea in 2019 were examined in this study. The investigation was based on a cross-sectional study conducted on 697 female workers (199 day workers and 498 shift workers). The sociodemographic and biochemical characteristics were compared between day workers and shift workers. Through a logistic regression analysis, the odds ratio (OR) of the increased serum homocysteine level in relation to shift work was determined. Results: Compared to female day workers, female shift workers showed significantly higher level of serum homocysteine (8.85 ± 2.16 vs. 9.42 ± 2.04 μmol/mL; p = 0.001). The OR of day workers against shift workers was 1.81 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.25-2.63). With the adjustment of variables that may influence the level of serum homocysteine, the adjusted OR was 1.68 (95% CI: 1.09-2.60). Conclusions: The serum homocysteine level was significantly higher in shift workers than in day workers. It is thus likely to be a useful predictor of CVD in shift workers.

• Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
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• v.8 no.1
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• pp.155-161
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• 1998

This study reviewed on the occupational health status of female workers in China, where the half of female population are workers in occupational settings and realizes the importance of occupational health among them, to establish the occupational health management system in Korea as Korean female workers have been increasing for the last few decades. Results of the study were as follows. 1. The proportion of female workers in total workers have increased from 7.5% in 1949 up to 37.6% in 1990. As for the distribution of female workers by industry, manufacturing part has the highest proportion of female workers in total and out of total female workers, the rank was health social welfare (53.2%), community personal service(45.4%) and agriculture forestry fishing(44.1%). 2. The system of occupational health management for female workers was related to superior organization well by administrative district & work place and professionals were distributed to one per ten thousand persons or more, depending on each region's conditions. 3. The regulations of occupational health management for female workers are defined in a variety of fields. Considering the physiological characteristics of female workers, government has tried to minimize the loss due to menstruation, pregnancy, delivery and lactation and has let them have vacations, guaranteeing the health facilities at the same time. Also government has defined the scope of prohibited work to protect legal right of them.

• Proceedings of the ESK Conference
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• 1993.04a
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• pp.100-109
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• 1993

To investigate the work-relatedness of carpal tunnel syndrome of some workers at packing department in a rayon manufacturing company, reseracher studied the symptoms and physical sign related to carpal tunnel syndrome of the workers at packing, ysrning, and washing department. The results are as follows: 1. By the results of ergonomic study, the packing work had the considerable probability to develop the carpal tunnel syndrome. 2. The prevalences of symptoms, physical sign and case by definition were higher in woman workers than in man workers. 3. In female workers, the age-agjusted prevalence rates of symptoms were 11.6/1, 000 in workers at washing department, 111.6/1, 000 in workers at packing department, and 70.1/1, 000 in workers at yarning department. In male workers, the age- adjusted rates of symptoms were 92.1/1, 000 in workers at washing department, 210.1/1, 000 in workers at packing and delivery department, and 0.0/1, 000 in workers at yarning department. 4. In female workers, the age-adjusted prevalence rates of physical signs were 119.5/1, 000 in workers at washing department, 104.4/1, 000 in workers at packing department, and 84.5 in workers at yarning department. In male workers, the age-adjusted rates of physical signs were 65.7/1, 000 in workers at washing department, 59.0/1, 000 in workers at packing and delivery department, and 176.9/1, 000 in workers at yarning department. 5. In female workers, the age- adjusted prevelence rates of carpal tunnel cases by case definition were 123.1/1, 000 in workers at washing department, 1117.2/1, 000 in workers at packing department, and 60.2/1, 000 in workers at yarning department. In male workers, the age-adjusted of cases were 355.9/1, 000 in workers at packing and delivery department, and 0.0/1, 000 in workers at other two departments. 6. The most of female workdrs at washing departmentn had the work history at packing department. 7. We concluded the carpal tunnel syndrome of female workers at packing department were work related.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.13 no.9
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• pp.4025-4035
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• 2012

This study was performed to determine the musculoskeletal symptoms and its association with sociodemographic and health related characteristics, job-related characteristics and occupational stress among manufacturing workers. The self-administered questionnaires were given to 856 male workers in randomly selected 62 work places with 50 or less employees in manufacturing industries during the period from October 1st, 2011 to November 30th, 2011. Complaint rates of work-related musculoskeletal symptoms was 82%. In logistic regression analysis, significant factors related with musculoskeletal symptoms were marital status, BMI, subjective health status, alcohol drinking, job position, job tenure, experience of sick absence and visiting out-patient department. In conclusion, the study results suggested that the complain rates of work-related musculoskeletal symptoms of workers in work places of manufacturing industries with 50 or less employees were higher than workers in a large enterprise or the small and medium enterprises and it was related with sociodemographic and health related characteristics, job-related characteristics and occupational stress.

• Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.131-144
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• 2006

For the purpose of preparing the fundamental data on working environment of small scale manufacturing industries and preventing the occupational diseases of workers in these industries, authors surveyed the status of working environment to several chemical substances and physical agents by types of industry and types of process in the small scale manufacturing industries with less than five workers in Gimhae including 235 workplaces, 14 types of industry and 25 types of process from January 2002 to December 2004. This measurement method was work environment measurement method (established in Ministry of Labor, Korea), analytical methods (2nd Ed.) of Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and manual of analytical methods (4th Ed.) of National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) and collected data was analyzed by using SPSS 10.0 for windows, the results were as follows: 1. Noise generated in 14 types of industry and 22 types of process. an actual level of mean exposure (90.7 dB(A)) exceeded threshold limit values (TLVs) in manufacture of other transport equipment. An actual level of mean exposure (90.2dB) exceeded TLVs in the process of wire-drawing and 90.4dB in the process of wire-stranding. 2. Dusts of type I, II, III were generated in 9 types of industry and 8 types of process. Its mean concentration did not exceed TLVs. 3. Heavy metals (Pb, Mn, Cr, Ni) were generated in 7 types of industry and 7 types of process. Its mean concentration did not exceed TLVs. 4. 16 kinds of organic solvents were generated in 11 types of industry and 6 types of process. Its mean concentration did not exceed TLVs. As the above results, chemical substances and physical agents were generated in the several different types of industry and process of the manufacturing industry with less than five workers, and only mean level of noise was exceeded TLVs. In case of exceeding threshold limit values, improvement of work environment is actively needed, and work environment management should be performed continuously for prevention of an occupational diseases and work related diseases.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.27 no.3 s.47
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• pp.475-486
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• 1994

In order to provide necessary information for better health of workers through understanding the actual status of the industries adopting shift systems. The data were gathered from a stratified random sample of 347 (0.5%) firms selected out of about 70,000 manufacturing industries throughout the nation in 1993. Stratification during sampling was by industrial group and number of workers. The major findings obtained from 288 firms surveyed completely were as follows : 1. About 20.2% of the 288 firms were adopting shift systems and shirtworkers accounted for about 25.1% of the total work force in 288 firms. 2. The bigger number of workers was, the higher the adopting rate of shift system was. 3. The rate of having welfare facilities such as dining room, commuting bus, washing facilities, and health care room etc. was higher in the industries adopting shift systems. 4. The major industrial groups adopting shift systems were the rubber a: plastic goods manufacturing industry (54.1 per 100 firms) and the textile manufacturing industry (44.8 per 100 firms). However, the proportion of shiftworkers was higher in the textile manufacturing industry (70.5 per 100 firms) and the electronics industry (57.9 per 100 frms). 5. The most predominant work schedule was the weekly rotating, semi-continuos 2-crew 2-shift system (47.5%). 6. In the industries adopting shift systems, shiftworkers had an adjusted average of 0.29 spells per 100 workers ($0.14{\sim}0.45$ in 95% C.I.) compared to 0.23 spells per 100 nonshift dayworkers ($0.15{\sim}0.31$ in 95% C.I.) for 1 month. 7. Also, in the industries adopting shift systems, the adjusted average annuel turn-over rate of shiftworkers was 13.07 per 100 workers ($12.03{\sim}14.12$ in 95% C.I.) compared to 10.18 per 100 nonshift dayworkers ($9.53{\sim}10.82$ in 95% C.I.).

• Journal of the Korean Society of Safety
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• v.35 no.2
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• pp.17-27
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• 2020

To identify the relationship between types of employment(regular and non-regular group) and departments classification (administration, product and research group) and the levels of recognition of chemical substances, a total of 117 workers in cosmetics workplaces. Mainly, regular group and research group showed higher recognition of chemical substances (PPE, ventilation, chemical management, hazards in handling chemicals, skin contact) than non-regular group and administration, product group, but In some cases, production and administrative groups were high. Descriptive statistics(SAS ver9.2)was performed. the results of recognition of chemical substances were analyzed the mean and standard deviation by t-test, and anova, (P=0.05). These results cosmetics manufacturing workplaces have normal level of the perception of chemical substances. In most of the employment types, the regular workers showed high recognition, and the working departments showed high recognition in the research and production groups. Therefore, OEM and ODM cosmetics manufacturers regularly identify characteristics and needs of workplaces and workers, and suggest the development of experience and practiced education programs and risk assessment tools that can raise worker awareness.

• Research in Community and Public Health Nursing
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.153-165
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• 2006

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to develop and test a structural model on cardiovascular disease risk factors among male manufacturing workers. Methods: Data were collected through questionnaires and health exams from 201 workers in a local electronic company during September 2004. Data analysis was done with SAS 9.1 for descriptive statistics and PC-LISREL 8.54 for covariance structural analysis Results: The overall fit of the hypothetical model to the data was moderate, it was modified by deleting five paths. The modified model had a better fit to the data($x^2=504.23$(p<001, df: 180), $x^2/df=2.80$, GFI=.95, RMR=.07, NFI=.90, PGFI=.64). Health behaviors and psychosocial distress were found to have significant direct effects on the cardiovascular disease risk factors. Self-concept had direct effect on psychosocial distress or health behaviors. Self-concept, work environment, and work condition had direct effect on social support. Work environment had indirect effect on psychosocial distress. Social support had indirect effect on health behaviors. But work environment and work condition were found to have little direct effect on health behaviors, psychosocial distress or cardiovascular disease risk factors. Conclusion: A cardiovascular health promotion program should therefore include psycho-social factors as well as health behavioral determinants in worksites.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Safety
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• v.28 no.4
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• pp.33-37
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• 2013

A forklift truck, commonly used for transporting heavy materials in manufacturing industries, etc., is a useful machine. However accidents occur frequently during the operation of the machine. In order to prevent accidents it is necessary to examine the current safety regulations on a forklift truck. Because the regulations have not revised for a long time, they do not reflect the rapidly changing environment of industries. Proposed revision of standard on articles for forklift trucks was presented after analysing the causes of occurred injuries, comparing domestic standards with international standards and examining the survey results. We analyzed the safety regulation articles and the injuries according to the type of work conducted with forklift. The major differences in safety regulations between Korea and the major foreign countries were investigated. The opinions of field workers on the safety regulations were surveyed using e-mail or interview. As a result, it was found that preventing workers from contacting with the forklift is very important. To prevent accident due to movement of a stopped forklift, actions are necessary to prevent slip of a forklift. Also supervision is required to make workers fasten safety belt and to prohibit workers from using a forklift for undesignated purpose.