• Safety and Health at Work
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• 제2권4호
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• pp.336-347
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• 2011

Objectives: In Korea, an average of 258 workers claim compensation for their noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL) on an annual basis. Indeed, hearing disorder ranks first in the number of diagnoses made by occupational medical check-ups. Against this backdrop, this study analyzed the impact of 19 types of noise-generating machines and equipment on the sound pressure levels in workplaces and NIHL occurrence based on a 2009 national survey on work environments. Methods: Through this analysis, a series of statistical models were built to determine posterior probabilities for each worksite with an aim to present risk ratings for noise levels at work. Results: It was found that air compressors and grinding machines came in first and second, respectively in the number of installed noise-generating machines and equipment. However, there was no direct relationship between workplace noise and NIHL among workers since noise-control equipment and protective gear had been in place. By building a logistic regression model and neural network, statistical models were set to identify the influence of the noise-generating machines and equipment on workplace noise levels and NIHL occurrence. Conclusion: This study offered NIHL prevention measures which are fit for the worksites in each risk grade.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• 제22권2호
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• pp.418-426
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• 2021

This study investigates the perception of radiation safety management in radiation generator manufacturing workers and medical institutions. The basic data obtained is further applied to improve active coping ability and safety levels. The knowledge and attitude practice score of radiation was found to be related to gender, age, marital status, occupation, position, current work period, total work period, radiation related work period, the manual available, defense facility maintenance, number of defense equipment, radiation safety education, special health examination, and recognition of radiation terms. In particular, the knowledge score of radiologists was highest among the radiation-related occupations (<0.05). Radiation safety management requires active defense endeavors to prevent radiation exposure, by both workers of radiation manufacturers and medical institutions. Moreover, institutional devices such as compliance with guidelines, periodic education, facility reinforcement, manual preparation, and special health checkups are required for efficient radiation safety management.

• Journal of the Architectural Institute of Korea Planning & Design
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• 제35권12호
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• pp.43-53
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• 2019

The construction industry has made great strides in the past decades by utilizing computer programs including CAD. However, compared to other manufacturing sectors, labor productivity is low due to the high proportion of workers' knowledge-based task in addition to simple repetitive task. Therefore, the knowledge-based task efficiency of workers should be improved by recognizing the visual information of computers. A computer needs a lot of training data, such as the ImageNet project, to recognize visual information. This study, aim at proposing building facade datasets that is efficiently constructed by quickly collecting building facade data through portal site road view and automatically labeling using deep learning as part of construction of image dataset for visual recognition construction by the computer. As a method proposed in this study, we constructed a dataset for a part of Dongseong-ro, Daegu Metropolitan City and analyzed the utility and reliability of the dataset. Through this, it was confirmed that the computer could extract the significant facade information of the portal site road view by recognizing the visual information of the building facade image. Additionally, In contribution to verifying the feasibility of building construction image datasets. this study suggests the possibility of securing quantitative and qualitative facade design knowledge by extracting the facade design knowledge from any facade all over the world.

• Journal of the Korea Safety Management & Science
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• 제23권4호
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• pp.31-42
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• 2021

Recently, virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) technologies are attracting attention as core technologies in the era of the 4th industrial revolution. These virtual and augmented reality technologies are being used in a variety of industries, including the construction industry, healthcare industry, and manufacturing industry, to innovate in communication and collaboration, education and simulation, customer service and reinvention of the customer experience. In this paper, VR-based experiential safety education was conducted for workers of shipbuilding companies in Ulsan city, and for them, the educational effectiveness such as immersion, site applicability, safety accident prevention, education satisfaction, overall performance, and safety behavior in VR-based safety experience education were measured. In addition, we examined whether the immersion of VR-based safety experience education affects site applicability, safety accident prevention, educational satisfaction, overall performance, and safety behavior. Furthermore, it was analyzed whether site applicability plays a mediating role in the relationship between immersion and safety accident prevention. As a result, it was found that the immersion of VR-based safety experience education affects site applicability, safety accident prevention effect, education satisfaction, overall performance, and safety behavior, and that site applicability mediates between immersion and safety accident prevention. Based on these results, we suggests a direction for the development of VR-based contents in the field of safety and health and the transformation of safety and health education in the future.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• 제13권3호
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• pp.357-363
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• 2022

Background: Refractory ceramic fibers (RCFs) are a suspected carcinogen but have been widely used as insulations. Depending on the temperature, RCFs can transform into crystalline SiO₂, which is a carcinogen that can be present in the air during bulk RCF handling. This study analyzed the physicochemical and morphological characteristics of RCFs at high temperatures and determined the exposure levels during the semiconductor scrubber maintenance. Methods: Sampling was conducted at a company that manufactures semiconductor scrubbers using RCFs as insulation. Bulk RCF samples were collected both before and after exposure to a scrubber temperature of 700℃. Airborne RCFs were collected during scrubber maintenance, and their characteristics were analyzed using microscopes. Results: The components of bulk RCFs were SiO₂ and Al₂O₃, having an amorphous structure. Airborne RCFs were morphologically different from bulk RCFs in size, which could negatively affect maintenance workers' health. 58% of airborne RCFs correspond to the size of thoracic and respirable fibers. RCFs did not crystallize at high temperatures. The exposure caused by airborne RCFs during the scrubber frame assembly and insulation replacement was higher than the occupational exposure limit. Conclusion: Workers conducting insulation replacement are likely exposed to airborne RCFs above safe exposure limits. As RCFs are suspected carcinogens, this exposure should be minimized through prevention and precautionary procedures.

• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
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• 제22권10호
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• pp.460-474
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• 2022

The purpose of this study was to explore the perception of the extension of the retirement age perceived by corporation top leaders who are the main agents of employment. As a result of analyzing the interview data by qualitative content analysis, companies centered on manufacturing and construction preferred the elderly to foreign workers and leaders of social service organizations suggested that healthy and capable elderly people should be able to continue to work. However several opinions were also presented against the extension of the retirement age uniformly without considering the circumstances of the company. The passion for work of older workers with higher salary decreased, which concerns that the absence of a retirement system would reduce the vitality of the organization and increase the burden of labor costs. As an alternative to this, there is the opinion that employment can be extended even after the retirement age with the contract and in the form of a commissioned job according to an agreement with the company. Furthermore, it was also suggested that it would be easier not only to maintain employment but also to create jobs for the elderly given the employment flexibility.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• 제13권3호
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• pp.308-314
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• 2022

Background: Occupational cancer is a global health issue. The Korean CARcinogen EXposure (K-CAREX), a database of CARcinogen EXposure, was developed for the Korean labor force to estimate the number of workers exposed to carcinogens by industry. The present study aimed to estimate the intensity of exposure to carcinogens by industry, in order to supply complementary information about CARcinogen EXposure intensity to the K-CAREX. Methods: We used nationwide workplace monitoring data from 2014 to 2016 and selected target carcinogens based on the K-CAREX list. We computed the 95th percentile levels of measurements for each industry by carcinogens. Based on the 95th percentile level relative to the occupational exposure limit, we classified the CARcinogen EXposure intensity into five exposure ratings (1-5) for each industry. Results: The exposure ratings were estimated for 21 carcinogenic agents in each of the 228 minor industry groups. For example, 3,058 samples were measured for benzene in the manufacturing industry of basic chemicals. This industry was assigned a benzene exposure rating of 3. Conclusions: We evaluated the CARcinogen EXposure ratings across industries in Korean workers. The results will provide information on the exposure intensity to carcinogens for integration into the K-CAREX. Furthermore, it will aid in prioritizing control efforts and identifying industries of concern.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• 제11권4호
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• pp.537-542
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• 2020

Background: Personal protective equipment (PPE) has been designed in such a way to reduce accident rates. Unfortunately, existing PPE is rather ineffective as it is not able to provide warning signals when hazard is around. The integration of intelligent systems is envisaged to increase the efficiency of existing PPE. Methods: This project designed a safety vest incorporated with metal detectors which can provide immediate warning to the field workers when there is metal hazard around. This product has greater freedom of design via smart manufacturing as it involves the assembly of few commercially available parts into a single entity. Briefly, the metal detector is a do it yourself (DIY) kit, and the safety vest is purchasable from any local market. The DIY kit was connected to a copper coil and being sewed into the safety vest. Results: The metal detector induces beeping sound when there is metal hazard around. A total of 121 engineering students were introduced to the prototype before being requested to answer a survey associated with the design. Respondents have rated >3.00/5.00 for the design simplicity, ease of usage, and light weight. Meanwhile, respondents suggested that the design should be further improved by increasing the metal detection range. Conclusion: It is envisaged that the introduction of this smart safety vest will allow the workers to carry out their duties securely by reducing the accident rates. Particularly, such design is expected to reduce workplace accident especially during night time at construction sites where the visibility is low.

• Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
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• 제34권2호
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• pp.125-133
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• 2024

Objectives: The aim of this study is to develop a comprehensive Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) guide for maintenance tasks in semiconductor processing, specifically focusing on etching, deposition, and ion implantation processes. Methods: The development of the OSH guide involved a literature review, consultations with industry experts, and field investigations. It concentrates on Maintenance Work (MW) operations in these specialized areas. Results: The result is a detailed OSH guide tailored to MW in etching, deposition, and ion implantation facilities within semiconductor processing. This guide is structured to assist maintenance workers through pre-, during and post-MW phases, ensuring easy comprehension and adherence to safety protocols. It highlights the necessity of safety and health measures throughout the MW process to protect personnel. The guide is enriched with real-life scenarios and visual aids, including cartoons and photographs, to aid in the understanding and implementation of safety and health principles. Conclusions: This OSH guide is designed to enhance the protection of workers engaged in maintenance activities in the electronics sector, particularly in semiconductor manufacturing. It aims to improve compliance with safety and health standards in these high-risk environments.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• 제15권1호
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• pp.187-196
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• 1982

The followings are the results of the study on industrial accidents occurred at 12 factories manufacturing metal products during the period of 2 years from January 1980 to December 1981 in the area of Yong-Dung-Po in Seoul. The results of the study are as follows: 1. The incidence rate of industrial injuries was 45.7 per 1,000 workers of the sample group and the rate of male (54.0) was three times higher than that of female (17.5). 2. In age groups, the highest rate was observed in the group of under 19 years old with 83.5, while the lowest in the group of 40s. 3. It was found that those who had short term of work experience produced a higher rate of injuries, particularly, the group of workers with less than 1 year of experience showed the highest rate of it as 48.1%. 4. In working time, the highest incidence rate occurred 3 and 7 hours after the beginning of their working showing the rate of 6.0 and 6.1 per 1,000 workers, respectively. 5. The highest incidence rate was observed on Monday as 8.4 per 1,000 workers, and it was 18.3% in aspect of the days of a week. 6. In aspect of the months of a year, the highest incidence was observed on July 1,000 workers and the next was on March as 4.8. These figures account for 11.8% of total occurrence in respective month. as 5. 4 per and 10.5% 7. In causes of injuries, the accident caused by power driven machinery showed the highest rate with 37.5%, the second was due to handling without machinery with 17.2%, and the third was due to falling objects with 14.2%, and striking against objects with 10.2%, and so on. 8. By parts of the body affected, the most injuries 84.3% of them occurred on both upper and lower extremities with the rate of 58.8% for the former and 25.5% for the latter. Fingers were most frequently injured with a rate of 40.3%. Comparing the sites of extremities affected, rate of injuries on the right side was 55.0% and 45.0% on the left side. 9. In the nature of injury, laceration and open wound were the highest with 34. 0%, the next was fracture and dislocation with 31. 9%, and sprain was the third with 8.1%. 10. On the duration of treatment, it lasted less than one month in 68.9% of the injured cases, of which 14.5% of the cases were recovered within 2 weeks, and 54.4% of them were treated more than 2 weeks. And the duration of the treatment tended to be prolonged in larger industries. 11. The ratio of insured accidents to uninsured accidents was 1 to 4.7.