• Journal of the Korean Society of Safety
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• v.25 no.6
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• pp.169-179
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• 2010

The aim of this study was to investigate occupational and individual risk factors and working conditions in relation to musculoskeletal symptoms in street cleaners. Investigation was conducted through a survey of 395 male street cleaners employed by the government office in Seoul, Gyeonggi and Chung-Nam from July to August of 2009. The control group was comprised of 143 male drivers and security guards. Risk factors for musculoskeletal symptoms in street cleaners were investigated by multiple logistic regression analysis and also evaluated ergonomic risk factors by assessing working conditions of 4 street cleaners. As a result of symptom questionnaires, all of the prevalent rates of musculoskeletal symptoms in street cleaners had significantly higher results than those of the control group(p<0.05). On binary logistic regression analysis of musculoskeletal symptoms, street cleaners showed significant higher odds ratio as 18.84(95%CI: 6.56-54.12) in the arm/elbow, 10.49(95%CI: 4.29-25.65) in the hand/wrist compared to the control group. Both absence of rest breaks and exposure to ergonomic risk factors showed to be important internal risk factors of musculoskeletal symptoms among street cleaners. The exposure levels of QEC(Quick exposures checklist) in street cleaners were revealed to be higher on the shoulder/arm, wrist/hand, and neck than back, or from stress. The findings appear to show that street cleaners were high-risk group of work-related musculoskeletal disorders. Therefore street cleaners require a holistic interventional strategy, including adequate arrangement of rest breaks, improvement of working tools and control of individual risk factors such as obesity and smoking.

• Journal of the Ergonomics Society of Korea
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• v.25 no.3
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• pp.97-103
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• 2006

Severities of musculoskeletal diseases (MSDs) have been recognized at the regular work such as manufacturing but incidence of MSDs are increasing also at the atypical work. The examples of those are health medical workers, office workers and service workers etc. Nurses among health medical workers are accomplishing to manage and recover the patients' health in the first place. Therefore, they are exposed to very stressful work conditions during caring the patients. This study was performed to analyze the musculoskeletal burdened work among nurses at a university hospital, in order to grasp the realities of the MSDs, analyze and prevent MSDs. We surveyed risk factors for ward, intensive care unit, delivery room, newborn room, operation room, function test room and central supply room at a university hospital in Seoul. It was executed for 2 months as the field study that was composed of simulation, real measurement, work motion assessment and subjective assessment. And the results were analyzed into ergonomics techniques. Works according to the criteria of musculoskeletal burdened work by the Ministry of Labor were scrub in operation room and heart ultrasonic function test. And a lot of works that need attention and management were also detected. So it should be required the education and systematic managements of MSDs for nurses.

• Journal of Korean Physical Therapy Science
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• v.1 no.2
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• pp.265-273
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• 1994

In order to investigate the subjective symptoms of VDT workers according to the working condition, this qutionnaire survey was conducted on 477 workers of 11 general hospitals, 15 banks and 9 research institutions in Taejon city and Chungnam province from June, 1993 to october 1933. The following results were obtained : 1. The main subjective symptoms answered by VDT workers were "eye strain". "eye pain". "blurred vision" for eye symptoms, "fatigue", "tendency to be fed up", "impatience" for psychoneurotic symptoms and "shoulder stiffness", "neck stiffness", "low back pain" for musculoskeletal symptoms. Most of these symptoms of VDT workers higher in female than male. 2. The number of VDT workers who complained eye and musculoskeletal symptoms were significantly increased. Smoking VDT workers showed higher complained rate of eye, psychoneurotic and musculoskeletal symptoms than nonsmoking group but alcohol drinking group showed higher rate of symptoms complaints of eye and musculoskeletal symptoms than not drinking alcohol group. 3. The VDT wokers who worked longer hours continuously and more hours of daily work, complained more frequent eye and musculoskeletal symptoms. 4. All subjective symptoms showed positive correlation to the sex and daily VDT working hours.

• Journal of the Ergonomics Society of Korea
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• v.32 no.4
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• pp.397-403
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• 2013

Objective: This article aims to report the results of ergonomic evaluation of some university laboratories. Background: Laboratory researchers are at risk for musculoskeletal injuries during routine laboratory procedures. However, little attention has paid to the working conditions of laboratory researchers, especially in Korea. Method: A checklist and questionnaire was developed and used to analyze the work conditions of 27 laboratories of chemistry, biology and pharmacy. Results: It was found that glove box, clean bench, and computer workstation are better than microscopy, and fume hood tasks, from ergonomic point of view. Conclusion: No domestic guideline is available for ergonomic intervention of laboratories. Further attention and studies are anticipated to improve the working conditions of laboratories.

• Journal of the Ergonomics Society of Korea
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• v.30 no.4
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• pp.525-534
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• 2011

This paper describes the current status of musculoskeletal disorders(MSDs) and its ergonomic risk factors, including the preventive intervention in terms of the working conditions and health promotion among agricultural workers. Korean agricultural workers have been exposed to the poor working condition. They have suffered from a variety of work-related injury and diseases more than the general population or the other occupational group. MSDs are one of the most prevalent problems threatening the agricultural worker's health and quality of life. Low back pain, osteoarthritis of hip and knee joint and carpal tunnel syndrome are well known MSDs that was found easily and frequently among agricultural workers. MSDs are worsened by poor ergonomic working conditions such as heavy weight lifting, repetitive movement and awkward posture which involves squatting with long sitting work on the ground, long working hours and heavy workload which are inherent in the greater part of agricultural works. Even though Korean agricultural workers are very weak population in terms of occupational safety and health, no many studies were conducted in the past and no many social and institutional supports were provided sufficiently. We need more interests and efforts in agricultural fields to improve its working condition and to promote health status of agricultural workers.

• Journal of Korean society of Dental Hygiene
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• v.5 no.2
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• pp.235-245
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• 2005

The changes in korean economic environment, from quantitative to qualitative growth of economy, go with making desperate efforts, that is, companies have put through many technical improvements, quality control, improvement of service, and so forth. Enterprises cut the number of employees through labor-management adjustment, so that a shortage of labor caused. An increase in intension of labor brought about growing the proportion of occupational diseases which is musculoskeletal diseases. Because of a rapid change in society and a change in our circumstances, we have many difficulties in examine a business disease closely. In support corroboration of relevance on admission of business, a criterion for dudging afford a basis for a causal relationship of medical science, take the state of working conditions into consideration, and at the same time, give a adaptable decision based on the purpose and point of "The Labor Standard Law" as well as "The Law about Industrial Accident Compensation insurance". In conclusion, it is necessary for the dental hygienists 10 reduce the on-duty hours a day, to make good postures in working, and to remove the stressful conditions in order to reduce the incidence of the lumbago. Good working postures, appropriate rest time, and early detection, care and education of the lumbago could be recommended for the dental hygienists.

• Journal of the Korea Safety Management & Science
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• v.8 no.6
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• pp.13-27
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• 2006

The goal of this study is to propose the effective way of finding injurious factors and making improved plan that prevents the workers against musculoskeletal disorders at a semi-finished medical product fabricating company A questionnaire and an ergonomic assessment method were adopted to analyze the symptoms of workers' musculoskeletal disorders, and an analysis of working postures and a quantitative assessment on various processes were performed to find out harmful factors of workplace. Based on the result of the evaluation, to enhance the working environment, improvement of worktable, working space, tools, and outfit was suggested, and induction of mechanical system was also suggested. It can be concluded that the method and process described in this paper could be helpful for diagnosing the musculoskeletal disorders and making improvement plans to the company with similar working conditions and process.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Safety
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• v.21 no.4 s.76
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• pp.108-113
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• 2006

The Work-Related Musculoskeletal Disorders(WMSDs) have been an rising issue since the 1970s. So many manufacturing companies have been tried to improve the work environments for the control and the prevention of the WMSDs. Specific risk factors associated with WMSDs include repetitive motion, heavy lifting, forceful exertion, contact stress, vibration, awkward posture and rapid hand and wrist movement. But recently it has reported that besides working conditions, job stress is the important hazard causes which lead to WMSDs. This study investigates the relation between WMSDs and Job stress from 1426 workers in Heavy Industry. Job stress was evaluated by Karasek's model. Job stress was associated with job satisfaction. Job demand was associated with the WMSDs, but job control was not associated with the WMSDs. The results can be used to design the management program for the WMSDs and the job stress.

• Journal of the Ergonomics Society of Korea
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• v.33 no.2
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• pp.167-174
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• 2014

Objective: This research focuses on the working environment of office workers and aims to propose an ideal seating posture and chair design. Background: Generally, office workers having to seat in a fixed posture for long periods of time tend to suffer from an increased rate of musculoskeletal disorders. Method: The measurement and survey of 123 office workers on their working conditions and literature survey will lead to a suggestion of an ideal seating posture and workstation design theory. Results: Work environment satisfaction appeared low for chair and desks. Work-related pain over the last year was experienced among 47.2% of the respondents in shoulder (34.2%), neck (30.9%). Observation of working posture revealed that only 27.6% of workers utilize backrest during work. Conclusion: Office work embodies many situations where risks of musculoskeletal disorders may be high. Thus, the seated workplace must be set up to allow proper seating posture for workers. Application: The results of this study can be applied as baseline data for preventing musculoskeletal disorders of office workers.

• Journal of the Ergonomics Society of Korea
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• v.29 no.4
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• pp.709-713
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• 2010

The objective of this paper is to report how workers' actively participate in a participatory ergonomics (PE) program, and how this program resulted in improved working conditions and decreased occurrence of work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs). A major tire manufacturing company in Korea was studied. Most of the activities in the PE program were designed and actually practiced by the workers and their union. The results revealed some positive effects of applying a PE program to the employees. It was shown that incidence of the WMSDs as well as the lost work days and the economic cost incurred by the WMSDs decreased with the PE program.