• Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.32-40
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• 2008

Methyl bromide has been used as a representative fumigant for quarantine, and several poisoning cases have occurred recently by this chemical in Korea. The purpose of this study is to evaluate workers' exposures to airborne methyl bromide in the importing and exporting plant products quarantine companies. Air samples were collected 400/200 mg Anasorb 747TM and were analyzed by gas chromatograph /flame ionization detector according to the Occupational Safety and Health Agency (OSHA) Method PV2040. Geometric mean (GM) and arithmetic mean (AM) of total 27 workers' exposure concentrations to airborne methyl bromide were 1.12 ppm and 0.24 ppm, respectively. Two exposures(12.1 ppm and 12 ppm as 8hr-TWA) of total 27 workers' exposures exceeded the Korean standard (5 ppm) of Ministry Labor, while 4 exposures (15%) exceeded the Threshold Limit Value (TLV) (1 ppm) of American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists (ACGIH). Seven samples (11%) of total 63 short-term air samples exceeded the OSHA Permissible Exposure Limit (PEL) 20 ppm (Ceiling). The opening (management) task in wood fumigation by tent showed the highest short-term exposure concentrations (AM: 18.6 ppm, GM: 0.58 ppm, maximum: 340.7 ppm). The maximum level in treatment task of the same process was 2.01 ppm. Methyl bromide concentrations in opening operation was significantly higher than that in treatment operation (p<0.05). In conclusion, the GM of workers' 8hr-TWA exposures to airborne methyl chloride in the importing/exporting plant quarantine industry was estimated below the ACGIH TLV (1 ppm). However, opening task in the fumigation of wood being covered with tent or fumigation of pant products in container showed the levels exceeding ACGIH TLV (1 ppm), and opening task in the fumigation of wood being covered with tent showed the level exceeding the Korean standard of Ministry of Labor (5 ppm).

• International conference on construction engineering and project management
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• 2022.06a
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• pp.579-586
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• 2022

Modular building is a fast-growing construction method, mainly due to its ability to drastically reduce the amount of time it takes to construct a building and produce higher-quality buildings at a more consistent rate. However, while modular construction is relatively safer than traditional construction methods, workers are still exposed to hazards that lead to injuries and fatalities, and these hazards could be controlled using emerging smart technologies. Currently, limited information is available at the intersection of modular construction, safety risk, and smart safety technologies. This paper aims to investigate what aspects of modular construction are most dangerous for its workers, highlight specific risks in its processes, and propose ways to utilize smart technologies to mitigate these safety risks. Findings from the archival analysis of accident reports in Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) Fatality and Catastrophe Investigation Summaries indicate that 114 significant injuries were reported between 2002 and 2021, of which 67 were fatalities. About 72% of fatalities occurred during the installation phase, while 57% were caused by crushing and 85% of crash-related incidents were caused by jack failure/slippage. IoT-enabled wearable sensing devices, computer vision, smart safety harness, and Augment and Virtual Reality were identified as potential solutions for mitigating identified safety risks. The present study contributes to knowledge by identifying important safety trends, critical safety risk factors and proposing practical emerging methods for controlling these risks.

• International conference on construction engineering and project management
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• 2020.12a
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• pp.313-322
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• 2020

The recognition of the risk hazards is a vital step to effectively prevent accidents on a construction site. The advanced development in computer vision systems and the availability of the large visual database related to construction site made it possible to take quick action in the event of human error and disaster situations that may occur during management supervision. Therefore, it is necessary to analyze the risk factors that need to be managed at the construction site and review appropriate and effective technical methods for each risk factor. This research focuses on analyzing Occupational Safety and Health Agency (OSHA) related to risk zone identification rules that can be adopted by the image recognition technology and classify their risk factors depending on the effective technical method. Therefore, this research developed a pattern-oriented classification of OSHA rules that can employ a large scale of safety hazard recognition. This research uses joint reasoning of risk zone Identification and numeric input by utilizing a stereo camera integrated with an image detection algorithm such as (YOLOv3) and Pyramid Stereo Matching Network (PSMNet). The research result identifies risk zones and raises alarm if a target object enters this zone. It also determines numerical information of a target, which recognizes the length, spacing, and angle of the target. Applying image detection joint logic algorithms might leverage the speed and accuracy of hazard detection due to merging more than one factor to prevent accidents in the job site.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Safety
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• v.8 no.4
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• pp.189-193
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• 1993

Elimination of dangerous points is the most effective method for safety in mechanical equipments. The next effective method is recognized as isolation and/or safe-guarding of dangerous spots from human beings. With progress of mechanical automation technique such as industrial robots, the need for safe-guard-ins is now being enlarged. It is needless to say that when a machine-guard is designed and installed, a comprechensive understanding of human movement is indispensable. But in this country, there is no scientific for those thems, and no one verifield whether it is valid to apply general guideline such as OSHA's to Korean or not. Further, basic anthropometric items for safety reach standards are neither availble nor included in nation-wide anthropometry project. In this research, human anthropometry data of Korean youngsters are analyzed for safety barrier and safety slit width, and compared with guidelines of other countries-Germany, United Kingdom, Japan, and USA. Though they are standards for safety, since they are based upon their own peoples' data, some of them especially foot reach are not not applicable in this country. It should be notified that careful application of numeric value is very important.

• Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.91-100
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• 2006

The purpose of this study was to validate alternative method by using non-carcinogenic, and less toxic solvents than NIOSH analytical method 5524 for measuring the airborne MWFs in workplaces. In laboratory tests, the ETM solvents(mixture of same volume for ethyl ether, toluene, and ethanol) were selected. The alternative method of analyzing MWFs, referred to as the ETM solvent extraction method, showed 0.04 mg/sample as LOD, and 0.15 mg/sample as LOQ. The analytical precision (pooled CV, coefficient of variation) of the ETM solvent extraction method for analyzing the straight, soluble, semisynthetic, and synthetic metalworking fluid was 1.5%, 2.0%, 2.6%, 1.6%, respectively, which was similar to the precision (2.6%) of NIOSH analytical method (NIOSH 0500) for total dust. The analytical accuracy by recovery test, spiked mass calculated as extractable mass, was almost 100%. As the result of storage stability test, metalworking fluid samples should be stored in refrigerated condition, and be analyzed in two weeks after sampling. The 95% confidence limit of the estimated total standard error for the ETM solvent extraction method for analyzing the straight, soluble, semisynthetic, and synthetic metalworking fluid was ${\pm}12.6%$, ${\pm}12.5%$, ${\pm}14.0%$, and ${\pm}13.6%$, respectively, which satisfied the OSHA sampling and analytical criteria.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.14 no.2
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• pp.13-27
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• 1988

Two asbestos slate manufacturing and seven asbestos textile plants in Korea were surveyed from May 20 to July 2, 1987. The purposes of this study were to evaluate 1) worker exposure to asbestos, 2) compliance to the standards and 3) the efficiency of existing local exhaust systems. Sixty-two personal samples and eighty-three area samples were collected and analyzed using "NIOSH 7400" method. Results of this study were as follows. 1. The asbesots exposure concentrations in asbestos textile plants were 1.3 - 14.3 fibers/cc(geometric mean(GM), 4.4 fibers/cc). 2. Worker exposure level to asbestos fiber in asbestos slate manufacturing industry was 0.21 fibers/cc during wet processing, which is below the Korean Standard of 2 fibers/cc. 3. Most local exhaust systems installed in asbestos textile plants were inadequately designed. 4. Ninety-six percent of the 145 samples exceeded the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) Permissible Exposure Limit (PEL) of 0.2 fibers/cc and forty-nine percent of the samples exceeded the Korean Standatd of 2 fibers/cc.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.22 no.2
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• pp.32-42
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• 1996

This study was performed to evaluate accuracy and precision of filter method and impinger method for analyzin airborne isocyanates in mixture (2, 6-TDI, HDI, 2, 4-TDI, MDI). Filter method was performed using the OSHA Method 42 and impinger method using the NIOSH Method 5521. The samples were analyzed by high performance liquid chromatography-ultraviolet detector (HPLC-UVD). After the optimum operating conditions for each method were investigated, samples with various concentration levels were quantified at the conditions. The precision was expressed by the pooled coefficient of variation(C.V.) and the accuracy by overall accuracy. The results are summarized as follows: 1. The optimum condition of filter method was determined at 35/65 ACN/buffer (0.01 M ammonium acetate) in mobile phase. And in case of impinger method, it was at 30/70 ACN/buffer(0.2 M sodium acetate). The effect of concentrations of acetate on the separation of the peaks was not significant, but, the effect of ACN/buffer ratio was significant. 2. The correlation coefficients for the two methods were above 0.9 in all isocyanate compounds. Average recovery efficiencies for 2, 6-TDI, HDI, 2, 4-TDI and MDI in filter method were 92.4%, 102.6%, 87.3% and 101.0%, respectively. Those in impinger method were 106.6%, 106.7%, 99.0% and 103.6%, respectively. As a result, the recovery efficiency of impinger method was higher than those of filter method in analyzing isocyanate compounds. 3. The pooled coefficients of variations of the methods were slightly higher than expected. The overall accuracies of the methods were within $\pm 25%$ for each isocyanate compound. Since these results satisfy NIOSH criteria, the accuracy of the experiment is appropriate. 4. As seen above, impinger method is more efficient than filter method. But, there are many disadvantages in impinger method. Therefore, solid sorbent such as a glass fiber filter must be developed in order to have the high efficiency not less than that of impinger method in the future.

• Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
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• v.23 no.4
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• pp.341-347
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• 2013

Objectives: The aim of this study is to investigate the differences in airborne TDI concentrations based on the filter collection method and liquid collection method and to compare airborne TDIs concentrations by sampling method change when using the filter collection method in the spray-painting process. Methods: For the sample measurement, the filter collection method(OSHA#42) and liquid collection method(NIOSH#5522) were used; for the sampling method, the full-period single sampling and full-period consecutive sampling methods were used. The samples were collected in spray-painting and drying process locations. Results: In all samples collected from the spray-painting and drying process locations through the filter collection and liquid collection methods, greater amounts of 2,6-TDI than 2,4-TDI were detected. When the TDI collection concentrations based on the sampling methods were compared, the concentrations of 2,4-TDI and 2,6-TDI collected by the consecutive sampling method were higher than the concentrations of 2,4-TDI and 2,6-TDI collected by the single sampling method for both the filter collection method and liquid collection method used in the spray-painting process. These differences were statistically significant. Conclusions: When TDI collection concentrations based on the sample measurement methods were compared, the concentration of 2,4-TDI and 2,6-TDI collected through the liquid collection method were higher than the concentrations of 2,4-TDI and 2,6-TDI collected by the filter collection method, and the differences were statistically significant. In the drying process, no difference was shown in the collection concentrations of 2,4-TDI and 2,6-TDI with the two measurement methods.

• Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
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• v.24 no.4
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• pp.446-452
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• 2014

Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the exposure status of formaldehyde(FA) among the nurses in ambulatory care departments of university hospital. Methods: Two university hospitals were surveyed. The FA concentration in air were measured to target 62 nurses in 8 ambulatory care departments(89 samples). Air sampling and analysis of FA were carried out according to the OSHA Method ID-205. The survey was conducted with questionnaire asking about how to control FA and whether the nurses use the formaldehyde protectors or not. Results: FA was detected in all samples. The maximum concentration of FA was 0.258 ppm and the geometric mean was 0.023 ppm. There was no sample that exceeded any of exposure standards by OSHA-TWA whereas there were 54 samples(60.7%) that exceeded the standards by NOISH-TWA. Among 62 nurses handling FA, 13 nurses(21.0%) used the protective gloves while nobody used a gas mask. It was assessed that any of 8 common ambulatory care departments did not use a safety cabinet for FA in which local exhaust ventilation was fixed. Conclusions: Nurses in ambulatory care departments were exposed to FA. Therefore, the environment management of a workplace, the health management of a nurses, FA handling education and installing a FA cabinet with a local exhaust ventilation were needed because FA as a carcinogen was able to cause any cancer to a human body if it was emitted in air for long time.

• Fire Science and Engineering
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• v.33 no.4
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• pp.16-27
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• 2019

A burning test was conducted on the smoke and combustion gases generated from cypress wood treated with sodium silicate, 3-aminopropyltrimethoxysilane sol, 3-(2-aminoethylamino)propylmethyldimethoxysilane sol, and 3-(2-aminoethylamino) propyltrimethoxysilane sol. The silicone compound sol was applied to each of the cypress wood specimens three times with a brush. The smoke and combustion generation gas were analyzed using a cone calorimeter (ISO 5660-1) and the smoke was also evaluated by applying new smoke risk assessment method. The smoke performance index (SPI) of the cypress treated with silicone compound increased 1.66 to 8.42 times and the smoke growth index (SGI) was 11.8 to 88.2%, respectively. The smoke intensity (SI) is expected to be 1.0~50.5% lower than that of the base specimens, resulting in lower smoke and fire hazards. The third maximum carbon monoxide (CO_peak) concentration of the specimens treated with silicone compounds was 22.5~33.3% lower than that of the base specimens. On the other hand, it produced potentially fatal toxicity that was 1.48~1.72 times higher than the US Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) acceptance standard (PEL). Cypress wood itself produced a high carbon monoxide concentration, but the silicon compound played a role in reducing this level.