• Journal of the Ergonomics Society of Korea
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• v.27 no.3
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• pp.81-92
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• 2008

Musculoskeletal disorder (MSD) problems have been increasingly reported in hospital sector but the problems were not addressed with respect to holistic aspects of the target population in Korea. Often, it is required to understand how MSD symptoms are associated with factors such as personal, work environmental and psychosocial stressors. To examine features of association between sets of MSD symptoms and the factors, a questionnaire survey was conducted in a university hospital. A 140-item questionnaire was developed and used for collecting information including factors (e.g., job/occupation, task/activity, job stress) and MSD symptoms. A total of 1,091 workers (male 23.7% and female 76.3%) were finally determined for data analyses. Prevalence rate for the whole body was 72% and, among body parts, the highest was 48.7% for the shoulder, followed by 34.6%(the low back), 32.7%(the leg/foot), 27.9%(the neck), 26.7%(the wrist) and 12%(the elbow). The symptoms were significantly different by job/occupational variable in each of all body parts except the neck. The symptoms were very significantly different by task/activity variables in each of all body parts while those symptoms were significantly different by psychosocial variables, depending on body part and gender. In the logistic regression analyses performed for MSD symptoms by body part and each of 3 factors, odds ratio values varied, ranging from 0.7 to 3.3. The controls for reducing the symptoms were discussed on the basis of the findings. The results show that the MSD symptoms can remarkably vary by the factors and, in particular, can be highly differential for the task/activity factor. This study suggests that MSD symptom features be examined by using various factors and then a higher differential factor be primarily utilized for controling MSD symptoms in general industry including hospital settings.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.37 no.3
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• pp.225-231
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• 2004

Objectives : This study was performed to examine the influence of smoking on the blood cadmium concentration in university students. Methods : The study included 300 university students. A questionnaire interview was used to collect data. The urine cotinine and blood cadmium levels were measured as biological exposure indices. The data were analyzed using t-tests ANOVA and ANCOVA. Results : The median value of blood cadmium concentration was equal in both males and females ($0.8{\mu}g/l$). This level was relatively low in comparison with the reference value suggested by WHO (2001). ANCOVA showed that smoking related variables, urine cotinine and smoking amount, were significantly associated with the blood cadmium level (P=0.004, 0.015). However, the values with regard to traffic related air pollution were not significantly associated with the blood cadmium level. Conclusions : Smoking is an important source of nonoccupational cadmium exposure in young people. The Blood cadmium level is at least 10% higher in active smokers than in passive or nonsmokers. The level of urine cotinine can be used as an indicator of non-occupational exposure of respirable cadmium due to smoking, as there is a good correlation bestween smoking amount and the urine cotinine level.

• Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
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• v.33 no.3
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• pp.332-345
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• 2023

Objectives: We examined the association of hearing with cardio-metabolic diseases, dyslipidemia, hypertension and diabetes mellitus according to the personal and occupational characteristics of workers exposed to noise. Methods: The subjects of the study were 237,028 workers who underwent 2, 3, and 4 kHz airway pure tone audiometry in 2015 and who underwent clinical tests to diagnose cardiovascular-metabolic diseases. Cardiovascular-metabolic diseases were defined using reference values for respective items including blood pressure (systolic/diastolic), fasting blood glucose, cholesterol, and triglycerides. The airway pure tone hearing threshold of 2, 3, and 4 kHz, the average threshold of 2-3-4 kHz, and the hearing loss by the average threshold of the primary examination were distinguished. Results: Workers with cardiovascular-metabolic disease had significantly higher average hearing thresholds and higher rates of hearing loss. Logistic regression analysis, which adjusted for demographic variables of gender and age and occupational variables such as workplace size, industry, and type of work, and cardiovascular-metabolic disease as independent variables, showed that the odds ratio of hypertension to hearing loss in the mid-frequency was 1.239 (95% confidence interval: 1.118-1.374). For hypertension was 1.159 (1.107-1.214) and for diabetes it was 1.166 (1.104-1.230) for hearing loss in the high-frequency. Hearing loss measured by mean hearing was 1.178 (1.105-1.256) for hypertension and 1.181 (1.097-1.271) for diabetes. Conclusions: Cardiovascular-metabolic diseases in noise-exposed workers are associated with an increased risk of hearing loss and should be accompanied by bio-monitoring of cardiovascular-metabolic diseases in addition to auditory surveillance.

• Journal of Korea Entertainment Industry Association
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.175-184
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• 2019

This study aims to find out that major-related voluntary services of university students have an effect on forming their community spirit and occupational value somehow. This study carried out the survey targeting students in 'D' University, which is located at Jeonnam Province of Korea, on September 6 through 13, 2017. The self-administered questionnaire was structured in questions about community spirit and occupational value. 566 copies of the questionnaires handed out were collected. As a result, participation in voluntary services makes a significant difference according to gender, grade, and departments but major related voluntary services was ignificant difference according to departments. There was a significant difference in community spirit and occupational value of participants in voluntary services. However, major-related voluntary services showed significant difference in occupational value only. Based on the results of this study, it is necessary to develop a lot of volunteer programs in order to encourage students to join major-related voluntary activities.

• Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
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• v.32 no.4
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• pp.425-434
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• 2022

Objectives: This study analyzes TVOC concentrations in root industry workplaces in order to prevent probable occupational disease among workers. Root industry includes all the infrastructure of manufacturing, such as casting and molding. Methods: Real-time TVOC sensors were deployed in three root industry workplaces. We measured TVOC concentrations with these sensors and analyzed the results using a data-analysis tool developed with Python 3.9. Results: During the study period, the mean of the TVOC concentrations remained in an acceptable range, 0.30, 2.15, and 1.63 ppm across three workplaces. However, TVOC concentrations increased significantly at specific times, with respective maximum values of 4.98, 28.35, and 26.65 ppm for the three workplaces. Moreover, the analysis of hourly TVOC concentrations showed that during working hours or night shifts TVOC concentrations increased significantly to higher than twice the daily mean values. These results were scrutinized through classical decomposition results and autocorrelation indices, where seasonal graphs of the corresponding classical decomposition results showed that TVOC concentrations increased at a specific time. Trend graphs showed that TVOC concentrations vary by day. Conclusions: Deploying a real-time TVOC sensor should be considered to reflect irregularly high TVOC concentrations in workplaces in the root industry. It is expected that the real-time TVOC sensor with the presented data analysis methodology can eradicate probable occupational diseases caused by detrimental gases.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.46 no.3
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• pp.335-343
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• 2020

Objectives: The Korean Ministry of Environment has identified cases of people suspected of suffering lung disease potentially caused by polyhexamethylene guanidine (PHMG) used in humidifier disinfectants (HDs). Exposure assessment for the HDs was conducted using a questionnaire during face-to-face interview. The main purposes of this study were to develop a methodology to effectively classify levels of exposure to HDs based on a questionnaire. Methods: We first identified the overall participants' exposure characteristics by HD exposure levels; Second, we selected misclassified subjects and investigated characteristics of overestimated and underestimated subjects, focusing on exposure cases to PHMG-containing HDs. An inhalation reference concentration (RfC) for PHMG was produced on the basis of inhalation toxicity values. We made a cross-tabulation of the exposure classes (Exposure classes 1-to-4) by clinical classes based on the RfC. When the value of the exposure class minus the clinical class was 0 or 1, we assumed these were true values. When the value was ≥2 and ≤ -2, we assigned these cases to the overestimation group and underestimation group, respectively. Results: The overestimated group may have already recovered and responded excessively due to psychological anxiety or in order to receive compensation. On the other hand, relatively high mortality rates and surrogate responses for those under 10 years of age may have resulted in inaccurate exposure assessment for underestimated groups. For the characteristics of exposure, it was shown that for the underestimated group, the exposure was relatively weaker than the overestimated group, even though a high overall clinical rating was determined. Conclusions: This study may suggest ways to reduce bias and overcome the limitations of current HD exposure assessment.

• Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.148-155
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• 2013

Objectives: This study was performed in order to compare the average levels and similarity of occupational exposure limits in South Korea, the U.S., the E.U., Germany, Japan and Finland. Methods: In this study, occupational exposure limits (OELs) for one hundred and seventy seven hazardous substances which are managed in the workplace by the Occupational Safety and Health Act in South Korea were matched with those of other countries. The units for the exposure limits of the same substance (identical CAS number) were unified and the exposure limits in each country were compared with threshold limit values (TLVs) of the American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists (ACGIH) using a geometric mean method. Geometric similarity was calculated to assess the association by each country. Results: The exposure limits according to ACGIH TLVs in South Korea, the E.U., Germany, Japan, and Finland were 148, 37, 76, 90, and 110, respectively. When using TLVs of ACGIH as a standard, the geometric mean ratios of Germany, Finland, the E.U., South Korea, and Japan were 0.79, 0.80, 0.82, 1.19, and 1.27, respectively. Geometric similarity with TLVs of ACGIH was highest in South Korea (0.75) followed by Japan (0.56), the E.U. (0.52), Finland (0.50), and Germany (0.46). Conclusions: Through the comparison of levels of OELs and similarities among South Korea, the U.S., the E.U., Germany, Japan, and Finland, we could better understand the characteristics of occupational exposure limits by country.

• Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
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• v.11 no.3
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• pp.219-228
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• 2001

Objective : For the purpose of preparing the fundamental data and health promotion and control program on organic solvents in air of manufacturing industry. Methods : The author surveyed number of organic solvent components which was used in working site and also determined the organic solvents concentration in air of 927 manufacturing industries and 1,267 working process with gas chromatography(NIOSH manual) for five years from 1995 to 1999. Results : Mean number of solvents components by type of industry, working process was number of 12. There were exceeded to TLV of 1,2-dichloroethane in textile manufacturing industry N,N-dimethyl furan in tanning and dressing of leather ; luggage, handbags, saddlery, harness and footwear manufacturing industry and chemical and chemical product manufacturing industry by type of industry. There were exceeded to TLV of 1,2-dichloroethane in handwriting and drawing process, cellosolve in adhesive spreading process, N,N-dimethly furan in production of solvent process and adhesion process by working process Total exceeded rate to threshold limit values of organic solvents mixture were 12.9% for EI(Exposure index) and 10.0% for Em(Estimation of mixture) by type of industry, 11.3% for EI and 8.2% for Em by type of working process. The highest exceed rate was 36.7% for EI in tanning and dressing of leather ; luggage handbags, saddlery, harness and footwear manufacturing industry and 29.0% for Em in textile manufacturing industry. The highest exceeded rate was 23.1% for EI and 12.5% for Em in adhesive spreading process by working process. Mean values of total subjects by type of industry and type of working process were $0.7{\pm}1.8$ for EI and $0.7{\pm}1.7$ for Em respectively. Conclusions : As above results, the author suggest that it makes the environmental control program on 1.2-dichloroethane, N,N-dimethyl furan, cellosolve by kind of organic solvent and on textile manufacturing industry, tanning and dressing of leather ; luggage, handbags, saddlery harness and footwear manufacturing industry by type of industry, and on handwriting, drawing process and adhesive spreading process and adhesion process by type of working process.

• Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
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• v.7 no.1
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• pp.99-112
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• 1997

A quantitative fit test, condensation nuclei counting(Portacount 8025, TSI), was performed concurrently with a qualitative fit test, sodium saccharin(FT-10, 3M) to evaluate FF values and to determine the correlation between two methods. Two brands of full facepieces, T, S and two brands of half masks, T, S, were fit tested, respectively, on 103 wearers one time. The FF values obtained by CNC QNFT were lognormally distributed. The FF values for T brand of respirators were statistically very much higher than those for S brand of respirators. For a full facepiece wearer combination having a $FF{\leq}100$, as determined by CNC QNFT, the point estimate of the probability of that combination not being rejected by the saccharin QLFT was found to be 0.09 with 90% confidence that this statistic is not expected to exceed 0.25. For a half mask wearer combination having a $FF{\leq}10$, as determined by CNC QNFT, the point estimate of the probability of that combination not being rejected by the saccharin QLFT was found to be 0.10 with 90%, confidence that this statistic is not expected to exceed 0.23. The uncertainty associated with each estimate, however, is large due to the small number of study subjects with inadequately fitting respirators. This result indicates that saccharin QLFT may be more suitable for adequately fitting respirators than inadequately fitting respirators.

• 대한공업교육학회지
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• v.39 no.2
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• pp.58-80
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• 2014

The purpose of this study was to analyze career cognition, key competency, vocational values of university students and junior college students. The study was carried out through questionnaire survey method. The population sample for the study constituted 368 completed questionnaires from sample of 373 freshmen-women of university and students. A survey questionnaire consisted of career cognition items, key competency scale, vocational values scale, and personal characteristics items. The construct validity of key competency scale and vocational values scale were confirmed by factor analysis with varimax rotation. Both descriptive and inferential statistics were employed for data analysis. Major findings of this study were as follows: First, university students and junior college students most wanted to get a job after graduate. Many students decided their career at high school days. Many students were not prepared for their career after graduate. They recognized that major curriculum of university and junior college was very helpful to prepare their career. And many students discussed with their parents about their career. Second, key competency of them was moderately high. In the items of key competencies, 'communication and following' was the highest. And key competency of university students was better than that of junior college students. Key competency of male students was better than that of female students. Third, vocational values of them were high. In the items of vocational values, 'occupational stability' was the highest, and 'work in freedom and challenge' was the lowest. 'Occupational stability' and 'work in freedom and challenge' of junior college students was higher than that of university students. And 'occupational stability' of female students was higher than that of male students.