• Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
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• v.31 no.4
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• pp.531-539
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• 2021

Objectives: The purpose of this study is to understand the effect of infection anxiety about COVID-19 perceived by home appliance installers and repair technicians on work stress. Methods: To collect data, the purpose of the study was explained through the labor union of domestic home appliance service companies, and a survey was conducted through mobile to 286 home appliance installers and repair technicians who agreed to the survey. Results: As a result of the analysis, it was found that age, fatigue, work satisfaction, visit time, and Corona 19 infection anxiety had a significant effect on work stress. In other words, the higher the age, the higher the fatigue, the lower the job satisfaction, the higher the work stress was when the visit time was more than 30 minutes, and the higher the Corona 19 infection anxiety, the higher the work stress. Conclusions: Based on the results of this study, the following suggestions are made. First, in order to prevent work stress, we propose the development of a workplace health care program that can solve fatigue. Second, it is necessary to prepare a working environment and provide institutional support to reduce work stress by increasing Job satisfaction. Third, a workplace quarantine measures is needed to prevent infection for essential-workers who do face-to-face work in preparation for possible infectious diseases in the future.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Physical Medicine
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• v.17 no.4
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• pp.75-83
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• 2022

PURPOSE: This study was conducted to find out the effects of neurocognitive rehabilitation therapy on the swallowing function and quality of life of stroke patients. METHODS: Thirty patients were selected and randomly allocated into an experimental and a control group. Patients in the experimental group received 15 minutes of neurocognitive rehabilitation treatment combined with 15 minutes of traditional treatment. For the control group, patients received 30 minutes of traditional dysphasia treatment. The experiments were conducted for 30 minutes a day, five times a week, for four weeks. New VFSS and SWAL-QOL were administrated to evaluate the outcomes. RESULTS: Swallowing functions were significantly improved in the experimental group and the control group (p < .05), but there was no statistically significant difference in pre- and post-interventional swallowing between the groups (p > .05). The quality of life was also significantly improved (p < .05) for both groups, but there was a statistically significant difference between the two groups (p > .05). Third, a correlational analysis between swallowing function and quality of life revealed a moderate correlation between New VFSS and SWAL-QOL (p < .05). CONCLUSION: The results of this study suggest that swallowing therapy through neurocognitive rehabilitation treatment program could be helpful for improving swallowing function and quality of life in stroke patients. Although there was no statistically significant changes from traditional rehabilitation therapy, training in recognizing the senses in the oral cavity and external environment through neurocognitive rehabilitation therapy can be applied as one of the treatment options.

• Journal of the Korea Institute of Information and Communication Engineering
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• v.26 no.9
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• pp.1272-1278
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• 2022

The government enacted and promulgated the 'Severe Accident Punishment Act' in January 2021 and is implementing this law. However, the number of occupational accidents in 2021 increased by 10.7% compared to the same period of the previous year. Therefore, safety measures are urgently needed in the industrial field. In this study, BLE Mesh networking technology is applied for safety management of high-risk industrial sites with poor communication environment. The complex sensor AIoT device collects gas sensing values, voice and motion values in real time, analyzes the information values through artificial intelligence LSTM algorithm and CNN algorithm, and recognizes dangerous situations and transmits them to the server. The server monitors the transmitted risk information in real time so that immediate relief measures are taken. By applying the AIoT device and safety management system proposed in this study to high-risk industrial sites, it will minimize industrial accidents and contribute to the expansion of the social safety net.

• The Journal of the Convergence on Culture Technology
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• v.7 no.4
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• pp.163-170
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• 2021

The purpose of this study is to identify the harmful factors of teacher's job stress and occupational-related musculoskeletal diseases, and to investigate according to job types to seek solutions and improvement measures for removing harmful factors. A total of 168 elementary and high school teachers in Seoul were surveyed. As a result, the average RULA score of the teacher was 4.2 points, and the average RULA score of the teacher who did not complain of musculoskeletal diseases was 4.3 points. In addition, the average job stress score of the teacher was 58.9 points, and the stress score by factor was in the order of student guidance, work burden, loss of authority, organizational structure and curriculum, treatment and welfare, human relations. As a result of analyzing the teacher's RULA score and job stress, it was possible to derive a correlation between musculoskeletal disorders and job stress caused by occupation.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.48 no.3
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• pp.151-158
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• 2022

Background: Chemical emissions in the environment have rapidly increased with the accelerated industrialization taking place in recent decades. Residents of industrial complexes are concerned about the health risks posed by chemical exposure. Objectives: This study was performed to suggest modeling methods that take into account multimedia and multi-pathways in human exposure and risk assessment. Methods: The concentration of benzene emitted at industrial complexes in Daesan, South Korea and the exposure of local residents was estimated using the Caltox model. The amount of human exposure based on inhalation rate was stochastically predicted for various activity stages such as resting, normal walking, and fast walking. Results: The coefficient of determination (R²) for the CalTOX model efficiency was 0.9676 and the root-mean-square error (RMSE) was 0.0035, indicating good agreement between predictions and measurements. However, the efficiency index (EI) appeared to be a negative value at -1094.4997. This can be explained as the atmospheric concentration being calculated only from the emissions from industrial facilities in the study area. In the human exposure assessment, the higher the inhalation rate percentile value, the higher the inhalation rate and lifetime average daily dose (LADD) at each activity step. Conclusions: Prediction using the Caltox model might be appropriate for comparing with actual measurements. The LADD of females was higher ratio with an increase in inhalation rate than those of males. This finding would imply that females may be more susceptible to benzene as their inhalation rate increases.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.49 no.2
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• pp.78-88
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• 2023

Background: Exposure to volatile organic compounds (VOCs) can have acute and chronic health effects on human beings in general and in working environments. In particular, VOCs are often emitted in large quantities in industrial settings. In such circumstances, there is a need to improve the indoor air quality at workplaces. Objectives: The purposes of this study were to verify the effectiveness of air cleaning devices in workplaces and provide alternative solutions for improving working environments. Methods: Personal exposure and area level of VOCs for workers were evaluated in a car-part adhesive process before and after installing an air cleaning device with a TiO₂-coated filter. Passive samplers and direct reading instruments were used to collect and analyze the VOCs, and the removal efficiency and improvement of air quality were evaluated. We also calculated the exposure index (EI) to assess the risk level in the workplace. Results: The removal efficiency for VOCs through the installation of the air cleaning device was approximately 26.9~69.0% as determined by the concentration levels before and after installation. The measured substances did not exceed the exposure limits for the work environment and the EI was less than 1. However, carcinogenic substances such as benzene, formaldehyde, carbon tetrachloride, and trichloroethylene were detected. Conclusions: The application of an air cleaning device can be a solution for controlling the indoor air quality in a workplace, particularly in cases where ventilation systems cannot be installed due to process limitations.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Safety
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• v.38 no.4
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• pp.32-38
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• 2023

Job stress factors are factors that induce biological, psychological, and behavioral responses in individuals when they encounter mental and physical stimuli in the workplace. According to occupational safety and health standards, employers are responsible for the health consequences of job stress when workers engage in activities that result in high levels of physical fatigue and mental stress. Such activities include long working hours, shift work (including night shifts), driving vehicles, and operating precision machinery. Therefore, precautionary measures should be implemented. Following the COVID-19 epidemic, the logistics industry in Korea has experienced rapid growth owing to the shift from offline to online platforms facilitated by advanced digital infrastructure. Consequently, this study conducted a survey to analyze job stress factors among delivery workers. The survey utilized a Korean job stress factor assessment tool comprising 43 items and analyzed job stress factors considering the work characteristics of the courier business field obtained from responses provided by 421 courier workers nationwide. The survey analysis revealed that the physical environment, job demands, and job autonomy exhibited higher stress indices among Korean workers. Furthermore, the younger the age, the higher the stress on job demands, whereas the higher the age, the higher the stress on relationship conflict, job instability, and workplace culture. In addition, daytime delivery work was associated with higher stress levels in job demands and job instability compared with nighttime delivery work. These findings can serve as foundational data for reducing and preventing job stress among courier workers, whose workload has increased owing to the growth of the logistics industry.

• Journal of the Korea Society of Computer and Information
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• v.28 no.8
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• pp.165-174
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• 2023

This study used Korean work environment surveys data to confirm the relationship between exposure to harmful and risk factors and absenteeism of manufacturing workers according to the survey period. Accordingly, 8,318 workers in the manufacturing industry were analyzed for the same questions of harmful and risk factors in 2011 (3rd), 2017 (5th), and 2020 (6th). Work-related hazards and risks, vibration, noise, high temperature, dust inhalation, vapor inhalation, chemical handling, and infectious material handling were found to affect absenteeism more than 3/4 of the time of exposure in 2020 compared to 2011. In conclusion, it was found that non-exposure to work-related hazards and risk factors increased one survey after another, and that the time of exposure to work-related hazards and risk factors affected absenteeism.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Library and Information Science
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• v.57 no.2
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• pp.241-269
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• 2023

This study developed a scale for measuring publicness and examined the differences in perception of publicness according to library usage experience, personal characteristics of local residents, and types of library services. The survey was conducted on 15 local public libraries in 5 districts of Seoul, targeting library users and local residents. As a result, it was found that the publicness of libraries is composed of three factors: participatory responsiveness, procedural fairness, and situational equality, which demonstrate different aspects formed through the interaction between library users and local residents in the local community. The study derived ways to enhance publicness and presented in detail which aspect of publicness needs to be enhanced according to library usage experience and service period, local residents' occupational environment and experience of local activities, and types of library services. The study suggests that when service experiences that enhance publicness are effectively provided, more local residents can benefit from them, and the value of the library's existence can be demonstrated.

• Journal of Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Waste Technology(JNFCWT)
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• v.21 no.3
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• pp.371-381
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• 2023

Evaluating the effectiveness of the radiation protection measures deployed at the Centralized Radioactive Waste Management Facility in Ghana is pivotal to guaranteeing the safety of personnel, public and the environment, thus the need for this study. Radiagem^TM 2000 was used in measuring the dose rate of the facility whilst the personal radiation exposure of the personnel from 2011 to 2022 was measured from the thermoluminescent dosimeter badges using Harshaw 6600 Plus Automated TLD Reader. The decay store containing scrap metals from dismantled disused sealed radioactive sources (DSRS), and low-level wastes measured the highest dose rate of 1.06 ± 0.92 µSv·h^-1. The range of the mean annual average personnel dose equivalent is 0.41-2.07 mSv. The annual effective doses are below the ICRP limit of 20 mSv. From the multivariate principal component analysis biplot, all the personal dose equivalent formed a cluster, and the cluster is mostly influenced by the radiological data from the outer wall surface of the facility where no DSRS are stored. The personal dose equivalents are not primarily due to the radiation exposures of staff during operations with DSRS at the facility but can be attributed to environmental radiation, thus the current radiation protection measures at the Facility can be deemed as effective.