• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.15 no.3
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• pp.345-351
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• 2024

Background: A decrease in physical fitness with age can impact work ability. Exploring the role of physical fitness is important for identifying interventions to enhance work ability among aging workers. We sought to determine the association between physical fitness and physically demanding work ability in aging workers. Methods: We recruited workers aged 45-65 years from eight departments of a university hospital in Bangkok, Thailand. Work ability was assessed using the work ability index (WAI), and physical fitness components were evaluated through various tests. Associations between work ability and physical fitness were examined using a multivariable regression analysis. Results: The response rate was 46.4% (n = 216). The mean WAI score was 41.6. Participants with an overweight or obese body mass index (BMI) had 1.8 (95% CI -3.1, -0.4) points lower WAI scores than did those within a healthy BMI range. A handgrip strength test revealed that participants in the good/very good group had 2.5 (95% CI: 0.6, 4.3) higher WAI scores than did those in the very poor/poor group. For a single-leg stance test, participants in the above-average group had 2.1 (95% CI: 0.7, 3.5) points greater WAI scores than did those in the below-average group. No significant associations were found between work ability and 3-min step, chair stand, or sit-and-reach test scores. Conclusion: The overall work ability of the participants was good. Body composition, muscle strength, and balance were associated with work ability. Promoting physical fitness is a viable strategy for enhancing work ability among aging workers.

• Journal of the Ergonomics Society of Korea
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• v.33 no.5
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• pp.423-432
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• 2014

Objective and Background: The objective of this study was to evaluate the association of individual characteristics, work-related factors, lifestyle factors, and health problems with work ability among aging workers in Korea. Method: In this cross-sectional survey, the study population consisted of 1,594 workers who had participated in a voluntary health promotion center and private workplace. Participants completed the work ability index. Results: The mean WAI score was 37.4, while the mean age of the sample was 43.25. In the age group over 50 showed 36.26. The majority of participants rated their work ability as 'good' to 'excellent', one-third moderate and about 7.5% poor. Work ability decreased significantly with age among the men. The younger group had higher scores on the work ability index than the age group over 50, except for mental resources. By work characteristics, work ability was analyzed to be the lowest in the case of work handling heavy stuff. Lastly, as a result of health factors analysis, the good management and retention of current health status can be the measure helpful to the improvement of work ability. Conclusion and Application: According to the results, it can be a basic principle to devise and enforce preventive measures on the factors for which improvement or action is possible, together with workplace-level systematic approach, in order to improve work ability. For such measures to be realized, it is necessary to check trends in change for several years.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Safety
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• v.20 no.2 s.70
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• pp.133-139
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• 2005

TWe investigated whether work ability index(WAI) was highly correlated with work environment(physical work environment, working condition and work form) correlated high. The study population consisted of technicians from one manufacturing company in South Korea(n=104). WAI and work environment were analyzed by correlation and multiple regression. Therefore, we conclude that the correlation of WAI and work environment in this population was high. So if there are the older employees having a poor score on the items related to work environment, we can elevate the work ability by dealing with work environment. Moreover, we can make the best program to maintain and raise WAI in short term.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Safety
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• v.26 no.2
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• pp.77-82
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• 2011

Recently, personal characteristics of organizational members arc regarded as an important factor that affects performance of organization. In addition, job stress is attributed to one of main factors that result in poor work ability and high turnover rate. In this study, job stress, work ability and DISC personality types were surveyed targeting 292 of foreman in shipbuilding company. The relationships between job stress and personal characteristics including personality types and correlation between job stress and work ability were analyzed based on the result of survey. As a result of statistical analysis, there were six statistically significant relationships between job stress and age, job tenure, work type, hobbies, exercise, personality types. On the other hand, there was a statistically significant relationship between work ability and exercise. Furthermore, negative correlation between job stress and work ability were found. In accordance with these analysis, this study presented how to improve work ability by managing job stress items and personal characteristics that affect the stress and the stress level.

• Journal of Digital Convergence
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• v.14 no.9
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• pp.19-29
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• 2016

This study analyzes life experiences and prospects of poverty/welfare exit of the poor with work ability utilizing Mixed methodology. Based on Sequential Exploratory Design, it qualitatively analyzes 3 waves of qualitative panel data linked to Korea Welfare Panel Study(KWPS) and presents life changes of 14 poor in the context of their prospects of welfare/poverty exit. Then it proposes hypotheses on the role of education, household economy expectation, self-esteem in the prospects of poverty/welfare exit following the sequential exploratory design to quantitatively test qualitative findings utilizing KWPS(7th). The outcomes of the Structural Equation Model(SEM) suggest that household economy expectation plays mediating role between education and the prospects of welfare/poverty exit. This implies that anti-poverty policy needs to consider a psychological approach to enhance household economy expectations of the poor as well as other material support.

• Korean Journal of Social Welfare
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• v.56 no.2
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• pp.71-91
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• 2004

The National Basic Livelihood Security System implemented from October 2000 has expanded cash assistance to cover the poor households that have work ability. The cash assistance for the households with work ability has positive aspects of providing basic livelihood security for all people, but many people have worried about its negative aspects such as the decrease of labor supply among the low-income people with work ability. However, there has been few study that evaluated the effects of the NBLS implementation on labor supply. One of the reason for this may be related with the difficulty of research methodology that there were neither program group nor control group, because NBLS was implemented for all the people at the same time. This study suggests alternative program groups and control groups based on work ability and education. Using wave1 to wave5 data of the Korean Labor and Income Survey, this study estimated the effects of the NBLS implementation on employment and work hours. A difference-in-difference approach was applied to these alternative program and control groups. I found that the implementation of NBLS did not have any statistically significant effects on employment an work hours. It is too early to conclude from this result that cash assistance for the poor households with work ability does not induce any labor supply decrease in Korea. Rather, I interpret this result as reflecting that the NBLS system was too limited to induce any sizable decrease of labor supply or that the work requirement imposed on the recipients with work ability was effective in deterring work disincentive among the low-income population. Future research need to explore better program and control groups and investigate long-term effects.

• Journal of the Ergonomics Society of Korea
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• v.31 no.1
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• pp.171-176
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• 2012

Objective: The goal of this study was to assess work ability of Korean workers in the shipbuilding industry. Background: Old age is associated with inevitable time-dependent losses in physical capabilities. However the maintenance of physical capabilities is essential for continuing independence in old age. The work ability index(WAI) was constructed to reveal how well a worker is able to perform his or her work. Method: The WAI is a kind of survey methods developed to estimate the work capacity of aged workers by the Finish Institute of Occupational Health(FIOH) in 1998. The difference of the WAI between groups in each category was tested using the Kruskal-Wallis test, and the relationship between the WAI and the workers' ages was tested by the Correlation test. Results: This study surveyed 2,709 persons working in the shipbuilding industry in Korea. The average WAI score for all workers was 40.0 denoting a Good Level. Also, workers in the shipbuilding industry had lower work ability, as compared to the results of other industries. The WAI was analyzed for different age groups(${\leq}29$; 30~34; 35~39; 40~44; 45~49; 50~54; ${\geq}55$). The results of Kruskal-Wallis test showed that significant difference was identified on the effect of aging(p<0.05). Conclusion: Advanced countries like the Finland showed decreasing tendency in good and excellent levels as aged, but there was no decreasing tendency in Korean population. The results may be attributable to the general characteristics of Korean society, such as poor social security and burden caused by role of the patriarch. It may bring forth higher work ability in aged population even their physical condition is getting worse. Application: This finding could be used for developing more accurate assessment tool of work ability for working environment.

• Korean Journal of Social Welfare
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• v.59 no.3
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• pp.75-97
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• 2007

The purpose of this article is to explore French 'minima sociaux', focusing its scheme, benefit determination rule and its level appreciation. First, on the its structure domain, French 'minima sociaux' presents the plural system in which there is eight categorical benefits and one general benefit. Il is the representation of the intention to guarantee minimum income for the dead zone people out of the social insurance application and also a historical product in different period, by different logic of benefits implementation. Second, comparing nine benefits based on the benefit determination rule, level of benefits for the poor without work ability is higher than one for the poor with work ability. Il represents one polarized perception toward for the poor according to have or not its work ability. Third, comparing level of 'minima sociaux' with relative poverty line, the level of the most 'minima sociaux' is placed under the poverty line. Nevertheless, it must not forget that 'minima sociaux' plays its role as the fundamental alternative for poverty alleviation, but not the only alternative. Fourth and finally, comparing with minimum income guarantee(SMIC in french), level of RMI benefit is estimated merely on the 50% of SMIC. We can consider that it is the result of the interaction of the complex factors, as the limited role of the state toward the minimum income guarantee for the RMI beneficiary and the intervention the logic of status instead of the logic of need, etc..

• Journal of Construction Engineering and Project Management
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• v.5 no.2
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• pp.11-15
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• 2015

The Last PlannerSystem (LPS) has been implemented on construction projects to increase work flow reliability, a precondition for project performance againstproductivity and progress targets. The LPS encompasses four tiers of planning processes:master scheduling, phase scheduling, lookahead planning, and commitment / weeklywork planning. This research highlights deficiencies in the current implementation of LPS including poor lookahead planning which results in poor linkage between weeklywork plans and the master schedule. This poor linkage undetermines the ability of theweekly work planning process to select for execution tasks that are critical to projectsuccess. As a result, percent plan complete (PPC) becomes a weak indicator of project progress. The purpose of this research is to improve lookahead planning (the bridgebetween weekly work planning and master scheduling), improve PPC, and improve theselection of tasks that are critical to project success by increasing the link betweenShould, Can, Will, and Did (components of the LPS), thereby rendering PPC a betterindicator of project progress. The research employs the case study research method to describe deficiencies inthe current implementation of the LPS and suggest guidelines for a better application ofLPS in general and lookahead planning in particular. It then introduces an analyticalsimulation model to analyze the lookahead planning process. This is done by examining the impact on PPC of increasing two lookahead planning performance metrics: tasksanticipated (TA) and tasks made ready (TMR). Finally, the research investigates theimportance of the lookahead planning functions: identification and removal ofconstraints, task breakdown, and operations design.The research findings confirm the positive impact of improving lookaheadplanning (i.e., TA and TMR) on PPC. It also recognizes the need to perform lookaheadplanning differently for three types of work involving different levels of uncertainty:stable work, medium uncertainty work, and highly emergent work.The research confirms the LPS rules for practice and specifically the need to planin greater detail as time gets closer to performing the work. It highlights the role of LPSas a production system that incorporates deliberate planning (predetermined andoptimized) and situated planning (flexible and adaptive). Finally, the research presents recommendations for production planningimprovements in three areas: process related, (suggesting guidelines for practice),technical, (highlighting issues with current software programs and advocating theinclusion of collaborative planning capability), and organizational improvements(suggesting transitional steps when applying the LPS).

• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
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• v.13 no.12
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• pp.261-275
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• 2013

This study aims to explore the utilizing experience of public support service of the single mothers, who have been assessed as inability in aspect of labor. For this purpose of this study, we had in-depth interview five interviewees who had adolescent children or non-adult children. The participants were from 20s to 50s. From the outcomes of this study, we figured out that they had attempted to escape from the poor realities of life and to help the family budget through their work. However, they could not have plans to fulfill their aims, because of the unhealthy body conditions, the high working costs, the burdens for parenting or child-rearing, and the low levels of working ability. It has been shown that their parenting stresses and depressions from their hard realities have been reinforced, and those psycho-emotional pressures have been projected to connect with the inappropriate disciplines and parenting or child-rearing. And it has been reinforced through utilizing public support service. Consequently, they have become chronic through the repeated disappointment and unhealthy psycho-emotional condition. In this study, we discussed and proposed the labor policies and practical suggestions which have had a close relationship with the efficient judgement systems for work inability.