• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.40 no.1
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• pp.63-70
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• 2014

Objective: The purpose of this study was to investigate the occurrence of indicator organisms in essential sanitary ware in public restrooms. Methods: Twelve public restrooms were randomly selected. Samples at three locations (toilet seat, toilet flush handle/lever, and faucet handle) in the restrooms were collected with moistened-sterile cotton swabs and applied to media in order to determine aerobic colony count (ACC), total coliforms, and Escherichia coli. Results: Most of the samples taken in summer showed a higher level of ACC than those taken in winter (p<0.05). Female restrooms showed higher ACC levels on faucet handles and male restrooms on toilet flush handles/levers (p<0.05). Overall, faucet handles contained the greatest level of ACC, followed by toilet seats, whereas the least load was found on toilet flush handles/levers. The ACC level of samples in the restrooms in public parks, subway stations, and educational institutions varied. Total coliforms were identified in about 20% of toilet seats and faucet handles in male restrooms and faucet handles in female restrooms in summer. These locations were also the sites of positive results of E. coli isolation. Conclusions: The public restrooms were significantly more contaminated in summer than in winter. Overall, the most contaminated locations in the restrooms were toilet seats in male restrooms, and faucet handles in female restrooms. Poor hygienic status was indicated by the positive results of total coliforms and E. coli on samples from some sites. Therefore, sanitary control of restrooms should be improved. These results should be confirmed in a larger study that includes more public restrooms.

• Archives of design research
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.147-156
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• 2002

As our country holds 2002 Korea-Japan FIFA World Cup, more foreigners are visiting Korea, making the tourist industry more profitable. Under these circumstances, we should pay attention to the restroom as a public facility, and inspire the awareness in the Korean people to improve the public restrooms. However, according to KNTO(Korea National Tourist Organization), it has turned out that foreign tourists are still dissatisfied with dirty restrooms and poor signposting when they visit Korea, Though the number of restrooms has been increased, they are not properly managed being a public nuisance due to negligence of administration and straggling facilities. To make it worse, poor design of restrooms and insufficient consideration of handicapped person bring disgrace on Koreas tourist administration. While studies on restrooms began from the 1980s, it has placed too much emphasis on the space arrangement and facility plan, so we need to pay attention to the traditional design and environment aspect of restrooms. This study is 1 haute looked into the problems and actual conditions of restrooms, and based on these data, applied Korean Buddhist architecture style to restrooms to create a comfortable circumstance in restrooms.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.40 no.4
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• pp.304-312
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• 2014

Objectives: This study was performed to examine bioaerosols in indoor air in public restrooms, as well as to assess the effects of air temperature and relative humidity on bioaerosol levels. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was performed in ten male and ten female restrooms. An air sampler (Anderson type) was used for sampling total suspended bacteria (TSB), Gram-negative bacteria (GNB), Gram-positive bacteria (GPB), opportunistic bacteria (OP), Staphylococcus spp., and total suspended fungi (TSF). Results: The levels of TSB were $10-10^2CFU/m^3$ and TSF $10-10^2CFU/m^3$, respectively. The GNB level was $0-10CFU/m^3$, and GPB and OP levels were $10-10^2CFU/m^3$. Staphylococcus aureus and methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) were detected in 90% of the restrooms. The GPB level was higher in the female restrooms than in the male restrooms (p < 0.05). TSB, GNB, and TSF showed higher levels in restrooms in buildings over 30 years old (p < 0.01). The main effect of air temperature or relative humidity and interaction effect of the two factors on the TSB level were significant (p < 0.05), while the effect of relative humidity on the TSF level was significant (p < 0.001). Conclusions: These results indicate that there is a wide variation in the bioaerosol levels among different restrooms. The observed differences in bioaerosol levels reflect different building histories. The effects of air temperature and/or relative humidity reveal that bioaerosol levels may vary according to season or time of day. Future research is needed to further characterize the relation between the bioaerosol levels and surface contamination in restrooms.

• The Journal of the Korea institute of electronic communication sciences
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.473-482
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• 2024

This study utilized virtual reality to construct a simulated public restroom environment to identify potential hazards. The objective was to discern actual risks in real-world public restrooms through this virtual setup. During the virtual restroom experience, data from the built-in 3-axis accelerometer and gyroscope sensors of testor's smart phones were collected. Analysis of this data helped in identifying spatio temporal factors impacting the users. The determination of these factors as risk elements was based on an evaluation algorithm grounded in data analysis.

• Journal of the Korea Convergence Society
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• v.11 no.8
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• pp.71-76
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• 2020

This study measured radioactive surface contamination in general public restrooms in hospitals and in dedicated toilets for nuclear medicine. The measurement method was measured using Berthold (LB 124, Germany) at the entrance to the restroom, inside the restroom, around the restroom, in the urinal, and around the urinal. As a result of the use of the restroom, there was no dedicated place waiting for patients who received radioisotopes in one of the three hospitals. As a result of measuring the restroom for exclusive use of radioisotopes, all measurement sites in the radioiodine therapy room were the highest, and the results of measuring the public restrooms showed background level contamination at all hospitals except hospital B. However, it was measured as 8.073 Bq/㎠ and 6.426 Bq/㎠ in the urinals in the public restroom on the first floor of the B hospital. Therefore, it is recommended to explain the dangers of radiation exposure to patients and provide a place for patients to wait. In addition, a plan should be sought to prevent patients from receiving radioisotopes from using unnecessary movements and general public restrooms.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.40 no.3
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• pp.197-204
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• 2007

Objectives : This study was conducted to evaluate the public's awareness of the importance of hand washing and to compare perceptions on the habit of hand washing with actual hand washing behavior. Methods : Data were collected by observing 2,800 participants washing their hands after using public restrooms in seven cities nationwide and by surveying 1,000 respondents (age > 14 years) through telephone interviews using a structured questionnaire. Results : Although 94% of the survey respondents claimed to mostly or always wash their hands after using public restrooms, only 63.4% of the observed participants did wash their hands after using public restrooms. Significant factors related to increased adherence to hand washing were female gender, approximate ages of 20 to 39 years by their appearance, and the presence of other people from the observation. About 79% of the survey respondents always washed their hands after using bathrooms at home, 73% washed their hands before handling food, and 67% washed their hands upon returning to their home. However, 93.2% and 86.3% of the survey respondents did not wash their hands after coughing or sneezing and after handling money, respectively. Although most of the survey respondents (77.6%) were aware that hand washing is helpful in preventing communicable diseases, 39.6% of the survey respondents did not do so because they were 'not accustomed' to washing their hands and 30.2% thought that washing their hands is 'annoying'. Conclusions : This is the first comprehensive report on hand washing behavior and awareness of the general population in Korea. The result of this study in terms of individual behavior and awareness of hand washing are comparable with similar studies conducted in other countries. However adherence to hand washing is still low and needs to be increased. The results of this study can be used as a baseline in setting up strategies and activities to promote adherence to hand washing.

• Korean Journal of Clinical Laboratory Science
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• v.52 no.3
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• pp.214-220
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• 2020

Handwashing with soap is an important practice to reduce the transmission of potentially pathogenic microorganisms, but liquid soaps with refillable dispensers are prone to extrinsic bacterial contamination. This study investigated the bacterial contamination of liquid soaps in 58 public restrooms in six buildings. The bacteria were identified by a biochemical test and MALDI-TOF mass spectrophotometry. The antimicrobial susceptibility was determined using the Vitek II system. Of the 58 restrooms examined, 27(46.55%) were using a refill dispenser, of which 25(92.59%) were contaminated with bacteria. The bacteria recovered from the soaps ranged from 1.6×10³ to 2.7×10⁵ CFU/mL. Serratia liquefaciens (12), Achromobacter xylosoxidans (9), S. marcescens (4), Staphylococcus pastueri (1), and Achromobacter spanius (1) were isolated. Except for one A. xylosoxidans, bacteria of the same species isolated in the same building showed a unique resistance pattern. In conclusion, handwashing with contaminated soap may play a role in the transmission of bacteria in public health settings. Therefore, it is necessary to limit the use of refillable liquid soaps in the restrooms of hospitals used by patients with reduced immunity.

• The Journal of the Korea institute of electronic communication sciences
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• v.18 no.6
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• pp.1197-1206
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• 2023

To assess the risk level of a public restroom implemented in virtual reality, we sought to evaluate the spatial elements present in the restroom. To provide the theoretical foundation for the evaluation subjects and criteria, we introduced prior research that proposed a checklist to entance the safety of public restroom. To set up evaluation criteria, we analyzed and established based on the theories of Paul J. Brantingham and Patricia L. Brantingham, focusing on the interaction between space and criminals. Ronald V. Clarke's "Routine Activity Theory" was also introduced and incorporated into the evaluation approach. We analyzed based on the correlation between the criminal, user, and spatial elements of the public restroom in terms of the criminal's actions, the spatial relevance to crime, and user exposure during use. Using these criteria, we developed an algorithm to evaluate th spatial elements of public restroom. Based on this, we created an application, demonstrating the feasibility of developing on evaluation tool.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.36 no.2
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• pp.95-107
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• 2010

Hand-washing is one of the major factors in personal hygiene and public health. This study was undertaken to investigate the hygienic behavior of food-service employees, focusing on awareness of hand washing, hand washing practices, and the load of index microorganisms (aerobic plate count, total and fecal coliforms, Escherichia coli, and Staphylococcus aureus) on the hands of food-service employees. A questionnaire survey completed by direct interview, direct observation of restrooms by the researcher and trained observers, and microbiological examination according to the Food Code of Korea were carried out. In the survey, a positive attitude toward hand washing compliance was reported; however, improper hand washing and poor hand hygiene of the food-service employees were seen under direct observation. Significant differences (p<0.05) were found between the questionnaire survey and the direct observations in hand washing compliance after using the toilet, duration of hand washing, use of hand washing agents, use of hand washing tools, washing of different parts of the hands, hand-drying method, temperature of water, and method of turning off the water. Samples taken from employees' hands before washing showed higher levels of bacteria than those taken during work and/or after washing (p<0.05). Poor hand washing practices were indicated by the positive results for total and fecal coliforms, E. coli, and S. aureus on the hands of some food-service employees. This study showed that there is a marked difference between the food-service employees' awareness of hand-washing and their actual hand-washing practices. The poor hand hygiene of and improper hand washing by the food-service employees should be addressed for improved food safety.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Educational Facilities
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• v.25 no.3
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• pp.13-24
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• 2018

Unlike other educational spaces in school facilities, restrooms have remained unpleasant spaces without reflecting the change in social awareness and students' lifestyle. In the process of the 'School Restroom Environment Remodeling Project in Seoul' by means of "user participatory design method", this study aimed to suggest a design of the school restroom environment responding to the different needs of actual users, who are students and school staffs. By surveying them, it was revealed that they have a variety of respective behavioral patterns and spatial needs according to their status, gender, age and working period. Implications of this study are as follows; First, it is necessary to establish a separate restroom facility standards that respond to the characteristics of elementary school students. Second, there should be an expansive approach to widely accommodate with the users' needs that were found out through 'user participation', more than just repairing pre-existing space. Third, it needs to have critical review of the maintenance and operation system itself as well as the improvement of the school restroom environment.