• Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
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• v.25 no.1
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• pp.45-57
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• 2015

Objectives: This study aims to compare the physicochemical characteristics, toxicological data with Occupational Exposure Limits (OELs) of chemicals under the Occupational Safety and Health Act(OSHA) regulated by the Ministry of Employment and Labor of Korea. Methods: Information on chemicals which have OELs on physicochemical characteristics and toxicological data was collected using Material Safety Data Sheet(MSDS) from Korea Occupational Safety and Health Agency(KOSHA) and the Korea Information System for Chemical Safety Management(KISChem) in 2014. Statistical analyses including correlation and simple regression were performed to compare the OELs with chemical characteristics including molecular weight, boiling point, odor threshold, vapor pressure, vapor density, solubility and octanol-water partition coefficient(OWPC) and toxicological data such as median lethal dose($LD_{50}$) and median lethal concentration($LC_{50}$). Results: A total of 656 chemicals have OELs under OSHA in Korea. The numbers of chemicals which have eight-hour time weighted average(TWA) and short term exposure limits(STEL) are 618 and 190, respectively. TWA was significantly correlated with boiling point and STEL was only correlated with vapor pressure among physicochemical characteristics. Solubility and OWPC between "skin" and "no skin" substances which indicate skin penetration were not significantly different. Both $LD_{50}$ and $LC_{50}$ were correlated with TWA, while the $LC_{50}$ was not with STEL. As health indicators, health rating and Emergency Response Planning Guidelines(ERPG) rating as recommended by the National Fire Protection Association(NFPA) and American Industrial Hygiene Association(AIHA) were associated with OELs and reflect the chemical hazards. Conclusions: We found relationships between OEL and chemical information including physicochemical characteristics and toxicological data. The study has an important meaning for understanding present regulatory OELs.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Safety
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• v.30 no.5
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• pp.86-91
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• 2015

It is important to provide the farmers with practical and effective information of safety and health for individual crop to prevent or reduce occupational injuries in agricultural sector, since work characteristics and risk factors are not the same for all crops. In this study, risk assessment was carried out for cultivating shiitake mushrooms and then safety measures, which were based on the results of the risk assessment, were summarized and presented as the information of safety and health of shittake farmers. Guidelines for safety and health of the farmers of shiitake mushrooms, which were developed based on the risk assesment and safety measures, can be used by the farmers as self-educational tools or by the agricultural facilitators as an educational material for agricultural safety. It is expected that the guidelines can be useful in preventing occupational injuries of shiitake farmers.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.4 no.1
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• pp.12-26
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• 2013

In concert with the development of new materials in the last decade, the need for toxicological studies of these materials has been increasing. These new materials include a group of rare earths (RE). The use of RE nanotechnology is being considered in some green applications, to increase their efficiency by using nano-sized RE compounds, and therefore hazard evaluation and risk assessment are highly recommended. This review was conducted through an extensive contemplation of the literatures in toxicology with in vitro and in vivo studies. Major aspects reviewed were the toxicological evaluations of these elements and metallic compounds at the molecular and cellular level, animal and human epidemiological studies and environmental and occupational health impacts on workers. We also discuss the future prospect of industries with appliances using RE together with the significance of preventive efforts for workers' health. To establish a safe and healthy working environment for RE industries, the use of biomarkers is increasing to provide sustainable measure, due to demand for information about the health risks from unfavorable exposures. Given the recent toxicological results on the exposure of cells, animals and workers to RE compounds, it is important to review the toxicological studies to improve the current understanding of the RE compounds in the field of occupational health. This will help to establish a sustainable, safe and healthy working environment for RE industries.

• Toxicological Research
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• v.32 no.3
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• pp.259-267
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• 2016

Animal testing was used traditionally in the cosmetics industry to confirm product safety, but has begun to be banned; alternative methods to replace animal experiments are either in development, or are being validated, worldwide. Research data related to test substances are critical for developing novel alternative tests. Moreover, safety information on cosmetic materials has neither been collected in a database nor shared among researchers. Therefore, it is imperative to build and share a database of safety information on toxicological mechanisms and pathways collected through in vivo, in vitro, and in silico methods. We developed the CAMSEC database (named after the research team; the Consortium of Alternative Methods for Safety Evaluation of Cosmetics) to fulfill this purpose. On the same website, our aim is to provide updates on current alternative research methods in Korea. The database will not be used directly to conduct safety evaluations, but researchers or regulatory individuals can use it to facilitate their work in formulating safety evaluations for cosmetic materials. We hope this database will help establish new alternative research methods to conduct efficient safety evaluations of cosmetic materials.

• Journal of the Society of Disaster Information
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• v.18 no.2
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• pp.343-350
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• 2022

Purpose: The Taean oil spill in 2007 taught us a great lesson and is a representative example of a social disaster. It was overcome through the dazzling dedication and service of volunteers. However, behind the volunteers, they were directly or indirectly exposed to the spilled oil, resulting in health problems such as headaches and safety accidents. Safety accidents were caused by unsafe behavior, and unsafe behavior was caused by lack of safety awareness or ignorance. We want to find an education and training program to systematically raise safety awareness for volunteers in connection with the Occupational Safety and Health Act. Method: The occupational safety and health law, the laws related to coastal clean-up, and the unsafe behavior factors in the statistics of occupational accidents in the past year were mainly identified. Result: The contents of education and training hours to be provided for volunteers involved in coastal clean-up were presented in comparison with workers under the Occupational Safety and Health Act. Conclusion: Safety and health education for volunteers and volunteer managers is directly related to safety awareness and can prevent unsafe behavior.

• Journal of the Korea Safety Management & Science
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• v.17 no.3
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• pp.125-132
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• 2015

The primary purpose of present study, to take appropriate measures to prevent occupational accidents in the food service industry, was to evaluate characteristics of working condition and occupational safety and health. In order to fulfill our objective, profession and working environment, safety recognition and education, safety activities, physical conditions and accident experience were surveyed. To collect information and opinion in the field, face-to-face interviews were, using a structured questionnaire, carried out. Also, food service industry's accidents reported by Korean Occupational Safety and Health Agency at 2014 were statistically analyzed. In the resulting of analyzing data from a questionnaire survey of food service industry employees, safety/health train and management were increased.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.14 no.1
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• pp.1-9
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• 2023

Background: Firefighting involves exposure of firefighters to risks related to this activity, serious injuries, and occupational diseases are recorded. There are other consequences such as thermal and emotional stress. This systematic review is proposed in order to analyze the risks and consequences faced by these workers and thus provide elements to improve safety management systems in institutions. Method: A descriptive observational study of systematic literature review on the risks and consequences of exposure to firefighters' activity was proposed, and the information was analyzed and described based on the available data and according to the variables determined. Results: The studies showed data on mechanical, physical, chemical, psychosocial risks, workers' perception and resilience, and epidemiological data. Information related to firefighters' activity on falls and slips, exposure to noise, and high concentrations of carbon monoxide is detailed. In addition, the relationship between burnout, cognitive, and physical fatigue as adverse effects on health and performance is mentioned. Conclusions: Among the preventive measures, the use of personal protective equipment is suggested, incorporation in prevention programs of information on exposure to risk factors, as well as the implementation of models that can predict the perception of workers, additionally, the generation of management systems with safety climate models for fire departments.

• Journal of Wellbeing Management and Applied Psychology
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• v.6 no.3
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• pp.25-32
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• 2023

Purpose: This study is to improve awareness of MSDS in order to prevent university accidents and protect university laboratory workers. In order to improve awareness, measures to increase accessibility through auxiliary means (warning signs, One Page Sheet MSDS, etc) and ways to strengthen safety training (improvement and strengthen MSDS training). Research design, data and methodology: A questionnaire survey was adopted as a research method for this study. Question items were selected, modified, and supplemented by referring to the previous paper. Results: As a result of the survey, MSDS found that it was difficult to find the information they wanted and that there were many technical terms and limitations in using it. In addition, MSDS training is underway, but few university laboratory workers felt that training was helping. This shows that the effectiveness of training is virtually insignificant. Therefore, it seems that improvement measures are needed to solve this. Conclusions: One Sheet MSDS, an effective way for university laboratory workers to communicate information, and MSDS information should be provided with warning signs with large phrases and good visibility. In addition, this study proposes a One Sheet MSDS that prioritizes important MSDS items over all items in the MSDS, and in the field of education, several improvements are proposed, such as "To prevent problems and answers from being shared on the Internet" and "To improve the difficulty of checking the online curriculum".

• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.11 no.3
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• pp.383-384
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• 2020

• Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
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• v.22 no.4
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• pp.316-328
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• 2012

Objectives: This study was designed to provide the information regarding chemicals classification and health hazard by evaluating the toxicological effect through repeated inhalation exposure of methyl acrylate(MA) in Sprague-Dawley(SD) rat for 13 weeks. Methods: According to the notification with Ministry of Labor(No. 2009-68) and OECD Test Guideline 413, the rats were exposed to MA at concentration of 0, 56, 168, 280 ppm via whole body inhalation for 6 hours per day, 5 days per week, for 13 weeks. All animals were observed for mortality, morbidity and the change of body weight and food consumption were determined during the exposure period. Necropsy finding, organ weight, hematology, clinical biochemistry and histopathological examination following exposure were also performed. Results: There were no death and abnormal clinical signs relate to exposure MA. However, At 160 ppm and 280 ppm exposure groups, body weight and food consumption showed statistically significant decrease and histopathological changes in lung, trachea, nasal cavity, larynx were observed. Conclusions: MA was mainly affected respiratory tract. It is consequently provided to be classified as category 2(0.2 mg/L/6h < category 2 ${\leq}$ 1.0 mg/L/6h) for specific target organ toxicity following repeated exposure according to Standard for Classification and Labeling of Chemical Substance and Material Safety Data Sheet. The NOAEL(no observable adverse effect level) of MA was also determined to be lower than 56 ppm.