• Quality Improvement in Health Care
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• v.22 no.2
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• pp.75-90
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• 2016

Objectives: This study measures the level of cognition of employee's patient safety culture and evaluates the current level through comparing the results to external levels. Ultimately it is performed to construct a strategic improvement plan through the basic database for patient's safety culture. Methods: A questionnaire survey of self reporting type was carried out using structured questionnaire of the patient's safety culture for employees currently employed in a hospital. Total responders was 1,129 and a response rate was 54.6%. The survey results were calculated with a percent positive response, and the current level was evaluated by comparing with the survey results of a hospital (2009 and 2014) and the survey result of The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality(2014). Results: Sub-dimension of high percent positive response for each area were 'teamwork within hospital units' (80%), 'feedback & communication about error' (73%) and 'supervisor/manager expectations & actions promoting safety' (67%). Meanwhile, 'teamwork across hospital units' (31%), 'hospital management support for patient safety' (29%), 'staffing' (27%) and 'non-punitive response to error' (17%) were relatively low percent positive response. Compared to the survey results of AHRQ (2014) for each area, 'teamwork within hospital units' (80%), 'feedback & communication about error' (73%), 'frequency of event reporting' (66%) were at the top 50% percentile level and the remaining sub-dimensions showed a very low level in the lower 10% percentile area. Conclusion: In order to establish a system for patient safety culture within the hospital and evaluate the effect on this, it is necessary to periodically evaluate the patient's safety culture and establish regulations on hospital safety culture to comply with this.

• Journal of Korean Society of Industrial and Systems Engineering
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• v.47 no.2
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• pp.10-20
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• 2024

In recent automated manufacturing systems, compressed air-based pneumatic cylinders have been widely used for basic perpetration including picking up and moving a target object. They are relatively categorized as small machines, but many linear or rotary cylinders play an important role in discrete manufacturing systems. Therefore, sudden operation stop or interruption due to a fault occurrence in pneumatic cylinders leads to a decrease in repair costs and production and even threatens the safety of workers. In this regard, this study proposed a fault detection technique by developing a time-variant deep learning model from multivariate sensor data analysis for estimating a current health state as four levels. In addition, it aims to establish a real-time fault detection system that allows workers to immediately identify and manage the cylinder's status in either an actual shop floor or a remote management situation. To validate and verify the performance of the proposed system, we collected multivariate sensor signals from a rotary cylinder and it was successful in detecting the health state of the pneumatic cylinder with four severity levels. Furthermore, the optimal sensor location and signal type were analyzed through statistical inferences.

• Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
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• v.29 no.3
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• pp.298-309
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• 2019

Objectives: This study aimed to investigate stages of safety and health culture change through a reflection on 40 years of hearing conservation history at a multinational company. Methods: The target workplaces were multinational companies with more than 1,000 employees. The research used the clinical case study and system analysis methods based on direct observation of the research from 1994 to 2009. The latter method performed an analysis of the equilibrium state of the cross-section in the given period and the longitudinal profile of the change during the given period. Results: The stages of cultural change are divided into five stages and summarized as follows. In the first stage, workplace noise was not widely recognized as a hazard, while in the second stage, the measurement of noise levels and audiometric testing were conducted under the Korean Occupational Safety and Health Act (KOSHA). The driving force for change in the second stage was the amendment of the KOSHA. In the third stage, noise came to be recognized as a hazard factor through awareness training. The driving force of change during the third stage was the strong executive power exerted by the audit of the industrial hygiene program from the US head office. In the fourth step, there was a change to actually reduce noise. The driving force in this stage was a change in company executives' risk perception resulting from lawsuits over noise-induced hearing loss and the task force team activities for culture change based on the action learning protocol. At the fifth stage, a 'buy quiet policy' was institutionalized. The management's experience that noise reduction was difficult was the motivation to manage noise from the time of purchase of equipment. Conclusions: The activities of a hearing conservation program are determined by the improvement of the legal system and by the way it is enforced. Noise control activities to reduce noise areas may be possible through the shared risk perception of noise-induced hearing loss and by a change agent role as a facilitator to implement noise control.

• Journal of the Society of Disaster Information
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• v.19 no.3
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• pp.656-664
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• 2023

Purpose: The Ministry of Employment and Labor manages disasters based on the standard manual for risk management of large-scale human accidents in workplaces when large-scale disasters such as fires and collapses occur in workplaces. We are going to check the standard manual currently in operation and suggest improvement plans for the insufficient items. Method: Accordingly, the standard manual was checked together with internal and external experts in the disaster management manual and disaster management staff at headquarters and local government offices, and items to be improved were identified with priority. Result: In case of a collapse accident, it is necessary for the Ministry of Public Administration and Security to accurately present the selection criteria in order to eliminate the controversy over the selection of the disaster management department. In addition, it seems necessary to supplement the details of the disaster safety communication network operation and evacuation guidelines. Conclusion: In the future, in order to improve the disaster management system that meets the public's eye level, it is expected to prepare a standard manual for risk management of large-scale human accidents in workplaces that guarantees the lives and safety of workers through the collection of opinions from experts in the relevant field, disaster management personnel, and the general public.

• International conference on construction engineering and project management
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• 2024.07a
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• pp.1168-1176
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• 2024

For reusable Temporary Structure Elements such as scaffolding and temporary supports, quality control tasks are currently carried out through visual inspections by quality management workers and subjective judgments. Regarding quality tests based on the KOSHA(Korea Occupational Safety & Health Agency) system, only three pieces are sampled regardless of the quantity received at the site. On the other hand, although there is ongoing technological research on an automatic quality inspection of temporary structure elements, relevant stakeholders' introduction of such systems is hindered by issues such as cost. Therefore, this study aims to review a business model for introducing a quantitative and automated quality inspection system for reusable temporary structure elements. The study intends to propose application methods for each component according to a template and establish the business model by conducting interviews and collecting basic data for each template component. The results of this research are expected to serve as a foundation for implementation and expanding the adoption of quality management for temporary structure elements using smart technologies in the future.

• Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
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• v.24 no.3
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• pp.310-320
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• 2014

Backgrounds: Endotoxin, which found in the outer membrane of the gram-negative bacteria cell wall, makes up almost all of the lipopolysaccharide(LPS). When people are exposed to endotoxin,it can result in diverse health effects such as an airway irritation and inflammation, fever, malaise, bronchitis, allergic asthma, toxic pneumonitis, hypersensitivity lung disease. Cases among the elderly, children or pregnant can occur more frequently than a healthy adult if they are repeatedly exposed to the existing endotoxin. Therefore, we investigated and assessed the environmental characteristics associated with the airborne endotoxin concentration level in six hospital lobbies. Method: Endotoxin from indoor air in six hospital lobbies was measured by an area sampling method and analyzed according to American Society for Testing and Materials International(ASTM international) E2144-01. Total suspended particulate(TSP), carbon dioxide($CO_2$), temperature and humidity were also measured by using direct reading measurements or airborne sampling equipment at the same time. Environmental characteristics were appropriately divided into two or three groups for a statistics analysis. One-way analysis variable(one-way ANOVA) was used to examine a difference of the endotoxin concentration, depending on the environmental characteristics. In addition, only variables with p-value(p<0.25) were eventually designed to the best model by using multiple regression analysis. Results: The correlation analysis result indicated that TSP(p=0.003) and $CO_2$(p<0.0001) levels were significantly associated with endotoxin concentration levels. In contrast, temperature(p<0.068) and humidity(p<0.365) were not associated with endotoxin concentration. Levels of endotoxin concentration were statistically different among the environmental characteristics of Service time(p=0.01), Establishment of hospital(p<0.001), Scale of hospital(p=0.01), Day average people using hospital(p=0.03), Cleaning time of lobby(p=0.05), Season(p<0.001), and Cleaning of ventilation system(p<0.001) according to ANOVA. Finally, the best model(Adjusted R-square=72%) that we designed through a multiple regression test included environmental characteristics related to Service time, Area of lobby, Season, Cleaning of ventilation system, and Temperature. Conclusions: According to this study, our result showed a normal level of endotoxin concentration in the hospital lobbies and found environmental management methods to reduce the level of endotoxin concentration to a minimum. Consequently, this study recognized to be requirement for the management of ventilation systems and an indoor temperature in order to reduce the level of endotoxin concentration in the hospital lobbies.

• Proceedings of the Korea Committee for Ocean Resources and Engineering Conference
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• 2003.10a
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• pp.266-271
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• 2003

Many port states such as New Zealand. the USA. Australia and Canada have strict regulations to prevent ships which arrive in their port from discharging polluted ballast water which contain harmful aquatic organism and pathogens. They are notified that transfer of polluted ballast water can cause serious injury to public health and damage to property and environment. For this reason. they perceived that the ballast exchange in deep sea is the most effective method. together with submitting the ballast management plan which contains the effective exchange method. ballast system and safety consideration. In this study, we make an effort to develop optimum ballast water exchange management and in result of that. it provide more convenient and stable process to prepare ballast water management plan for Bulk Carrier.

• Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
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• v.3 no.1
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• pp.68-77
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• 1993

To evaluate efficiencies of the local exhaust systems installed in chromiun and nickel eletroplating tanks, specifications of each tank and general performances of the local exhaust systems were measured in 16 electroplating plants from July 3 to November 24, 1992. Airborne concentrations of total chromium, hexa-chromium and nickel were also measured, Most of the local exhaust systems installed in electroplating plants were inadequately designed. Average capture velocities of local exhaust systems in chromium and nickel tanks were 0.45 m/sec and 0.29 m/sec. Average slot velocities in chromium and nickel tanks were 7.30 m/sec and 2.87 m/sec repectively. Both average capture and solt velocities were in noncompliance with the standards recommened by American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists (ACGIH) and National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), Exhausted air volume was insufficient in all local exhaust systems surveyed. Worker exposure levels to total chromium, hexa-chromium and nickel were $43.0{\mu}g/m^3$, $1.7{\mu}g/m^3$ and $9.3{\mu}g/m^3$, which were below the Korean Standard and U.S. Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OHSA) Permissible Exposure Limit(REL). However, Worker exposure level to hexa-chromium exceeded the NIOSH Recommended Exposure Limit(REL) of $1{\mu}g/m^3$. As the result of Scheffee's multiple comparions, worker exposure levels to all metals were significantly different between two groups by the management state of existing local exhaust systems (p<0.05). However, Difference between a group with local exhaust systems which were poorly managed and another group without local exhaust system was satatistically non-significant.

• Journal of the Ergonomics Society of Korea
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• v.32 no.5
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• pp.429-435
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• 2013

Objective: This study aims to analyze job satisfaction and accident prevention according to job rotation system types in a motor company. Background: The study of a motor company's job rotation system has come to attention with enhancing productivity, preventing musculoskeletal disorders, and improving quality. Method: In this study, a survey was conducted to show job satisfaction rates according to job rotation systems. Also an investigation was done regarding industrial accidents and previous workers who are receiving treatment for musculoskeletal disorder over the last five years. Results: The job rotation system in this study has been carried out by voluntary decision of workers. Out of the job rotation types, the medium rotation complexity type had high job satisfaction whereas in a high or low rotation complexity type, which many workers prefer, led to less number of accidents and days of sick leave. Application: The results of this study are expected to be a fundamental data to job design.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.50 no.2
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• pp.91-99
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• 2017

Objectives: As in many low-income and middle-income countries, out-of-pocket (OOP) payments by patients or their families are a key healthcare financing mechanism in Bangladesh that leads to economic burdens for households. The objective of this study was to identify whether and to what extent socioeconomic, demographic, and behavioral factors of the population had an impact on OOP expenditures in Bangladesh. Methods: A total of 12 400 patients who had paid to receive any type of healthcare services within the previous 30 days were analyzed from the Bangladesh Household Income and Expenditure Survey data, 2010. We employed regression analysis for identify factors influencing OOP health expenditures using the ordinary least square method. Results: The mean total OOP healthcare expenditures was US dollar (USD) 27.66; while, the cost of medicines (USD 16.98) was the highest cost driver (61% of total OOP healthcare expenditure). In addition, this study identified age, sex, marital status, place of residence, and family wealth as significant factors associated with higher OOP healthcare expenditures. In contrary, unemployment and not receiving financial social benefits were inversely associated with OOP expenditures. Conclusions: The findings of this study can help decision-makers by clarifying the determinants of OOP, discussing the mechanisms driving these determinants, and there by underscoring the need to develop policy options for building stronger financial protection mechanisms. The government should consider devoting more resources to providing free or subsidized care. In parallel with government action, the development of other prudential and sustainable risk-pooling mechanisms may help attract enthusiastic subscribers to community-based health insurance schemes.