• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.27 no.3 s.47
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• pp.487-504
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• 1994

A cross-sectional study was performed to evaluate the effects of chronic low-dose solvent on neurobehavioral performance of 118 male car painters. A control group of 113 workers matched for age was selected from different sections of the factory. The mean age and the mean duration of employment were 33 years and 6.7 years in both groups. Mean years of education were 11.4 years in car painters and 11.8 years in controls. Each worker completed a medical and occupational questionnaire and four tests of Swedish performance evaluation system. These included simple reaction time, symbol digit, digit span and finger tapping speed. Althougth the mean duration of employment was 6.7 years, comparison of mean performance showed a significantly poorer performance on simple reaction time (p<0.05), symbol digit(p<0.01) and digit span(p<0.05) in car painters. In univariate analysis, age and educational level contributed to poorer performance on symbol digit and digit span. Smoking appeared to slow finger tapping speed in car painters. Performance of four tests of car painters exposed to high level of solvent was poorer than that of car painters exposed to low level. In multiple regression models, controlling for age, alcohol, smoking and shift work, solvent exposure was found to be associated with performance of simple reaction time, symbol digit and digit span and exposure to high level of solvent was related to poorer performance of symbol digit and digit span.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.10 no.8
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• pp.2164-2172
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• 2009

The purpose of the present study was intended to assess fatigue symptoms of nurses working at special part(operating room, intensive care unit, emergency room) and ward in general hospitals, and to reveal its related factors. The self-administered questionnaires were given to 393 nurses employed in 3 participating hospitals located in Daejeon City. As a results, the special part workers had higher scores of fatigue symptoms than the ward workers. Multiple stepwise analysis revealed that the factors of influence on fatigue symptoms in the special part workers included subjective health status, age and job satisfaction, and in the ward workers, the factors of influence on fatigue symptoms included subjective health status, sleep hour, shift work and job satisfaction. In conclusion, the fatigue symptoms were higher in the special part workers than the ward workers, and its related factors were different from two worker groups.

• 한국사회정책
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.31-60
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• 2017

This paper aims to reveal the background and issues of the current reform proposals for social insurance in Germany and to draw their implications for Korea. The essence of the German social insurance crisis is that of normality of industrial society on which it has been based, revealing itself by the dual crisis of finance and dualization. Reform proposals are regarded as diverse responses to the crisis of the normality within individual social insurance schemes. They are searching for transforming health insurance into citizen's insurance, pension insurance into various alternatives including all worker's insurance and citizen's pension, unemployment insurance into employment insurance. One of the commonalities of the them is that they attempt to reconstruct the old normality. However, due to the economic recovery, the historical experiences of improving social insurance, and high satisfaction, they are expected to struggle with the gradual improvements rather than radical shift from their tradition. In Korea, where the maturity of social insurance is low, it is necessary to mark the crisis faced by German social insurance as a teacher. We need to go back to the fundamental spirit of social policy and redraw the blue prints of social policy by opening minds to plentiful alternatives in the eyes of normality reconstruction.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.14 no.3
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• pp.279-286
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• 2023

Background: This study aimed to evaluate the association between exposure to occupational hazards and the metabolic syndrome. A secondary objective was to analyze the additive and multiplicative effects of exposure to risk factors. Methods: This retrospective cohort was based on 31,615 health examinees at the Pusan National University Yangsan Hospital in Republic of Korea from 2012-2021. Demographic and behavior-related risk factors were treated as confounding factors, whereas three physical factors, 19 organic solvents and aerosols, and 13 metals and dust were considered occupational risk factors. Time-dependent Cox regression analysis was used to calculate hazard ratios. Results: The risk of metabolic syndrome was significantly higher in night shift workers (hazard ratio = 1.45: 95% confidence interval = 1.36-1.54) and workers who were exposed to noise (1.15:1.07-1.24). Exposure to some other risk factors was also significantly associated with a higher risk of metabolic syndrome. They were dimethylformamide, acetonitrile, trichloroethylene, xylene, styrene, toluene, dichloromethane, copper, antimony, lead, copper, iron, welding fume, and manganese. Among the 28 significant pairs, 19 exhibited both positive additive and multiplicative effects. Conclusions: Exposure to single or combined occupational risk factors may increase the risk of developing metabolic syndrome. Working conditions should be monitored and improved to reduce exposure to occupational hazards and prevent the development of the metabolic syndrome.

• Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
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• v.11 no.2
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• pp.135-144
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• 2001

This study was performed to measure airborne dimethylformamide(DMF), methyl ethyl ketone(MEK) and toluene and their urinary metabolites concentrations and to determine the relationship between airborne and urinary concentration. Airborne samples and their urinary metabolites were measured 98 male workers who work for 8 synthetic leather factories in a portion of Kyoung-In area. Urine samples were collected at end-of-shift to estimate the exposure levels. 1. The concentration of airborne DMF by process was 8.81 ppm for wet-mixing, 15.05 ppm for wet-coating, 6.03 ppm for dry-mixing, 5.58 ppm for dry-coating, 5.37 ppm for printing, and 9.03 ppm for total. There was statistically significant difference by process. Urinary NMF concentrations of wet-mixing, wet-coating, dry-mixing, dry-coating and printing were $90.55mg/{\ell}$, $79.80mg/{\ell}$, $39.86mg/{\ell}$, $25.23mg/{\ell}$, and $38.15mg/{\ell}$, respectively, and total geometric mean was $56.24mg/{\ell}$. There was significant difference by process. 2. The concentration of airborne MEK by process was 1.89 ppm for wet-mixing, 1.96 ppm for wet-coating, 10.33 ppm for dry-mixing, 29.24 ppm for dry-coating, 14.98 ppm for printing, and 4.87 ppm for total. There was statistically significant difference by process. Urinary MEK concentrations of wetmixing, wet-coating, dry-mixing, dry-coating and printing were $0.93mg/{\ell}$, $0.70mg/{\ell}$, $3.29mg/{\ell}$, $3.29mg/{\ell}$, and $1.06mg/{\ell}$, respectively, and total geometric mean was $1.25mg/{\ell}$. There was statistically significant difference by process. Urinary MEK 3. The concentration of airborne toluene by process was 0.35ppm for wet-mixing, 0.42ppm for wet-coating, 2.95ppm for dry-mixing, 11.67ppm for dry-coating, 4.88ppm for printing, 1.24ppm for total. There was statistically significant difference by process. Urinary hippuric acid concentrations of wet-mixing, wet-coating, dry-mixing, dry-coating and printing were 0.24g/g creatinine, 0.21g/g creatinine, 0.34g/g creatinine, 0.52g/g creatinine, and 0.29g/g creatinine, respctively and total geometric mean was 0.28g/g creatinine. There was statistically significant difference by process. 4. No. of exceeded KPEL was 40 workers(40.8%) for DMF(10ppm), 1 worker(1.0%) for MEK(200ppm), and no worker for toluene(100ppm). No. of exceeded KBEI was 62 workers(63.3%) for urinary NMF($40mg/{\ell}$), 29 workers(29.6%) for urinary MEK, 1 worker(1.0%) for urinary hippuric acid. 5. The regression equations were Log(NMF)=0.4094*Log(DMF)+1.3587(r=0.4516) for DMF, Log(MEKU)=0.1859*Log(MEK)-0.0324(r=0.3303) for MEK, Log(HA)=0.2106*Log(Toluene)-0.5685(r=0.4497) for toluene. Synthetic leather factory workers expose to 3 kinds of organic solvents which are DMF, MEK and toluene. Their urinary NMF and MEK levels were higher than their concentration levels through respiratory. It seems that the urinary levels were affected skin absorption for working habit and alcohol intake.

• Journal of Venture Innovation
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• v.5 no.3
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• pp.57-70
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• 2022

In modern industrial capitalism, the relationship between the provision of work and the receipt of wages has become an important principle governing society. According to the labor contract, the wages provided by entrusting the right to dispose of one's labor to the employer are directly compensated, and human life should be guaranteed and reproduced with proper rest. The establishment of labor relations under free contracts represents a problem in protecting workers, and accordingly, the maximum of working hours is set as a minimum right for workers, and the standard for minimum rest is set and assigned. The reduction of working hours is very important in terms of the quality of life of workers, but it is also an important issue in efficient corporate activities. As of 2020, Korea has 1,908 hours of annual working hours, the third lowest among OECD 37 countries in the happiness index surveyed by the Sustainable Development Solution Network(SDSN), an agency under the United Nations. Accordingly, the necessity of reducing working hours has been recognized, and the maximum working hours per week has been limited to 52 hours since 2018. In this situation, various working hours are legally excluded as a way to maintain the company's value-added creation and meet the diverse needs of workers, and Korea's Labor Standards Act restricts flexible working hours within three months, flexible working hours exceeding three months, selective working hours, and extended working hours. However, in the discussion on the application of the revised flexible working hours system in 2021 and the expansion of the settlement unit period recently discussed, there is a problem with the flexible working hours system, which needs to be improved. Therefore, this paper aims to examine the problems of the flexible working hours system and improvement measures. The flexible working hours system is a system that does not violate working hours even if the legal working hours are exceeded on a specific day or week according to a predetermined standard, and does not have to pay additional wages for excessive overtime work. It is mainly useful as a form of shift work in manufacturing, sales service, continuous business or electricity, gas, water, and transportation for long-term operations. It is also used as a way to shorten working hours, such as expanding holidays through short working days. However, if the settlement unit period is expanded, it is disadvantageous to workers as the additional wages that workers can receive will not be received. Therefore, First, in order to expand the settlement unit period currently under discussion, additional wages should be paid for the period expanded from the current standard. Second, it is necessary to improve the application of the flexible working hours system to individual workers to have sufficient consultation with individual workers in a written agreement with the worker representative, Third, clarify the allowable time for extended work during the settlement unit period, and Fourth, limit the daily working hours or apply to continuous rest. In addition, since the written agreement of the worker representative is an important issue in the application of the flexible working hours system, it is necessary to secure the representation of the worker representative.

• 한국노년학
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• v.36 no.3
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• pp.673-691
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• 2016

As the provision of long-term care policy takes root and with a gradual increase in elderly population, the use of elderly care service has become a growing norm. More than ever, there exists an urgent need for a paradigm shift in the building of an institutional basis for the improvement of care service, from the prevalent practice of 'need based service' toward the concept of 'human rights based service'. A great focus is being shed on care-workers, at the 'front line' of advocating human rights, as their human rights advocacy behaviour is seen as a key variable in providing high quality care service for elders. This study aims to examine how care-workers' individual human rights awareness levels, and the influence of their respective organizations, as an environmental factor, affect their human rights advocacy behaviour. The study includes a comprehensive analysis of the interactions between the regulatory effect of environmental factors (service orientation?) on an organizational level, human rights awareness (individual level) and the service environment (organizational). The analysis sample consisted of 782 registered non-profit corporation of long-term care facilities all over the country in 2014. The findings of the thesis suggest that human rights awareness at individual levels has a significant influence on human rights advocacy behavior. The interaction of human resources management in service orientations was also found to influence human rights advocacy on a significant level. Both human rights awareness at individual level and service orientations at organizational level were thus determined as key variables for improving the human rights awareness of care worker in long-term care facilities in Korea.

• Journal of the Korean association of regional geographers
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• v.14 no.1
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• pp.40-53
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• 2008

A case study has been conducted on the changes in the identity and agency of international marriage migrant women who experienced a shift from a immigrant worker to a foreign spouse and a Korean citizen. The life histories of the eight female migrants living in Gumi area, a representative inland industrial complex in Korea, have been investigated by in-depth interview. The aim is to examine how the female migrants reconstruct and interpret their lives. The results reveal that the identy of a female migrant is flexible depending on her social positionality. The identities established from the past experiences in their native countries have been changed by their situations and conditions in Korea. The female immigrants recognize that their problems have been an important issue both in government policy and mass media. However, the female migrants express a strong revolt against the fact that they are considered as underclass victims or innocent people from underdeveloped countries. This implies their ambivalence toward international marriage that they selected subjectively. There is a finding to show a new possibility; the Transnational Marriage & Family Support Center supported by Government may provide a good ground for the female migrants to be a active group agent. The results illustrate that the international marriage migrant women could not be classified into a single group as wives. Called for are diverse researches reflecting the complex situations of migrant women.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.17 no.7
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• pp.543-554
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• 2016

This study examined the fatigue and its association with job stress among male workers engaged in small-scale manufacturing industries. The study subjects were 553 male workers under 50 members of manufacturing industries. The study survey was a structured questionnaire of the Korean Occupational Stress Scale (KOSS) and Multidimensional Fatigue Scale (MFS) during April, 2015. The data were analyzed using the SPSS ver 21.0 program. The results showed that the high risk fatigue group was significantly higher in the high risk group of job stress than in the normal group of job stress. Fatigue was positively correlated with job stress. The odds ratio of the high risk fatigue group were increased significantly in the high risk group of job stress than in the normal group of job stress. The factors of influence with explanatory powers of 27.7% on fatigue included age, marital status, educational level, subject health status, sleeping time, drinking coffee, job tenure, shift work, visiting out-patient department, sense of satisfaction in job life, and job stress. Fatigue was associated with the sociodemographic characteristics, health behavior related characteristics, job-related characteristics, and job stress.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing
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• v.2 no.1
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• pp.87-96
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• 1971

This Study was undertaken to evaluate the present health status and fatigue of the workers in T. Industrial Company in Pusan in Jan. 1971. The results were based on a question are from 354 working girls. The results of this study are as follows: 1. The largest portion of the workers, 20.2% of the questioned employees, were observed to lie at age 20. 2. Regarding their formal education, 76.0% of them had completed middle school. while only 7. 1% had graduated from high school, . 3. 63.0% receive 7-8 hrs. of sleep a day while 18.4% receive S-6 hrs. of sleep a day. 4. 36.4% spend leisure time reading: while 15.5% spend it resting and thinking. 5. 53.8% of them live in the company′s dormitory and 31.6% live at home. 6. Time spent in travel to work: 32.8% spent 40-49 min., 23.6% spent 10-29 min. 7. The shift times were reported as: 44.1% wonting from 8 A.M. to 4 P.M. and 33.9% working from 6. A.M. to 2. P.M. which is what they are doing now. 8. Regarding symptoms of fatigue: 1) Physical symptoms were: 48.3% complained of "feeling bean in the legs, ", and 39.3% complained of "general exhaustion. " 2) Psychological symptoms were: 37.6% said that "it is boring to talk"and 26.3% said" they had a desire to be alone". 3) Nitrogenic symptoms were 49.7% complained of "asthenopia"and 37.0% complained of"vertigo and "staggering legs". 9. When asked about the most fatiguing time during work, the following information was reported: 25.2% felt the first hour in the morning was most fatiguing while 22.9% felt the sixth hour in the evening, and 22.8% eelt the fifth hour at night was. 10. 38.4% complained of sleepiness at 3 A.M. and 35.0% at 4 A.M. during night work. 11. 38.1% found Sunday the most fatiguing work day and 20.% found Monday. 12. The results of the effects of their work on certain diseases: 51.1% showed those with anemia as most effected by work. 13. In their Response to the question, "do you eat breakfast\ulcorner"57.0%, the largest portion, answered, " none at all ": 36.3%, enough. 14. Regarding the accident rate relating to the length of time employed at the company 28.5% was the highest accident rate from 5year to 6 year. As a result of this study, it could be concluded that the employer should consider the following points: 1. employ according to the worker′s vocational aptitude. 2. adjust the shifts. 3. offer rest time and off days, and establish recreational facilities. In the end we can contribute to the promotion of the workers of the workers and to the prevention of accidents due to industrial fatigue.