• Journal of the Ergonomics Society of Korea
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• v.31 no.1
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• pp.157-163
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• 2012

Objective: This study is to understand medical management method in shipbuilding industry. Background: In shipbuilding industry, medical management for prevention of work-related musculoskeletal diseases due to limitations of engineering measures may be important measure. Results: Medical management of musculoskeletal diseases can be divided into primary, secondary, tertiary preventions. Primary preventions consist of symptom survey, appropriate work placement with work capacity evaluation, health promotion. Second preventions are early detection of symptomatic patient and appropriate treatment. Tertiary preventions are rehabilitation treatment and early return-to-work by return-to-work evaluation. In addition, patients with psychological counseling for emotional problems are needed. Conclusion: Medical management measures such as improving the work environment to be made are expected to exert greater effects.

• Journal of agricultural medicine and community health
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• v.47 no.4
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• pp.211-219
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• 2022

Objective: This study was conducted to investigate the awareness of work-related disease prevention of farmers. Method: As a research method, a qualitative focus group interview was conducted in 18 participants. Results: Prevention and management services for work-related diseases of farmers mostly are based on research from other fields and so are not highly effective because their content is not relevant to agricultural work. It has been suggested that such program designers be required to have some appropriate related knowledge, and that incentives and a certification system for participation in such education be established. To analyze work-related diseases of farmers, fields of prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation should be created. They demanded the designation of hospitals and the actualization of compensation for farmers' safety insurance. The work-related diseases to address were include musculoskeletal diseases, pesticide poisoning-related diseases (cardiovascular disease, respiratory disease), psychiatric diseases such as depression, and allergic diseases. However, this must have been the result of the harmful factors they felt during agricultural work. And for farmer patients diagnosed with work-related diseases, it was said to strengthen farmer safety insurance. Conclusion: In order to increase the safely and health effects of agricultural work, it is necessary to prevent and manage work-related diseases of farmers. Projects should be developed in consideration of cultural and economic barriers of farmers and the characteristics of the work.

• Advances in Traditional Medicine
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• v.6 no.4
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• pp.264-273
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• 2006

Epidemiological evidences and clinical as well as experimental observations have suggested a link between asthma and occupations. This relationship also involves other aspects like nonimmunologic exposures in the environment that can increase the chance of developing work related asthma and respiratory diseases. The purpose of this pamphlet is to supply information of work related diseases, which will give patients suffering with asthma, an intelligent understanding of their disease, and thus stimulate their interest so that they will cooperate more readily with their allergist. Recognizing the symptoms, causes, risk factors, diagnosis and treatment is an important part of managing occupational asthma and related diseases, so that it helps in decline of this rapidly increasing prevalence throughout the world.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.3 no.1
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• pp.67-70
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• 2012

The surveillance programme of work-related diseases (WRD) is based on a network of occupational physicians who notify all WRD diagnosed during a two-week observation period. The aims are mainly to estimate the prevalence of non-compensated WRD in the working population according to socio economic factors; to determine new indicators of occupational health; to update the lists of compensable occupational diseases; to understand and assess under-compensation and under-notification. The participation rate for occupational physicians is around 33% in 2008. The main WRD are the musculoskeletal disorders, followed by the mental disorders. This 2-week protocol, repeated regularly, provides useful data on frequency of pathologies linked to employment as well as an estimate of unreported WRD subject to compensation or non-compensated WRDs, and the trends of WRDs over the time.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.4 no.2
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• pp.77-83
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• 2013

There is still a considerable burden of occupational diseases and injuries in the world. It is not well known which interventions can effectively reduce the exposures at work that cause this burden. The objective of this article is to summarize evidence from systematic reviews of interventions to prevent occupational diseases and injuries. We included systematic reviews of interventions to reduce the incidence of work-related cancer, dust-related diseases, occupational asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, noise induced hearing loss, back pain, and occupational injuries. We searched Medline and Embase with predefined search strategies to locate systematic reviews of these interventions. We found 23 systematic reviews of which the results are also applicable to low- and middle income countries. Effective measures to reduce exposure leading to work-related cancer, dust-related diseases, asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, noise, and injuries are available. However, better implementation of these measures is needed. Regulation, enforcement of regulation, and incentives for employers are effective interventions to achieve this goal. There is evidence that feedback and rewards for workers help in reducing occupational injuries. There is no evidence in many studies that back pain can be prevented. Personal protective equipment technically has the potential to reduce exposure but this is difficult to put into effect. There is no evidence in the studies regarding the effectiveness of education and training, preventive drugs, or health examinations. There is evidence that the implementation of technical measures enforced by regulation can prevent occupational diseases and injuries. For other interventions such as education or health examinations, there is no evidence that supports their effectiveness. More systematic reviews are needed in the area of injury prevention.

• Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
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• v.31 no.4
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• pp.540-548
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• 2021

Introduction: Preplacement health examination (PHE) is performed when a worker starts a certain work task which is designated as having occupational risks by the Ministry of Employment and Labor (MOEL). All data related to health examination except PHE are reported to the MOEL by the law. This study has been performed to understand the status of PHE at certain workplaces. Methods: PHE data gathered in a university hospital were analyzed and they were followed with results of the special health examination (SHE) in 2019 and 2020. Those who were evaluated as unfit to work as it was, were interviewed directly or indirectly through an occupational health manager to follow up the management status of their recognized health problems. Results: The unfit to work (unFTW) rate of PHE was 2.8%, and was not different according to the size of workplace or having occupational health service. The major cause of unfit to work was the uncontrolled life-style diseases such as hypertension and diabetes. The rate of SHE followed by PHE was 31.1%. It was not different by the unFTW rates, however, they were different according to having a full time in-house occupational health manager. Thirty-one among 71 examinees who were evaluated as unFTW underwent SHE after controlling their health condition and were finally evaluated as fit to work. Nineteen among 31 started to take medicine and eight have been placed in the work without designated risks. Conclusion: PHE can be used for new workers, who may have unknown or uncontrolled life-style diseases, to be asked to manage life-style diseases as well as work-related risks such as shift work. In order to have a better tracking system for work-related risks, the information of PHE should be analyzed together with other data from health examination.

• Proceedings of the Safety Management and Science Conference
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• 2010.04a
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• pp.117-125
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• 2010

Cerebrovascular and cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are a major cause of deaths among workers as well as in general population in Korea. Occupational stress like long working hours or overwork can cause sudden unexpected death in a worker who had been suffering from an aggravated preexisting condition such as hypertensive or arteriosclerotic diseases, The Korean government has compensated the cases of cerebrovascular disease and cardiovascular disease due to overwork, but neither a resonable definition of overwork nor detailed evaluation guideline has been officially provided to verify overwork, so that the prevention of, as well as compensation for workers' occupational stress-related cardiovascular attacks, cannot be carried out efficiently. A thorough understanding of the etiopathology of WR-CVDs can be very helpful in developing a prevention strategy.

• Research in Community and Public Health Nursing
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.185-194
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• 2013

Purpose: This study was to explore situations that might put the middle-aged Korean-Chinese female migrant workers at risk for work-related musculoskeletal diseases (WMSDs). At the development phase of a continuing health project, the study aimed to clarify health promotion program needs of the migrant population. Methods: A qualitative description research design was used with three focus groups of 23 Korean-Chinese female migrant workers. Each focus group interview was conducted for 70-minutes using semi-structured interview guidelines. The data were analyzed using directed qualitative content analysis techniques. Results: The majority of the participants were household workers and their work included heavy material handling, standing for a long time, and working in awkward postures. They experienced discrimination from employers, lack of control at work, limitations in open-communication, job insecurity, and acculturation. They had needs to have health promotion programs for preventing and managing chronic diseases, depression and menopause as well as WMSDs. Conclusion: The participants were situated in work environments with physical demanding tasks, acculturative and job-related stress and lack of opportunities to participate in health promotion programs. It is suggested to develop a comprehensive program to better meet the needs of middle-aged Korean-Chinese female migrant workers rather than targeting the reduction of WMSDs.

• Journal of Wellbeing Management and Applied Psychology
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• v.7 no.2
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• pp.49-56
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• 2024

Purpose: Construction sites are currently facing a socialization problem as the incidence of thermal disease-related disasters increases due to summer heat waves, exacerbated by factors like the concentration of middle-aged and older workers and global warming. The reason why construction sites are particularly vulnerable to heat waves is that there are many outdoor work, which is the peculiarity of the construction industry, and most of the construction workers are elderly. This study analyzes disaster statistics of workers at construction sites for five years to investigate the occurrence of thermal diseases and analyze factors through disaster cases to provide basic data for future disasters to be reduced. Research design, data, and methodology: According to the Construction Workers' Mutual Aid Association, as of June, more than 60% of the construction workers working in the field were in their 50s and 60s. More than 24% are in their 60s and older. Thermal diseases caused by heat waves occur when exposed to high heat or strong sunlight for a long time, accompanied by headaches and dizziness. The problem is that many elderly people have underlying diseases, so if they lose consciousness, they cannot easily recover and are likely to die. Results: According to industrial accident statistics, 182 people were injured by heat-related diseases in the summer from 2016 to 2021, of which 29 died. In particular, in the construction industry, which has a lot of outdoor work, 87 people were injured and 20 people died. Conclusions: In order to prevent heat diseases caused by outdoor work, it is emphasized that exposure time is controlled, and sufficient rest and hydration are essential. Rest, water, and shade are in line with the three principles.

• Journal of Korean Physical Therapy Science
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• v.14 no.1_4
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• pp.25-36
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• 2007

The results of researching on duties of physical therapist, understanding of elderly diseases and policies related with elderly welfare came out from the survey before beginning of education to physical therapists who attended National Elderly Welfare Physical Therapist Workshop during Sep. 11th to 14th, 2007. They have already understood about long-term elderly care insurance from the policy, and responded that those policies will bring more advantage to elders. On contrary, negative response had reason of low service quality. About elderly care system, there were positive answer of appropriate alternatives to support them, but also other critics had opinion of inevitable choice for living conservation. About understanding of elderly diseases, there were more comprehension of diseases as age gets higher, but most did not understand dementia and paralysis. Past experience and process of medical treatment for their disease were such arthritis, paralysis, broken bone, and dislocation of joint. Prognosis of technical training was mostly answered positively, but linking with other related disease programs were not welcomed. Most respondents thought that professional training were needed. The results of understanding diseases during senescent had high percentage of understanding as age and education was high, and it had eye upon statistics of the survey (p < 0.05) Most of those questioned responded that it is appropriate to have six working days per week and eight hours of daily work, however, present wage is not reasonable. Most of those questioned had negative response of work independence, and had an-swered that there should be certificates needed in related fields. For difficulties during work period, they had hardship instituting direction of treatment by lack of program, level of wage, and physical difficulties. Physical therapists averagely wished to have fewer than thirty patients per therapist. After the research, physical therapists who work in those facilities of elderly care systems agreed on policies, though it should not lower service quality. In addition, they were pros to have elderly care system, yet they are still inevitable option to maintain living. For work environment, the period of work was appropriate, but had different opinions for work independence and regular number of patients. Therefore, there should be more organized treatment program that also should be linked to other practical programs at this beginning point of the policy enforcement and the time that many therapists hope to work in elderly care system.