• Korean Journal of Occupational Health Nursing
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.85-95
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• 2016

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine the burn characteristics of female patients hospitalized in a burn center. Methods: This is a retrospective descriptive study. The subjects were 222 female patients aged over 19 years old having burn injuries from work sites between January 1, 2012 and December 31, 2014. Data were collected using electronic medical records about the burn-related characteristics. The data were analyzed descriptively. Results: Many of the subjects were in their forties and fifties. Most subjects showed burns with an area of less than 10% of the body surface with a severity of second degree. Scalding burns were the most frequent. Contact burns were usually of third-degree severity and occurred on hands and wrists. Flame burns affected the largest body surface area and frequently occurred on the face and mainly caused by explosion of a stove or kitchen gas. Chemical burns frequently occurred on the lower limbs. Conclusion: Female workers are exposed to the hazards of burn injuries in industrial accidents. Types of burn differ depending on the workplace conditions. Therefore, preventative measures for burn injuries should be established in accordance with the characteristics of each industry to which female workers belong.

• Journal of the Ergonomics Society of Korea
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• v.28 no.4
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• pp.101-107
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• 2009

In this study 1,079 occupational accident reports were used to examine the characteristics and causes of occupational injuries in the small-sized textile companies with less than 50 employees. These data were analyzed in terms of age of injured person, work experience, accident type, injury type, and agency of accident. The results show that there are some patterns: (1) injuries occur more frequently in the 40~49yr age group; (2) about half of all accident occurred during the first year of employment; (3) there is a higher percentage of sick people leaving in the 29~90day range; (4) 'caught in and between objects' represents the leading accident type; (5) the most common type of incidence is related to the machinery; (6) 'lower back injuries' is the leading type of occupational disorder. These results can be used to develop more effective accidental occupational injury prevention programs for small-sized textile industries.

• Journal of the Ergonomics Society of Korea
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• v.30 no.4
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• pp.535-540
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• 2011

Objective: The aim of this paper is to survey the gender differences Work-related musculoskeletal disorders among agriculture workers. Background: The number of occupational injuries has been decreasing trend in Korea, but it has been increasing in agriculture. The ratio of women worker shows steady increasing trend among the agricultural worker in Korea. Method: This study investigated through the questionnaire to 358 agricultural workers who are working for agriculture located in Gyeongnam, Gyeongbuk and Jeju. Results: The task types occurring frequently and the weight of a heavy object handled according to the sex were showed statistically significant difference. The estimation of WMSDs patients by sex appeared statistically very significant difference. Conclusion: The prevalence rate of WMSDs in female was about 21 percent higher than the prevalence rate of WMSDs in male. Application: The result of this study will help improvement of work environment and prevention of WMSDs in agricultural work.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Safety
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• v.28 no.5
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• pp.78-82
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• 2013

The purpose of this study is to review the labor force partitpation rate and work environment characteristics of female workers to provide basic information for establishment and implementation of effective policies related to accident prevention and workers health protection for female workers. It was analyzed employment status, work environment and injuries and illnesses based on economic activity census results, compensation of industrial injury and the second working condition survey. According to economic activity census results, female labor force participation rate has been steadily increased, whereas male labor force participation rate has been decreased since 1970. Industrial accident rate has been declined in male workers but that in female workers has been steadily increased even though male workers were higher accident rate than female workers. It was evaluated that female workers are vulnerable to industrial injuries and illnesses in the aspect of their working environment and employment status. Also, Substantial differences between female and male workers in occupational exposure patterns, occupational disease and occupational environments were observed. Therefore it was recommended that special care programs for female workers such as a specialized monitoring and management program should be introduced in the near future.

• Journal of Korean Society of Industrial and Systems Engineering
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• v.25 no.4
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• pp.46-53
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• 2002

Push-pull strength has been found to be associated with various work factors such as height, distance, repetition, duration, posture and individual factors. Therefore, this study was performed to investigate the effect of various work factors on push-pull strength and muscle recruitment pattern. Work factors were consisted of grip height(elbow, shoulder), grip distance(100%, 50%, and 25% of maximum grip distance) and shoulder angle(neutral($90^{\cire}$), and abduction($45^{\cire}$, $0^{\cire}$)) during sitting work. The results showed that the normalized strength and EMG value were higher at the elbow height than the shoulder height, and increased with grip distance and shoulder adduction. The results of ANOVA showed that there was significant difference on muscle recruitment patterns among the task conditions. Therefore, it is necessary to consider work factors as well as strength to prevent workers from work-related injuries.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.9 no.3
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• pp.314-318
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• 2018

Background: Musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) in the health industry are quite common, however, there have only been a few studies regarding physiotherapists, while in Greece, there is an apparent lack of research and data. The aim of this study is to investigate MSDs experienced by physiotherapists in Greece, their causes and specific measures, and good practices followed. Additional emerging risk factors will be examined. Methods: A questionnaire of MSDs followed by individual and workplace characteristics was completed by 252 physiotherapists. It covered the major workplace categories such as public hospitals, private rehabilitation centers, and private practices. Results: Analysis indicated that 89% of the respondents had experienced a work-related MSD; 32.2% of those injuries occurred within the first 5 years of working. The most lumbered physiotherapists were those working as private practitioners and almost half of the injured respondents chose to work while injured. The most common measure taken to tackle work related MSDs was found to be physical therapy sessions. Job satisfaction and psychosocial issues were also identified as side-effects of the economic slowdown. Conclusion: Physiotherapists in Greece were found to suffer from MSDs; workplace musculoskeletal injuries were quite common but under-reported. The body parts most affected were the lower back, the upper back, the shoulders, and the neck. There was a strong correlation between the workplace setting and the number of MSDs. A well-defined occupational safety and health management system and strict administration steering were found to reduce MSDs. The economic slowdown experienced in Greece during the execution of this study placed additional pressure on physiotherapists.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Safety
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• v.22 no.3 s.81
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• pp.39-44
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• 2007

Job stresses are realized as harmful factors affected workers' mental health. Job stresses can be defined as the physical and emotional responses that are occurred when the job requirements should be beyond the workers' abilities, followed with health problems and even work-related injuries. Job stresses could be resulted from the work environment and conditions related with workers' personality. This study is conducted to evaluate the job stresses for managers in the construction industry, by the questionaires which collected 302(75.5%) among 400 ones. The evaluation items are the levels of job stresses and stressors as well as the relationship between the variables. The controls should be recommended for physical and mental health.

• Journal of Korean Biological Nursing Science
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• v.20 no.3
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• pp.187-195
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• 2018

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to identify associations among the sleep disturbance, fatigue, job stress, and blood and body fluid (BBF) exposure of shift-work nurses. Methods: A total of 299 shift-work nurses from two tertiary hospitals were enrolled in this study. We used the Insomnia Severity Index (ISI), and the Fatigue Severity Scale (FSS), and the Korean Occupational Stress Scale-Short Form (KOSS-SF) to evaluate sleep disturbance, fatigue, and job stress, respectively. The data were analyzed using t-test or chi-squared test and Logistic regression analysis using the SPSS 23.0 program. Results: We found that 43.8% of participants reported BBF exposure over the past year. Splash or exposure to broken skin of BBF were most frequent (56.9%), and followed by needlestick injuries (30.4%) and sharp injuries (12.8%). Age, hospital, working period, level of stress, sleep disturbance ($ISI{\geq}15$), fatigue (FSS $score{\geq}4$), job demand and organizational climate subset in KOSS-SF were significantly associated with BBF exposure in shift-work nurses. In multivariate analysis after adjusting age and hospital, the risk factors of BBF exposure in shift-work nurses were the level of stress and fatigue (FSS $score{\geq}4$). Conclusion: Fatigue and job stress were related to BBF exposure in shift-work nurses. Our results suggest that management of sleep disturbance, fatigue, and high job stress in shift-work nurses is needed to reduce risk of BBF exposure.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.7 no.4
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• pp.259-267
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• 2016

Work-related musculoskeletal injuries and disorders (WMSD) are a significant issue in the health care sector. Allied Health professionals (AHP) in this sector are exposed to physical and psychosocial factors associated with increased risk of developing a WMSD. Clarification of relevant hazard and risk factors for AHP is needed to improve understanding and inform WMSD risk management. A systematic analysis of the literature was undertaken to determine prevalence and risk factors for WMSD in AHP. Databases of Ovid MEDLINE, CINAHL (EBSCO), EMBASE and the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews were reviewed. This quality of articles was low. Outcome measures were varied, with prevalence rates of WMSD reported from 28% to 96% over a one-year time period. The lower back was the most commonly affected body part. Relevant factors identified with the development of WMSD included inexperience in the role and area of employment. Future research needs to focus on undertaking high quality prospective studies to determine the factors associated with WMSD development in AHP.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.13 no.4
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• pp.440-447
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• 2022

Background: Agricultural handle equipment is present on all production areas' farms. They are handy and portable; however, excessive use can lead to acute traumas or accidental injuries. Repetitive movements, awkward postures, and hand-arm vibrations predispose them to pain and work-related musculoskeletal disorders. The purpose of this study was to observe the interaction of handle equipment in terms of electromyographic activity and analyze the postural work-related alterations. Materials and methods: Twenty male agricultural operators, mean age 24±1.54 years, underwent the electromyographic analysis testing their muscular activities with a brushcutter, electric saw, and hedge trimmer in four different test conditions. Results: The brushcutter proved to be the agricultural handle equipment with the higher mean frequency (3.37±0.38 Hz) and root mean square (5.25±1.24 ms^-2). Furthermore, the digital postural analysis showed a general asymmetry of the main arm and the respective side of the trunk. The head resulted right inclined in the anterior frontal plane by 5.7°±1.2°; the right scapula lower than the left in the posterior frontal plane (8.5°±1.8°), and a working trunk inclination of 34.15°±5.7°. Conclusions: Vibrations of handle equipment and awkward working postures represent a risk for agricultural operators. Preventive measures are required to avoid young operators from experiencing musculoskeletal disorders all lifelong.