• Proceedings of the KIEE Conference
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• 1999.07g
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• pp.3098-3100
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• 1999

A genetic algorithm for global and local path planning and collision avoidance of mobile robot in dynamic working environment is proposed. The genetic algorithm searches for a path in the entire and continuous free space and unifies global path planning and local path planning. The simulation shows the proposed method is an efficient and effective method when compared with the traditional collision avoidance algorithms.

• Journal of Information Technology Applications and Management
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• v.27 no.4
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• pp.63-83
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• 2020

Corna Virus is being widely spreaded across the world and accelerating working environments to home-based telecommuting environments rapidly. Many companies, however, are afraid of decrease in productivities due to insufficient technology readiness by new technology environments. Therefore, finding out the influencing factors which improve the productivities in home-based telecommuting environments is a very important research issue. This study suggests several influencing factors such as technology readiness, technostress, and control behavior and a research model by literature review. To verify the model a total of 204 questionnaires are collected from office workers who are currently utilizing home-based telecommuting. The statistical analysis show that technostress influences negatively to productivities. In addition, moderating effect analysis show that control behavior affects negatively and technostress positively to alleviate the technostress. The result is expected to provide a theocratical framework for further related research and practical guidelines for improving productivities in home-based telecommuting environments.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.8 no.4
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• pp.371-377
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• 2017

Background: Social status might be a determinant of occupational health inequalities. This study analyzed the effects of social status on both work environments and health outcomes. Methods: The study sample consisted of 27,598 wage employees aged 15 years and older from among the Korean Working Condition Survey participants in 2011. Work environments included atypical work, physical risks, ergonomic risks, work demands, work autonomy, social supports, and job rewards. Health outcomes comprised general health, health and safety at risk because of work, the World Health Organization-5 Well-being Index, work-related musculoskeletal disease, and work-related injury. Multivariable logistic-regression models were used to identify the associations between social status and work environments and health outcomes. Results: Employees in the demographically vulnerable group had lower occupational status compared with their counterparts. Low social status was largely related to adverse work environments. Especially, precarious employment and manual labor occupation were associated with both adverse work environments and poor health outcomes. Conclusion: Precarious and manual workers should take precedence in occupational health equity policies and interventions. Their cumulative vulnerability, which is connected to demographics, occupational status, adverse work environments, or poor health outcomes, can be improved through a multilevel approach such as labor market, organizations, and individual goals.

• Proceedings of the KIEE Conference
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• 2005.05b
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• pp.45-50
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• 2005

Nowadays, economical and social environments are changing to the type of an advanced country for development of techniques in power industry. So most of workers are recently avoiding the 3D works and asking for safety of working environment, etc. in highly dangerous parts such as hot line working on distribution lines, especially. Therefore, most advanced countries are using the support-arm or robotic systems on distribution line works for securing the construction reliability, economical feasibility and protection of linemen from the electric shock and so forth. In special Japanese electric power companies are using the robotic system named manipulator. In Korea, a support-arm has been developed for safety and facility in live working on distribution lines but not widely supplied. In this paper we will introduce development cases of support arm and manipulator robot for live working on distribution lines.

• Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
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• v.11 no.2
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• pp.169-178
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• 2001

Numerous regulations have been introduced and a various kinds of institutional intervention have been made by government against the occupational safety and health problems. However, it was serious issue to the workers that what can be claimed by those who meet with apparently harmful and risky working conditions in their social systems. In the view point of employees, their right to be free from unacceptable risk and hazards has not been clearly defined. Therefore, workers have very limited rights to take any actions unless employer or government do their actions. It is believed that this undesirable conditions resulted from Jack of legal definition of workers' right to work in the safe and healthy environment. It has been found increased social pressure to make intervention to the industry to protect workers' health. Also, increased pressure has been kept for deregulation. This conflict lay the current situation in dilemma. The concept of the working environmental right has been developed and discussed in this study to overcome this trade-off confliction. It should be clearly separated between legal aspects and administrative and Policy area to make the regulations effective. Strong enforcement to the industry based on the law should be minimum, however, it should be practically effective in the aspect of workers' right. Administration and policy should be focused on supportive and leading activities to achieve the ultimate goal, safe and healthy working environment. It is concluded that establishment of working environmental right would satisfy workers and industry and it would result in improvement workers' environment and conditions.

• Journal of Information Technology Applications and Management
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• v.26 no.1
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• pp.77-93
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• 2019

Recently, office workers are increasingly aware of the right to disconnect because of the pressure from strong connections with Internet messengers. In this study, we examined the reason why the perception of the right to disconnect increases and how to deal with it. This research model is that smart working and psychological attachment from work affect right to disconnect, and that open communication and gender moderate the intensity of these effects. To verify this research model, survey questionnaires were distributed to workers in smart working environments, and 400 data were collected and analyzed using Smart-PLS. As results of data analysis, it was verified that smart working and psychological attachment from work had a significant influence on right to disconnect, that open communication group had a lesser effect of psychological attachment from work on right to disconnect than closed communication group, and that women had a lesser effect of psychological attachment from work on right to disconnect than men. Organizations need to maintain a desirable level of right to disconnect in order to improve the quality of working life. But, if it is impossible, They need to change the way of communication more openly so as to absorb the burden of strong connection by Internet. And they need to perform task assignment or stress relief policy reflecting gender characteristics.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.11 no.2
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• pp.143-151
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• 2020

Objective: Bidi is an inexpensive, low-processed, hand-rolled tobacco product. In Bangladesh, especially in Rangpur, tobacco farming and bidi processing are common. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the impact of bidi making on children working in bidi factories. Methods: This qualitative(walk-through survey) and quantitative(questionnaire-based survey and a urine cotinine level quantitation) study was conducted in Rangpur, Bangladesh in 2017. Study population included child-workers aged ≤14 years who were regularly employed as bidi makers. Findings: The results of the walk-through survey revealed hazardous working environments at bidi factories. For the quantitative survey, 171 child-workers were categorized into "less-working"(<5 hours/day) and "more-working"(≥5 hours/day) groups; additionally, "forced-working"(forced into work by parents) and "voluntary-working"(working voluntarily) groups were delineated within the same population. In the logistic regression analysis, odds ratios(ORs) of respiratory symptoms and unusual absence(absent ≥5 days/month) were higher in the "more-working" group than in the "less-working" group(unusual absence: OR, 2.91; 95% confidence interval[CI], 1.43-5.94), and this association became higher in the "forced-working" group with longer working hours(OR, 5.68, 95%CI 2.30-14.00). Conclusions: Cheap, hand-rolled tobacco(bidi) is harmful to the health of bidi-making child-workers. Children in poverty bow to the demands of cheap labor and poverty and jeopardize their health and future prospects by working in bidi factories. Tobacco control policies should consider the social effects of tobacco beyond its biological effects.

• Environmental Analysis Health and Toxicology
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• v.31
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• pp.11.1-11.6
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• 2016

Objectives A hazard assessment of di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP), a commonly used workplace chemical, was conducted in order to protect the occupational health of workers. A literature review, consisting of both domestic and international references, examined the chemical management system, working environment, level of exposure, and possible associated risks. This information may be utilized in the future to determine appropriate exposure levels in working environments. Methods Hazard assessment was performed using chemical hazard information obtained from international agencies, such as Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development-generated Screening Information Data Set and International Program on Chemical Safety. Information was obtained from surveys conducted by the Minister of Employment and Labor ("Survey on the work environment") and by the Ministry of Environment ("Survey on the circulation amount of chemicals"). Risk was determined according to exposure in workplaces and chemical hazard. Results In 229 workplaces over the country, 831 tons of DEHP have been used as plasticizers, insecticides, and ink solvent. Calculated 50% lethal dose values ranged from 14.2 to 50 g/kg, as determined via acute toxicity testing in rodents. Chronic carcinogenicity tests revealed cases of lung and liver degeneration, shrinkage of the testes, and liver cancer. The no-observed-adverse-effect level and the lowest-observed-adverse-effect level were determined to be 28.9 g/kg and 146.6 g/kg, respectively. The working environment assessment revealed the maximum exposure level to be $0.990mg/m^3$, as compared to the threshold exposure level of $5mg/m^3$. The relative risk of chronic toxicity and reproductive toxicity were 0.264 and 0.330, respectively, while the risk of carcinogenicity was 1.3, which is higher than the accepted safety value of one. Conclusions DEHP was identified as a carcinogen, and may be dangerous even at concentrations lower than the occupational exposure limit. Therefore, we suggest management of working environments, with exposure levels below $5mg/m^3$ and all workers utilizing local exhaust ventilation and respiratory protection when handling DEHP.

• Journal of Digital Convergence
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• v.12 no.12
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• pp.345-350
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• 2014

According to the necessity of smart working with various mobile devices, and the increasing services based on the converged infrastructures such as Cloud, Wearable Computing, Next Generation Wired/Wireless Mobile Networks, the network reliability has been one of the most important things. However, the research related to the network reliability is still insufficient. To solve these problems, we propose the ISNTC (Intelligent Safe Network Technology based on Cloud), which uses the safe network technique based on SDN, to be adopted to the smart working environments. The proposed ISNTC guarantees secure data forwarding through the synchronized transmission path and timing. We have verified the throughput which outperformed the existing techniques through the computer simulations using OPnet.

• Journal of the Ergonomics Society of Korea
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• v.35 no.5
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• pp.343-359
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• 2016

Objective:In this study, we designed working clothes for livestock farmers to wear in spring and autumn to improve their work efficiency, conducted a physiological test on their performance, and evaluated their comfort. Background: In recent years, livestock farming in Korea has expanded, yet farmers' safety and sanitation levels remain low in hazardous environments that include organic dust, toxic gas, and heat stress, as well as the risk of accidents. Furthermore, most livestock farmers wear ordinary or dust-resistant clothes that are unsuitable for rearing livestock and compromise their safety and health. Thus, it is important to design specialized working clothes for livestock farmers that are comfortable and that minimize their health and safety risks. Method: To this end, we examined the literature on livestock (poultry, swine, and cattle) farmers' safety and sanitation issues, designed appropriate working clothes, and tested them in terms of sensory feel, physiological response, and subjective comfort. Results: The respondents expressed satisfaction with the new working clothes. The results of a physiological test showed a decline in temperature and humidity inside the clothes, a lower pulse rate, and a lower oxygen intake compared to the measurements taken when famers wore their previous working clothes. This indicates a fall in heat stress and fatigue, which was mostly consistent with the results of the assessment of subjective comfort. Conclusion: The results of the analysis show an improvement in the comfort of the new working clothes compared to the dust-resistant clothes that are widely worn. Based on this study, the new working clothes need to be further tested and evaluated to improve the design. Application: This study is expected to contribute to designing better working clothes for livestock farmers.