• Research in Community and Public Health Nursing
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• v.29 no.3
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• pp.267-278
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• 2018

Purpose: This study is to investigate working conditions including job stress among visiting nurses in public health centers in Korea. Methods: An social network based mobile survey was conducted in May 2017 (N=936, response rate: 47.0%). Results: The visiting nurses in this study had their average total career as a nurse is 13.7 years. The 68.3% of them were employed in an indefinite term, 17.0% were hired in a fixed term, and 11.0% came from outsourcing. They responded as high job-stress level including inadequate compensation (71.22/100) and job demands (71.91/100). They experienced down-talk (63.4%), swearwords (32.9%), being made a dirty face (39.9%), sexual jokes (30.8%), or being likened or evaluated with their appearance sexually (14.3%). Among the causes of job related conflicts and discrimination, deprived salary level was the most frequent reason (83.4%). The conflicts and discrimination were incurred by government officers (52.4%). There were no significant differences in overall job stress, emotional labor, organizational commitment, violence, and discrimination experience based on their employment types. Conclusion: The differences in working conditions among the non-regular nurses were trivial, and their overall working conditions were poor. It is necessary to improve non-regular nurses' working conditions in order to make up the limitations of the Korean healthcare system which is centered on hospitals.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.14 no.3
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• pp.250-258
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• 2023

The effectiveness of mindfulness techniques in addressing mental health conditions in workers is uncertain. However, it could represent a therapeutic tool for workers presenting with such conditions. Our objective was to assess the effects of mindfulness-based practices for workers diagnosed with mental health conditions. We conducted a systematic review of randomized controlled trials. Participants included were workers with a mental health condition. Interventions included any mindfulness technique, compared to any nonmindfulness interventions. Outcomes were scores on validated psychiatric rating scales. A total of 4,407 records were screened; 202 were included for full-text analysis; 2 studies were included. The first study (Finnes et al., 2017) used Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) associated or not with Workplace Dialogue Intervention (WDI), compared to treatment as usual. At 9 months follow-up, for the ACT group, depression scores improved marginally (standardized mean difference [SMD]: -0.06, p = 0.021), but anxiety scores were worse (SMD: 0.15, p = 0.036). Changes in mental health outcomes were not statistically significant for the ACT + WDI group. In the second study (Grensman et al., 2018), no statistically significant change in mental health scales has been observed after completion of mindfulness-based cognitive therapy compared to cognitive behavioral therapy. Substantial heterogeneity precluded meta-analysis. This systematic review did not find evidence that mindfulness-based practices provide a durable and substantial improvement of mental health outcomes in workers diagnosed with mental health conditions.

• Journal of the Korean Dietetic Association
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.43-58
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• 2012

This study was designed to investigate the impact of a 12-week nutrition education program on 32 male industrial workers (average age: $44.5{\pm}3.8$ yrs, work duration period: $20.1{\pm}5.6$ yrs) diagnosed as having dyslipidemia in a medical checkup at their workplace. This program was implemented with a conceptual framework on strengthening self-efficacy for the improvement of the health conditions of the workers. Most of all, the study exhibited benefits in the industrial workers by ameliorating the risk factors associated with dyslipidemia via changes in dietary behaviors, nutritional knowledge, and attitudes, as well as anthropometric and biochemical parameters. After the nutrition education, overall lifestyle, including the ratios of smoking (P<0.05) and drinking (P<0.01), significantly improved. Exactly 65.6% of the subjects reported that their dietary habits changed. Body weight, BMI, percentage of body fat, and waist circumference all significantly decreased (P<0.001). The systolic (P<0.01) as well as diastolic blood pressures (P<0.001) decreased. Moreover, the degree of increase in serum HDL-cholesterol was appreciable (P<0.001), and the atherogenic index also decreased (P<0.01). Further, risk factors related to metabolic syndrome in subjects significantly decreased (P<0.001). The average scores for nutrition knowledge increased from 9.3 to 17.7 points (P<0.001). All of the participants agreed on the need for a nutrition education program at their workplace. Further, it should be pointed out that the participants strongly indicated the need for continuing nutrition intervention.

• Journal of Digital Contents Society
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• v.12 no.2
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• pp.233-240
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• 2011

In this study we analyzed the foreign workers' needs for pre-training and post support, and researched possibility of e-Learning as the effective methodology for foreign workers' vocational development. A total of 1872 people were participated in this study. The first contents of the survey were satisfaction and difficulties focusing on pre-training. The second contents were willingness to participate in post-training program, the expected difficulties related to post support. The third contents were preferences and needs of e-Learning, The results revealed various issues of the pre-training and post support. Foreign workers showed high expectation and needs on post training program, but the problems such as lack of time and workplace leave were pointed out to the greatest difficulties. Considering their high preferences for e-Learning, a possibility and necessity of e-Learning which can resolve difficulties of the workplace leave and give the customized service at different conditions and levels of training was anticipated.

• Journal of the Ergonomics Society of Korea
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• v.34 no.6
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• pp.549-561
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• 2015

Objective: The purpose of this study was to investigate the job stress factors of mobile communication network construction workers using survey based on 'Job stress factors evaluation tool for Koreans' that was developed by KOSHA in 2003. Background: Due to the rapid growth of penetration rate of smartphone, the necessity of LTE service changing from 3G network was brought up. The demand of LTE network construction in a short period of time leads to the aggravation of the job stress of mobile communication network construction workers. Method: Two hundred and fifty workers who were in the mobile communication network industry participated in this study, and among them 206 responses were analyzed for this study due to the unreliability and insincerity of responses. The eight job stress factors which are physical environment, job demand, job autonomy, relation conflict, job instability, organizational system, inadequate compensation, workplace culture were analyzed. Results: The job stress factors of mobile communication network construction workers were compared to those of other industry workers, and other work related characteristics were analyzed. The results showed that the stress level of a physical environment and job requirement were relatively higher than those of manufacturing industry workers, meaning that mobile communication network construction workers have rough working conditions and increased amount of work due to the demand of LTE network construction. The stress level of physical environment for outdoor job workers was relatively higher than that of indoor job workers. With the analytical result for level of job satisfaction, significant difference was observed (p <0.05) with every factor, and the job stress was found the highest with those not satisfied with every factor Conclusion: From the results of this study, the work loss due to the job stress could be prevented, and accurate stress factors could be removed at the workplace. Application: The results of this study may not represent the whole mobile network construction workers, the effort for job stress management is needed to improve the work efficiency and the workers' quality of life.

• Journal of The Korean Society of Integrative Medicine
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• v.5 no.4
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• pp.91-101
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• 2017

Purpose : The purpose of this study was to examine the career-related awareness of dental hygiene students and their awareness of employment in an effort to shed light on the consciousness of dental hygiene students on career and employment. Methods : A survey was conducted on 340 selected dental hygiene students in several colleges of health located in an urban community, South Gyeongsang Province, from June 8 and 16, 2016. The collected data from 335 respondents were analyzed by SPSS 21.0 for Windows. Result : Where they hoped to find a job was analyzed, and they hoped to be hired in an large city due to the possibility of development and expectations for high pay, and the students who wanted to be employed in a small or mid-sized urban community cited personal connections as the reason(p<.001). As for conditions for getting a good job, the largest number of the students placed importance on skills, and the students who were in the higher academic years attached more importance to skills and money(p<.01). As for preferred workplace, dental hospital was the biggest group's favorite workplace, and the students who were in the higher academic years preferred to work in dental clinic or dental hospital(p<.05). Concerning the length of dental hygienist career, the greatest group thought it would be between 11 and 15 years(p<.05). Conclusion : The findings of the study might not be generalizable because students from a few colleges only were investigated, but the findings are expected to help improve the understanding of dental hygiene students on career and how to prepare for the job market and to provide colleges and educational institutions with information on career and ways of offering vocational guidance.

• Korean Journal of Occupational Health Nursing
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• v.25 no.1
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• pp.65-74
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• 2016

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to predict industrial accident rate using time series analysis. Methods: The rates of industrial accident and occupational injury death were analyzed using industrial accident statistics analysis system of the Korea Occupational Safety and Health Agency from 2001 to 2014. Time series analysis was done using the most recent data, such as raw materials of Economically Active Population Survey, Economic Statistics System of the Bank of Korea, and e-National indicators. The best-fit model with time series analysis to predict occupational injury was developed by identifying predictors when the value of Akaike Information Criteria was the lowest point. Variables into the model were selected through a series of expertises' consultations and literature review, which consisted of socioeconomic structure, labor force structure, working conditions, and occupational accidents. Results: Indexes at the meso- and macro-levels predicting well occurrence of occupational accidents and occupational injury death were labor force participation rate for ages 45-49 and budget for small scaled workplace support. The rates of industrial accident and occupational injury death are expected to decline. Conclusion: For reducing industrial accident continuously, we call for safe employment policy of economically active middle aged adults and support for improving safety work environment of small sized workplace.

• Journal of Distribution Science
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• v.17 no.7
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• pp.65-76
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• 2019

Purpose - The purpose of this study is to investigate economical ventilation effectiveness to reduce hazardous materials exposure and damage of workers by analyzing exposure amount of noxious substances under various ventilation conditions of nail salon for indoor environments. Research design, data, and methodology - This study was carried out with cooperation of Nail shop located in SeongNam city to involve an analysis of the environmental impact indoor air quality, pollutant exposure and economical cost-effectiveness in the nail workplace. The hazardous substances were PM-10(Particulate Matter-10㎛), VOCs(Volatile Organic Compounds) and Formaldehyde, which are the major materials of nail workplace. Results - PM-10 is reduced by about 60% with air cleaner, forced artificial ventilation by 32%, and natural ventilation by about 12%. TVOCs and Formaldehyde showed similar efficiency (80~100%) after natural ventilation and ventilation after 60 minutes. The removal efficiencies of VOCs and formaldehyde were similar to those of natural ventilation and mechanical ventilation system. However, in case of dust, natural ventilation was reduced by artificial ventilation system due to inflow of external dust during natural ventilation. Conclusions - If the pollution degree of outdoor air is not high, air volume is high, and natural ventilation is performed when the air conditioning and heating system is not operated. Even at the end of the work, it keeps operating for 60 minutes to remove the pollutants generated. Results of this analysis demonstrated that the worker environment can be improved by adopting institutional legislation and guidelines for ventilation.

• Journal of Labour Economics
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.103-135
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• 2000

After scrutinizing the actual conditions of labor participation in management decision makings through analysing the collective agreements and the regulations of labor-management committee at the affiliated companies of Korea's top-five Chaebols, we could get some conclusions as follows. First, because the labor participation in management decision makings is in very inactive situations at the long-term management strategy level and the workplace practice level of industrial relations, both parties of the industrial relations in those companies surveyed show the serious lack of abilities to tackle the new and rapidly changing business environments as nowadays actively and cooperatively. Second, we could find the fact that in the surveyed companies the device of collective bargaining was used more commonly at the collective bargaining level of industrial relations and the device of labor-management committee was often used relatively at the long-term management strategy level and the workplace practice level. Third, we could conclude that the separating type of the labor-management committee which was able to keep a safe distance from the more antagonistic device, the collective bargaining, was much more efficient device of the labor participation in management decision makings.

• Journal of Labour Economics
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• v.40 no.3
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• pp.29-55
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• 2017

We examine the effects of the self-reported subjective and the objective health indexes on work compensations. The compensations consist of monetary factors, such as wages, and non-monetary factors reflecting job risks such as the workplace accidence. The wages and workplace injuries are clearly affected by gender and age differences as the subjective and objective health factors of elderly workers are combined with physical and systematic work environments. Mental health problems such as work depression are more serious especially for high income elderly groups. The elderly workers experienced with physical problems and chronic illnesses are led to the decrease in wages and the increase in safety accident risks at work sharply. Therefore, we need to provide supporting services, retirement planning designed by companies, supported by the government enhanced risk working conditions and the weakness on protecting jobs.