• Title/Summary/Keyword: Workplace Safety

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Establish Manufacturing Firms' Response Strategy to the Serious Accident Punishment Act Using IPA (IPA를 활용한 제조기업의 중대재해처벌법 대응방안 수립)

  • Seo, JunHyeok;SungMin Bae
    • Journal of Korean Society for Quality Management
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    • v.51 no.4
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    • pp.607-618
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    • 2023
  • Purpose: In this study, we proposed a plan to establish and implement a safety and health management system by utilizing corporate resources so that manufacturing companies can effectively respond to the Serious Accident Punishment Act. Methods: We identified critical factors and response strategies necessary for manufacturing companies to respond to the Severe Accident Punishment Act effectively and surveyed employees working at the company regarding their importance and performance. Results: In this study, we presented a method of strategically constructing the response strategies (20) shown in previous studies by matching them with the company's resources (leadership, organization, budget, education, and awareness). In particular, leadership refers to the ability of managers who can prevent serious accidents by carrying out safety and health security obligations to avoid safety and health hazards or risks to employees in the business or workplace that is controlled, operated, and managed. Conclusion: Based on the manager's firm leadership, the system's purpose and direction must be accurately set and sufficiently communicated to members. In addition, for companies to identify and improve risk factors on their own, a Process approach must be established to improve execution by referring to legal standards together with field managers and supervisors.

Potential Work-related Exposure to SARS-CoV-2 by Standard Occupational Grouping Based on Pre-lockdown Working Conditions in France

  • Narges Ghoroubi;Emilie Counil;Myriam Khlat
    • Safety and Health at Work
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    • v.14 no.4
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    • pp.488-491
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    • 2023
  • This study aims to ascertain occupations potentially at greatest risk of exposure to SARS-CoV-2 based on pre-lockdown working conditions in France. We combined two French population-based surveys documenting workplace exposures to infectious agents, face-to-face contact with the public, and working with colleagues just before the pandemic. Then, for each 87-level standard French occupational grouping, we estimated the number and percentage of the French working population reporting these occupational exposure factors, by gender, using survey weights. As much as 40% (11 million) of all workers reported at least two exposure factors. Most of the workers concerned were in the healthcare sector. However, army/police officers, firefighters, hairdressers, teachers, cultural/sports professionals, and some manual workers were also exposed. Women were overrepresented in certain occupations with potentially higher risks of exposure such as home caregivers, childminders, and hairdressers. Our gender-stratified matrix can be used to assign prelockdown work-related exposures to cohorts implemented during the pandemic.

Distribution of Hypertension According to Working Conditions among Korean Worker (근로환경에 따른 우리나라 근로자의 고혈압 분포)

  • Kim, Young Sun;Rhee, Kyung Yong;Song, Se Wook
    • Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
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    • v.24 no.4
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    • pp.556-565
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    • 2014
  • Objectives: This study is aimed at inquiring into the grasp of real condition of working environment and improvements by calculating the hypertension distribution consequent on job stress risk and exposure level of alleviating factors. In addition, this study is intending to estimate the hypertension distribution through socio-demographic factors and level of stressors occurring at working environment, such as high workload, low control, low support, job insecurity, long working hours, low income. Methods: This study estimated the hypertension distribution using the tertiary Korean Working Conditions Survey data, and conducted comparative analysis according to the category of individual questionnaire items using odds ratio. Result: As a result of study, it was found that in the event that working environment satisfaction is low and business & an immediate superior's attitudes are negative, the hypertension distribution was high. Particularly, it was found that physical risk factor musculoskeletal risk factor, and mental risk factor in a workplace were all increasing the hypertension distribution. Conclusions: With the aged workers' labor market participation ratio increasing, hypertension could be a major issue in the field of Occupational Safety and Health. Thus, it's necessary that the relevant employer should lower the hypertension distribution through creation of pleasant working environment and inducement of workers to improve in the relations with their superiors. As for the uppermost limit of this study, there is a limit to clarifying the mechanism of hypertension through multivariate statistics analysis because it's difficult to establish causal relationship by individual questionnaire item as the working conditions survey is made by cross-sectional study. In the follow-up research, this study is going to do research on the mechanism of hypertension through questionnaire supplementation and in-depth analysis.

Study on the safety review and management system of Hazardous substances in nail products (네일 제품의 유해물질 안전성 검토 및 관리제도 개선 연구)

  • Yun, Cho-Hee;Lee, Seung-Hee
    • Journal of the Korea Convergence Society
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    • v.8 no.11
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    • pp.439-445
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    • 2017
  • This study compares the safety of nail products by reviewing domestic and foreign literature for preparing a safety management plan for reduction of human body exposure to hazardous substances that occur in nail products. We analyzed the cases of exceeding the limit value of hazardous substances. In domestic artificial nail adhesive and nail tip, toluene content was 40.3 times higher than the standard value, chloroform was 22.8 times, and antimony was 15.4 times. In developed countries, it is obligatory to provide material safety data and workplace ventilation equipment through various policy researches. However, there is no safety standard in Korea. Therefore, if the regulations for safety management should be established with each characteristic of nail product, work environment, workers, and consumers, and the awareness of hazardous substance cosmetics should be improved through development and dissemination of various educational programs, it can contribute to disease prevention and health promotion.

Case Study on Safety Situation and Awareness through Risk Assessment of Hospital Foodservice Kitchen Area (병원급식 조리구역별 위험도 평가를 통한 안전사고 실태 및 안전인식에 관한 사례연구)

  • Kim, Hye-Jin;Hong, Jeong-Im;Heo, Gyu-Jin;Park, Joo-Yeon
    • Journal of the Korean Dietetic Association
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    • v.22 no.1
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    • pp.13-25
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    • 2016
  • This study was carried out to provide a basis for the development of a safety manual for kitchen accident prevention by identifying the safety situation and awareness through risk assessment of kitchen areas. The study was conducted in two phases. First, kitchen accidents and area risk assessment were investigated from February 2014 to September 2014, after which safety awareness of hospital foodservice employees was assessed in a survey. The results of this study were as followes. All of the respondents were women. The evaluation point of kitchen area risk assessment was reduced by 14%. After improvement, an initial score of 108 points decreased to 93 points. The number of accidents was also reduced by 78%; 14 accidents were decreased to three. The most common area of accidents was the kitchen area (58.8%), and burns was the most common accident (35.3%). Most of the employees deemed "enough staff" as the most major factor for good foodservice. "High indoor temperature and poor ventilation in the kitchen area" was chosen as the most common problem in the foodservice workplace. Taken together, our study quantitatively evaluated safety issues in hospital foodservice kitchen areas and provides a basis for the development of a safety manual for kitchen accident prevention.

Reproductive Toxic Chemicals at Work and Efforts to Protect Workers' Health: A Literature Review

  • Rim, Kyung-Taek
    • Safety and Health at Work
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    • v.8 no.2
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    • pp.143-150
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    • 2017
  • A huge number of chemicals are produced and used in the world, and some of them can have negative effects on the reproductive health of workers. To date, most chemicals and work environments have not been studied for their potential to have damaging effects on the workers' reproductive system. Because of the lack of information, many workers may not be aware that such problems can be related to occupational exposures. Newly industrialized countries such as Republic of Korea have rapidly amassed chemicals and other toxicants that pose health hazards, especially to the reproductive systems of workers. This literature review provides an overview of peer-reviewed literature regarding the teratogenic impact and need for safe handling of chemicals. Literature searches were performed using PubMed, Google Scholar, and ScienceDirect. Search strategies were narrowed based on author expertise and 100 articles were chosen for detailed analysis. A total of 47 articles met prespecified inclusion criteria. The majority of papers contained studies that were descriptive in nature with respect to the Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) terms and keywords: "reproductive and heath or hazard and/or workplace or workers or occupations." In the absence of complete information about the safe occupational handling of chemicals in Republic of Korea (other than a material safety data sheet), this review serves as a valuable reference for identifying and remedying potential gaps in relevant regulations. The review also proposes other public health actions including hazard surveillance and primary prevention activities such as reduction, substitution, ventilation, as well as protective equipment.

Safety Knowledge and Changing Behavior in Agricultural Workers: an Assessment Model Applied in Central Italy

  • Cecchini, Massimo;Bedini, Roberto;Mosetti, Davide;Marino, Sonia;Stasi, Serenella
    • Safety and Health at Work
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    • v.9 no.2
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    • pp.164-171
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    • 2018
  • Background: In recent years, the interest in health and safety in the workplace has increased. Agriculture is one of the human work activities with the highest risk indexes. Studies on risk perception of agricultural workers are often referred to as specific risk factors (especially pesticides), but the risk perception plays an important role in preventing every kind of accident and occupational disease. Methods: The aim of this research is to test a new method for understanding the relation between risk perception among farmers and the main risk factors to which they are exposed. A secondary aim is to investigate the influence of training in risk perception in agriculture. The data collection was realized using a questionnaire designed to investigate the risk perception; the questionnaire was given to a sample of 119 agricultural workers in central Italy. Through the use of the "principal components analysis" it was possible to highlight and verify the latent dimensions underlying the collected data in comparison with scales of attitudes. Results: Results show that the highest percentage of strong negative attitude is among the people who have worked for more years, while farmers who have worked for fewer years have a marked positive attitude. Conclusion: The analysis of the questionnaires through the synthetic index method (Rizzi index) showed that agricultural workers involved, in particular the elderly workers, have a negative attitude towards safety; workers are hostile to safety measures if they have not attended special training courses.

A Study on the Management Model for Integrated System of Safety, Health and Environment (안전$\cdot$보건, 환경(SHE : Safety, Health & Environment)의 통합 관리모델 구축에 관한 연구)

  • Ko Jae Wook;Kim Sung Bin;Hong Jae Hun;Ryu Byung Tae;Seo Jae Min;Um Sung In
    • Journal of the Korean Institute of Gas
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    • v.6 no.1 s.17
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    • pp.24-31
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    • 2002
  • The enterprise are facing potential SHE(safety, health and environment) accident to cause casualties or a financial loss and increasing social responsibility. So, SHE management system has to be voluntarily accomplished rather than passively with regard to SHE regulation. In this study, KW_SHE(Kwangwoon Safety, Health and Environment) management model is developed which materialize self-regulation SHE management system of individual workplace by the research and analysis of many domestic enterprise. This KW-SHE management model is intend to assess work-product vs. management expenses investment and critically evaluated for studying its benefits and limitations

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Health and Safety at Work: Analysis from the Brazilian Documentary Film Flesh and Bone

  • Mendes, Luciano;dos Santos, Heliani Berlato;Ichikawa, Elisa Yoshie
    • Safety and Health at Work
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    • v.8 no.4
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    • pp.347-355
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    • 2017
  • Background: The objective of this article is to make some analysis on the process of work and accidents occurring in slaughterhouses, evidenced in the Brazilian documentary film called Flesh and Bone. As such, it was necessary to discuss an alternative theoretical concept in relation to theories about health and safety at work. This alternative discussion focuses on the concepts of biopower and biopolitics. Methods: The use of audiovisual elements in research is not new, and there is already a branch of studies with methodological and epistemological variations. The Brazilian documentary Flesh and Bone was the basis for the research. The analysis of this documentary will be carried out from two complementary perspectives: "textual analysis" and "discourse analysis." Results: Flesh and Bone presents problems related to health and safety at work in slaughterhouses because of the constant exposure of workers to knives, saws, and other sharp instruments in the workplace. The results show that in favor of higher production levels, increased overseas market sales, and stricter quality controls, some manufacturers resort to various practices that often result in serious injuries, disposal, and health damages to workers. Conclusion: Flesh and Bone, by itself, makes this explicit in the form of denunciation based on the situation of these workers. What it does not make clear is that, in the context of biopolitics, the actions aimed at solving these problems or even reducing the negative impacts for this group of workers, are not efficient enough to change such practices.

Case Study on Advanced Fire and Explosion Index (화재폭발지수 개선에 대한 사례 연구)

  • Na, Gun Moon;Seoe, Jae Min;Lee, Mi Jeong;Baek, Jong-Bae
    • Journal of the Korean Society of Safety
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    • v.35 no.6
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    • pp.78-84
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    • 2020
  • The F&EI technique is one of the risk assessments with many advantages. It can save time and effort compared to quantitative risk assessment (QRA). By using the evaluation result of this technique, it is possible to check the effectiveness of the investment cost. In addition, a relative risk ranking can be created and used to establish the facility management cycle and to prioritize investment. However, evaluating the target process can be evaluated more than the actual risk since the LCCF, a loss prevention measure, is too limited. In addition, calculating premiums via this method can result in excessive premiums, making it difficult to evaluate the risk precisely. Therefore, new safety guard was added to the LCCF of the F&EI risk assessment with reference to HAZOP and LOPA techniques. Newly added LCCFs are Deflagration arrester, Check valve, SIS, and Vacuum beaker, etc. As a case study, F&EI risk assessment was performed on Acetone storage tank of a API (Active pharmaceutical ingredient) plant to compare actual MPPD. The estimated loss amount was 592,558$ for the existing technique and 563,571$ for the improved technique, which was reduced by about 5% compared to the previous one.This proved that a more precise evaluation is possible and that the efforts for safety at the workplace are reflected in the evaluation results.