• Korean Journal of Occupational Health Nursing
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• v.8 no.2
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• pp.193-211
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• 1999

This study was carried out to investigate the management and support system affecting to the occupational health nursing services(OHNS) provided in group occupational health agencies(GOHA). Questionnaire was developed and distributed to 82 nurses who were working in GOHA and who agreed to participate in the survey. The results were as follow: 1. OH nurses responded were mostly in the age of twenty to thirties(89%), married(73.7%), technical college graduates(88.9%), worked in hospital(85.4%) and participated more than 1 year in group occupational health services (96.3%). 2. Fifty eight point four percent of the OH nurses worked in number of workplace more than 30 to less than 60 in the OHNS form. The figure of workplaces undertaken by nurses was ranged greatly from 9 to more than 100. Number of employees who cared by nurses were mostly under 5,000 peoples in 93.3%. The types of industry was mostly manufacturing and located in the order of factory complex area, suburban, urban and others. 3. Most OH nurses(87.8%) were fully involved in the OHNS for the SSE. Their working days to visit SSE was 5 days per week(77.8%) and one day in the GOHA at 41.3%. 4. The OH documents using by nurses were found in more than 23 different types. However, they were largely summarized in the types of 'Workplace Health Management Card', 'Personal Health Counselling Card', 'Daily Health Management Report', 'Visiting List of Workplace' and 'Sick Employee List'. 5. The items of laboratory test provided by GOHA were mostly achieved in the purpose of basic health examination. They were used to be the blood pressure check(98.8%), blood sugar test (98.8%), urine sugar and protein(91.4%), SGOT and SGPT(85.3% each), cholesterol (82.9%), hepa vaccine immunization(82.9%), r-GPT(81.7%), hemoglobin(79.3%) and triglyceride(75.5%). 6. The OH nurses(92.7%) followed the work pattern to visit the GOHA before and after small-scale enterprises(SSE) visit by car driven by nurses in 74.3%. They were payed by GOHA for transportation fees in certain amounts. However, nurse is the main person(75.0%) who covers up in case of traffic accident. If the GOHA has no transportation regulation for the formal workplace visit, data showed that nurses had been responsible to take charge(31.7%). 7. The personnel manager who takes in charge for nursing services was 'nurse' in 61.7% and 41.2% worked as the final decision maker related to nursing work. The OH nurses' opinions about factors affecting to the management were classified in the four areas such as 'Nature(Quality) of health professional'. 'Content of OHNS', 'Delivery system of the GOHS', and 'Others'. The factors were indicated highly in 'Authority as health professional', 'Level of perception of director on the OH' and 'Physical work condition for OHNS'. The things that this study suggests in the recommendation would be summarized in such as the management and supporting system working for SSE in the OHNS is necessary to reform thoroughly. The reconsidered aspects might be in the matters of number of workplaces undertaken by nurses, development of effectively practical health documents, preparation for guideline of the laboratory test in the workpleces, establishment of convenient and encouraging support system and cooperation between other health professionals with respect and skill.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Safety
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• v.27 no.5
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• pp.22-29
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• 2012

Robot related injuries in industrial accidents statistics during 2008~2010 have accounted for a total of 109 cases equivalent to 30~40 cases for each of those years. The number of injured compared to the dissemination of industrial robots(51,302 units/2004) can be regarded as quite low. However, the fatal injuries sustained by 7 (6.4%) out of 109 cases paints the stark reality of robot-related accident fatalities. It is a sad probability that as the automation process expands its use of industrial robots which have increased significantly in demand, the incidence of workplace accidents will also increase. Therefore, the incidence of accidents throughout the period of 2008~2010 has been analysed to prevent the injuries due to the increased use of industrial robots. In the analysis, the injuries occurred during the industrial robot operation accounted for 45.9% of the entire accidents. Thus, we examined the present status of the industrial robot operation to analyze the root cause of accidents occurred in our studied time period. We looked at a total of 469 workplaces. 456 workplaces responded in the year 2009 and survey studies were implemented at 13 of the 29 workplaces where work injuries were sustained in the year 2010. Even where protective measures and interlock devices were in place, our studies indicated that workers could access the robot area to perform the tasks in 188 sites(40.1%). Also, the 143 sites(30.5%) had control measures and equipment located in the safety fence. In addition, the robots found at 164 sites(35.0%) could be restarted without additional restarting operation. These three causes accounted for most of the workplace injuries during the industrial robot operations. Futhermore, we confirmed the fact that the protective measures of the current safety regulations were not strictly enforced. Based upon our studies and the investigation of the present status of the industrial robot operation, higher standards in training and supervision of workers in the robot operation must quickly be met in order to prevent these industrial injuries.

• Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.134-145
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• 2015

Objectives: An objective of this study was to perform a risk assessment and social cost-benefit analysis for revising permissible exposure limits for seven substances: Nickel(Insoluble inorganic compounds), benzene, carbon disulfide, formaldehyde, cadmium(as compounds), trichloroethylene, touluene-2,4-diisocyanate. Materials and Methods: The research methods were divided into risk and hazard assessment and cost-benefit analysis. The risk and hazard assessment for the seven substances consists of four steps: An overview of GHS MSDS(1st), review of document of ACGIH's TLVs (2nd), comparison between international occupational exposure limits and domestic permissible exposure limits(3rd), and analysis of excess workplace and excess rate for occupational exposure limits based on previous work environment measurement data(4th). Total cost was estimated using cost of local exhaust ventilation, number of excess workplace and penalties for exceeding a permissible exposure limit. On the other hand, total benefit was calculated using the reduction rate of occupational disease, number of workplaces treating each substance and industrial accident compensation. Finally, the net benefit was calculated by subtracting total cost from total benefit. Results: All the substances investigated in this study were classified by CMR(Carcinogens, Mutagens or Reproductive toxicants) and their international occupational exposure limits were stricter than the domestic permissible exposure limits. As a result of excess rate analysis, trichloroethylene was the highest at 11%, whereas nickel was the lowest at 0.5%. The excess rates of all substances except for trichloroethylene were observed at less than 10%. Among the seven substances, the total cost was highest for trichloroethylene and lowest for carbon disulfide. The benefits for the seven substances were higher than costs estimated based on strengthening current permissible exposure limits. Thus, revising the permissible exposure limits of the seven substances was determined to be acceptable from a social perspective. Conclusions: The final revised permissible exposure limits suggested for the seven substances are as follows: $0.2mg/m^3$ for nickel, 0.5 ppm(TWA) and 2.5 ppm(STEL) for benzene, 1 ppm(TWA) for carbon disulfide, $0.01mg/m^3$(TWA) for cadmium, 10 ppm(TWA) and 25 ppm(STEL) for trichloroethylene, 0.3 ppm(TWA) for formaldehyde, and 0.005 ppm(TWA) and 0.02 ppm(STEL) for toluene diisocynate(isomers).

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.18 no.4
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• pp.599-607
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• 2017

Since 2015, small and medium domestic enterprises that treat more than a certain quantity of chemical substances in accordance with the Chemical Substance Control Act are obliged to submit an off-site impact assessment and risk management plan. In order to reduce the administrative and economic burden of the risk assessment, its impact was determined. Toxic leaks of nitric acid, methanol, and acetic acid were estimated and the correlations (between them?) were calculated. In addition, the correlations of this study were used to compare the KORA results according to the accident scenarios of the actual workplace and the extent of the damage as a function of distance in the case of toxic leaks. In this study, the correlation formula of the materials can be used to quickly determine the damage distance in the event of the accidental leakage of materials in the road or workplace, and to prepare emergency plans and respond to emergencies more quickly.

• Journal of Digital Convergence
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• v.20 no.2
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• pp.463-477
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• 2022

The current study examined the mediating effect of self-efficacy (SE) in the relationship between work ability (WA) and work satisfaction (WS) perceived by reemployed workers who have experienced industrial accidents based on social cognitive career theory (SCCT), and investigated the effect of Industrial accident sequelae and workplace relationships (WR) on these variables. The data of 976 newly employed workers were selected from the data of the Panel Study of Worker's Compensation Insurance collected in 2018. The data were analyzed by Structural Equation Modeling through SPSS and AMOS programs. It was found that WA had a positive effect on WS through SE. In addition, it was found that the level of pain, the severity of the disability, and the activities of daily living had a negative effect on WS through WA and SE sequentially. Meanwhile, it was found that the WR was affected by the activities of daily living, and had a positive effect on WS through WE. These results emphasize that it is important to provide support to manage sequelae and increase SE in order to help victims of industrial accidents return to the job market and live satisfactorily. It also suggests that SCCT is useful in explaining WS of industrially injured workers.

• Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
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• v.32 no.1
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• pp.78-88
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• 2022

Objectives: To develop the smart sensor to protect worker's health from chemical exposure by adopting ICT (Information and Communications Technology) technologies. Methods: To develope real-time chemical exposure monitoring system, IoT (Internet of Things) sensor technology and regulations were reviewed. We developed and produced smart sensor. A smart sensor is a system consisting of a sensor unit, a communication unit, and a platform. To verify the performance of smart sensors, each sensor has been certified by the Korea Laboratory Accreditation Scheme (KOLAS). Results: Chemicals (TVOC; Total Volatile Organic Compounds, Cl₂: Chlorine, HF: Hydrogen fluoride and HCN: Hydrogen cyanide) were selected according to a priority logic (KOSHA Alert, acute poisoning statistics, literature review). Notifications were set according to OEL (occupational exposure limit). Sensors were selected based on OEL and the capabilities of the sensors. Communication is designed to use LTE (Long Term Evolution) and Wi-Fi at the same time for convenience. Electronic platform were applied to build this monitoring system. Conclusions: Real-time monitoring system for OEL of hazardous chemicals in workplace was developed. Smart sensor can detect chemicals to complement monitoring of traditional workplace environmental monitoring such as short term and peak exposure. Further research is needed to expand the scope of application, improve reliability, and systematically application.

• Journal of the Society of Disaster Information
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• v.15 no.3
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• pp.409-417
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• 2019

Purpose: Since the implementation of the Chemical Substance Management Act, data on the number of occurrences by annual chemical accident in Korea and the contractor's contract data received from the competent authority were used. After the implementation of the contract reporting system, the contribution to the reduction of chemical accidents is summarized by statistical data. The characteristics of each region, month, type and those of similar industries and human life were compared and analyzed. Method: 4 years of chemical accident statistics from 2015 to 2018 and since 2003, we have used data from the Chemical Safety Clearing-House (CSC), which provides safety information on cases of chemical accidents. Results and Conclusion: The risk of accidents increases as a number of unskilled workers are put into the workplace during the period when the hazardous chemical handling process is temporarily suspended. Through the reporting for awarding a contract, the operators are strengthening the safety management of chemical accidents by educating unskilled workers and wearing personal protective equipment.

• Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
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• v.31 no.1
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• pp.83-93
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• 2021

Objectives: 'Confined space' was only defined in the Safety and Health Regulations as a place where oxygen deficiency and hydrogen sulfide must be dealt with at the time of the initial enactment (1982). The danger of fire and explosion were added in 2003. We will compare and review the regulations related to confined space work under the current safety and health rules alongside regulations in other countries and prepare a plan to improve the system through enhanced clarity and execution. Methods: In a comparison of systems for the prevention of suffocation in confined spaces in major countries (Germany, United States, Japan) different concepts of the definition of confined spaces in different countries apparently due to differences in each country's legal implementation system, accident analysis methods, the status of safety and health implementation in workplaces, the precautions against actual confined space work, and the definition of confined spaces were found to be not much different between Korea and the other foreign countries. Results: In the case of Germany and the United States, a confined space is defined as a contextual concept rather than a place, so more careful attention is needed from operators or enclosed space managers as it is often necessary to judge the actual workplace. In the case of Korea and Japan, the interior of the place is mainly defined as a place, especially in the case of Japan, which concentrates on oxygen deficiency and hydrogen sulfide poisoning. Conclusions: For measures to improve regulations on the prevention of suffocation accidents in Korea, I would like to propose three major measures to improve the system in the rules on domestic industrial safety and health standards. It is necessary to prepare and provide a guide to ensure that the 18 types of confined spaces currently defined as confined spaces are clearly understood by field management supervisors or workers.

• Journal of the Society of Disaster Information
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• v.19 no.3
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• pp.597-607
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• 2023

Purpose: The Ministry of Employment and Labor has been working hard to ensure the safety of workers due to heavy rain during natural disasters as the responsible ministry in charge of preventing industrial accidents and health problems for workers. Accordingly, the Ministry of Employment and Labor intends to analyze actual cases of responding to heavy rain disasters and suggest ways to improve the response system. Method: An emergency response system implemented to respond to heavy rain disasters with an internal expert group composed of those in charge of disaster work at headquarters, local government offices, and Korea Occupational Safety and Health Agency, and an external expert group composed of professors, consulting representatives, and disaster managers from other ministries. Contents on self-inspection by industry, workplace inspection, use of serious siren, safety management and restoration work guidance were reviewed. Result: First of all, it is necessary to check the regular contact system from time to time, and it is also necessary to prepare and distribute detailed self-checklists for each industry. In addition, it is necessary to check the implementation of self-inspection when inspecting workplaces, and it seems necessary to have measures to increase the readability of information notified through serious disaster sirens. In addition, since safety work is done in the form of a contract, it seems necessary to prepare specific safety guidelines. Conclusion: In order to protect the lives of workers due to seasonal harm and risk factors, unlike the passive coping methods of the past, abnormal weather should not be regarded as an unexpected situation, and it should be actively and preemptively responding beyond the conventional framework.

• Journal of the Society of Disaster Information
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• v.20 no.1
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• pp.106-116
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• 2024

Purpose: This paper conducts IoT and CCTV-based safety monitoring to analyze accidents and potential risks occurring at construction sites, and detect and analyze risks such as falls and collisions or abnormalities and to establish a system for early warning using devices like a walkie-talkie and chatbot service. Method: A safety management service model is presented through smart construction technology case studies at the construction site and review a relevant literature analysis. Result: According to 'Construction Accident Statistics,' in 2021, there were 26,888 casualties in the construction industry, accounting for 26.3% of all reported accidents. Fatalities in construction-related accidents amounted to 417 individuals, representing 50.5% of all industrial accident-related deaths. This study suggests implementing AI chatbot services for construction site safety management utilizing IoT-based health monitoring technologies in smart construction practices. Construction sites where stakeholders such as workers participate were demonstrated by implementing an artificial intelligence chatbot system by selecting major risk areas within the workplace, such as scaffolding processes, openings, and access to hazardous machinery. Conclusion: The possibility of commercialization was confirmed by receiving more than 90 points in the satisfaction survey of participating workers regarding the empirical results of the artificial intelligence chatbot service at construction sites.