• Proceedings of the Safety Management and Science Conference
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• 2011.11a
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• pp.573-582
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• 2011

This study has three objectives; 1) Evaluate major jobs of hospital workers based on Criterion(Notification number 2003-24 from Ministry of Labor in Korea) for high-risk job for musculoskeletal disorders(MSDs), 2) Relate each jobs in criterion and the hospital jobs considered in this study, 3) Relate each jobs in criterion and MSDs symptoms of hospital workers. A total 141 hospital jobs was evaluated. Most hospital jobs belonged to the numbers 2(Job with repetitive motions by neck, shoulder, elbow, wrist or hand more than 2 hours a day) and 4(Job with unsupported and deviated postures by neck or back more than 2 hours a day) from criterion. Most hospital workers participated in this study thought that the numbers 1(Job with keyboard or mouse work more than 4 hours a day) and 2 from criterion were associated with their jobs. Further study for hospital jobs should be focused on breaking down quantification levels of each numbers in the criterion due to its atypical and non-repetitive job characteristics of hospital jobs.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.12 no.2
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• pp.225-229
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• 2021

Background: The socioeconomic burden of musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) is significant, and kitchen work is a high-risk occupation for MSDs due to the intensive manual workload and repetitive movements that are involved. However, there are very few studies on MSDs and rest breaks as a workplace intervention among kitchen workers. This study examined the relationship between insufficient rest breaks and increased MSD risk among Korean kitchen workers. Methods: Sociodemographic and occupational factors of 1,909 kitchen workers were collected from the 3rd-4th Korean Working Conditions Survey data. Five items on rest breaks at work were categorized into two groups, "sufficient" and "insufficient." The number of MSDs and work-related MSDs (WMSDs), an outcome variable, was obtained from the sum of MSDs/WMSDs in three anatomical sites (back, neck, and upper limb, lower limb). The association between rest breaks and MSDs was estimated using zeroinflated negative binomial analyses, with adjustments for age, education level, and weekly working hours, and the analyses were stratified by sex. Results: After adjustment, significant associations were found between insufficient rest breaks and an increased risk of MSDs (odds ratio [OR] 1.68 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.11-2.54) and WMSDs (OR 1.40 95% CI 1.01-1.96) among female kitchen workers. Insufficient rest breaks were significantly associated with MSDs in female kitchen workers in all three anatomical sites. Conclusion: This study emphasizes the need for rest breaks as a workplace intervention for preventing MSDs in kitchen workers. Further studies to reveal the causality of this relationship are required.

• Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
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• v.19 no.3
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• pp.171-181
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• 2009

This study was carried out to evaluate a musculoskeletal symptom and the work posture of the nurses in an operating room who have worked in the present department for more than one year. The job analysis of operating room nurses for ergonomic work posture analysis is divided into 14 tasks. On the basis of that, a survey research and ergonomic work posture analysis are also carried out. Among 41 operating room nurses of a cancer center in Kyonggi province who responded to the self-administered questionnaire, 20 nurses were observed and videorecorded to apply Rapid Entire Body Assessment(REBA) to ergonomic work posture analysis from April 16, 2007 to May 18, 2007. The results of analysis are as follows. The prevalence rate of musculoskeletal symptoms was 75.6% and its prevalence rates by part of the body are these followings; lower back and leg/foot 43.9%, shoulder 36.6%, neck 34.1%, hand/wrist/ finger 22.0%, arm/elbow 14.6%. In accordance with the results of ergonomic work posture analysis, 4 tasks that have a REBA score of 8 have high-risk levels and require an immediate management. It shows there is a significant correlation with overall musculoskeletal symptoms and objective workloads that are estimated by REBA. In conclusion, the work conditions of operating room nurses should be improved. It is also necessary that inappropriate work postures and ergonomic work conditions are improved to prevent musculoskeletal disorders of operating room nurses.

• Journal of the Ergonomics Society of Korea
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.17-24
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• 2005

The objective of this study is to examine the prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders(MSDs) among nursing personnels. A self-reporting survey adapted from Nordic questionnaires was used as diagnostic tool, and conducted for 162 nurses working for a general hospital. The survey was performed five times every three months during a year. The MSDs were defined by using three criteria, depending upon the frequency, duration and pain intensity of the symptoms. The results showed that the 12-month prevalences of MSDs at any body site by criterion 1, 2, 3 were 56.8%, 53.7%, 45.7%, respectively, and that the shoulder was the most susceptible to MSDs, followed by knee/lower leg, lower back, hand/wrist, neck, ankle/feet, finger, etc. Only one statistically significant risk factor of departments or units was identified through the Chi-square test. The prevalence of MSDs was the highest in intensive care unit, second in surgical ward, while the prevalence was the lowest in emergency room. The MSDs prevalence of Korea at any body part or by body part was much lower than that of foreign countries such as Japan, USA, Sweden, etc. This implies that when considering poor working conditions and load in Korea, the incidence rate of MSDs may rapidly increase in Korea in the future.

• Journal of Korean Society of Forest Science
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• v.110 no.2
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• pp.210-216
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• 2021

Musculoskeletal disorders affect workers' safety in most industries, and forest operations are classified as a musculoskeletal burden according to the Occupational Safety and Health Act in South Korea. In particular, felling and delimbing operations are mainly conducted by manpower, and then, it is necessary to evaluate ergonomic risk assessment for safety of felling and delimbing workers. Three ergonomic risk assessment methods, such as Ovako Working posture Analysis System (OWAS), Rapid Upper Limb Assessment (RULA), and Rapid Entire Body Assessment (REBA), are available for assessing exposure to risk factors associated with timber harvesting operations. Here, three ergonomic risk assessment methods were applied to examine ergonomic risk assessments in chainsaw felling and delimbing operations. Additionally, exposure to risk factors in each method was analyzed to propose an optimal working posture in felling and delimbing operations. The risk levels of these operations were evaluated to be highest in the RULA method, followed by the OWAS and REBA methods, and most of the exposed working postures were examined with a low-risk level of two and three without requiring any immediate working posture changes. However, two significant working postures, including the bending posture of the waist and leg in felling operation and standing posture on the fallen trees in delimbing operation, were assessed as the high-risk level and needed immediate working posture changes. Low-risk work levels were examined in the squatting posture for felling operation and the straightened posture of the waist and leg for delimbing operation. Moreover, the slope in felling operation and the tree height in delimbing operation significantly affected risk level assessment of working posture. Therefore, our study supports that felling and delimbing workers must operate with low-risk working postures for safety.

• Journal of Agricultural Extension & Community Development
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• v.18 no.4
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• pp.861-877
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• 2011

The purpose of this study is to survey job stress and Musculoskeletal Disorder(MSDs) of workers in small plants with agricultural products. The subjects were comprised of 69 workers participated in "Helping the rural women to get the small businesses" project. The questionnaire surveys were Korean Occupational Stress Scale(KOSS), and Legal Risk Assessment of Musculoskeletal Disorders(KOSHA CODE H-30-2003). As a result of the survey, scores of KOSS 8 sub-items except for job demand were similar to that of Korea workers. Prevalence of MSDs symptoms of small plants workers was high percent (44.9%). And the rate according to kinds of product was significant difference at neck (p<0.01), lumbar (p<0.01), and leg (p<0.01). There was no significant difference between view person sign of MSDs and non MSDs according to sex, year, the number of workers, working years, working time per one day, rest time per one day, and subjective working intensity, but there were significant difference between high stress group and low stress group about MSDs at interpersonal conflict(p<0.05). Job stress and MSDs were important factor to workers of small plants producted agricultural products. Therefore, starting a business with small plats, workers consider interpersonal conflict and body part showing MSDs.

• Journal of the Korea Safety Management & Science
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• v.11 no.4
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• pp.57-67
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• 2009

The psychosocial stress and musculoskeletal disorders(MSDs) have been one of major health problems for hospital workers. This study tried to understand the relationship between symptoms associated with MSDs and risk factors such as working posture, job stress, psychosocial stress and fatigue. A total number of 655 hospital workers participated in this study. Specifically, REBA was applied for evaluating working posture and a checklist prepared by KOSHA(Korean Occupational Safety and Health Agency) was used for symptom survey. A questionnaire from KOSHA was also used for collecting data associated with job stress, psychosocial stress and fatigue. All these data were formulated and modeled by path analysis which was one of major statistical tools in this study. Specifically, path analysis for the data we collected came up with several major findings. As a result, as for body part(neck), (waist) and (arms) the degree of risk of work posture measured with the use of job stress(KOSS), psycho-social stress(PWI-SF) and REBA is significantly more affected by fatigue than muscular skeletal disease related consciousness symptom. However, regarding bod(wrist), the degree of risk of work posture measured with the use of job stress(KOSS) and REBA is directly affected by muscular skeletal disease related consciousness symptom. This study is meaningful in that the study clarified the causal relations of the degree of risk of work posture, degree of fatigue, and muscular skeletal disease related consciousness symptoms by each body part measured with the use of work stress(KOSS), psycho-social stress(PWI-SF) and REBA.

• Journal of the Korea Safety Management & Science
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• v.22 no.2
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• pp.31-38
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• 2020

The study evaluated the accuracy and intra-rater reliability for OWAS (Ovako Working posture Analysing System), RULA (Rapid Upper Limb Assessment), REBA (Rapid Entire Body Assessment) to improve their evaluation accuracy and reliability. Participants (n = 163) with undergraduate degree were recruited in this study and trained for 6 hours about the ergonomic assessment methods. Ergonomic assessments were conducted using OWAS, RULA, and REBA for a representative work with dynamic posture found in manufacturing industries. The study compared action categories (overall level) and detailed evaluation scores for individual body part. Action categories of the participants significantly differed from the golden reference defined by ergonomic experts. The participants underrated or omitted scores for truck (37.4% of the participants) and legs (52.8%) in OWAS. Similarly, the participants underrated or omitted additional scores for all body parts except the hand and wrist in RULA (53.5%) and REBA (54.8%). On the other hand, the participants overrated scores for the hand and wrist in RULA (55.2%) and REBA (39.9%). The results found in this study can help of selecting focus points and parts during assessment and education to improve accuracy and reliability of the ergonomic assessment methods.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Safety
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• v.26 no.5
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• pp.81-88
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• 2011

The goal of this study was to determine whether food industry workers are exposed to musculoskeletal loads due to the work time, frequency, awkward postures and inappropriate workspace design. Three catering workers were evaluated based on job analysis and posture analysis. The results showed that the four most time-consuming tasks were arranging(17%), cooking(16%), handling before cooking(15%) and cutting(15%), and the four most frequent tasks were arranging(21%), cooking(18%), handling after cooking(16%) and handling before cooking(13%). The most common posture was a standing posture(73%) with neutral back(73%), and bent head(50%), left lower arm(71%), right lower arm(78%) and right hand(60%). The comparative analysis of subtasks for the risk levels of musculoskeletal disorders was conducted using the work time, frequency and cumulative time of the postures. The 'displaying' and 'handling after cooking' showed higher risk levels than other subtasks. In addition, the height and length of the tables were evaluated to be inadequate for the workers. It can be concluded that the working environments for catering workers of restaurants should be improved due to the high cumulative time of awkward postures of upper extremities.

• 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.