• 대한인간공학회지
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• 제35권5호
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• pp.307-317
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• 2016

Objective: This study looks into biomechanical variables occurring when one moves in a sitting posture, and presents objective references to make improvements in work environments of farm workers. Background: The farmers have more common musculoskeletal disorders compared to other professions, because they are much more exposed to biomechanical risk factors. The sitting posture that is the representative form of the squatted, can cause typical knee joint diseases, such as osteoarthritis or patellofemoral pain syndrome of the knee joint. Therefore, a quantitative study of knee load upon the movement in a squatting posture is required. Method: In order to proceed with its investigation, the study examined movements in a sitting posture with and without a lower body supporter through a threedimensional image analysis and by using Surface EMG. The study compared and analyzed the average muscle activity and the maximum muscle activity as well. Results: Every movement in a sitting posture is related to loads onto the knee joints and, when the farm workers move to sides, the study observed a high level of bowlegged moment. The study also noticed differences in muscle activity of medial gastrocnemius with and without the lower body supporter. Conclusion and Application: The study argues that what has been discussed so far is evidence to prove how the farm working environments should be improved in consideration of these movements observed when the farm workers move in a sitting posture.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• 제32권1호
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• pp.48-59
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• 1999

본 연구는 Rapid Upper Limb Assessment(RULA)를 이용하여 자동차 조립작 업에 대한 인간공학적 작업평가를 하고, 이 결과와 작업관련 상지 근골격계 질환의 자각증상율 및 작업특성 변수들의 연관성을 분석함으로써, RULA결과가 관련 신체부위의 통증이나 불편함으로 보고되는 근골격계 부하의 좋은 지표가 될 수 있는지, RULA평가체계를 이용하여 작업 위험도가 적합한지 여부를 평가할 수 있는가를 보고자 하였다. 자동차 제조업 작업자 314명을 대상으로 근골격계질환 자각증상설문과 RULA를 이용한 작업평가를 하였으며, 다음과 같은 결과를 얻었다. 1. NIOSH의 작업관련 근골격계 질환의 감시기준(surveillence criteria)에 따라 자각증상을 조사한 결과, 연구대상자 중 목 32.8%, 어깨 26.4%, 팔 10.5%, 손 29.3%, 허리 41.4%였으며, 한가지 이상 의 증상을 보이는 경우는 62.4%의 분포를 보였다. 2. 품질관리부에 비해 조립부서 작업자 틀이 전체 증상과 어깨, 허리, 팔 및 손부 위 증상에서 더 높은 유증상률을 보였다(p<0.05). 3. 부서별 RULA를 이용한 작업평가 결과, 서브/조립반과 의장반의 공정이 높은 위험점수를 보였다. 전체 조립부서에 대한 평가결과 적합한 작업은 3.02%였고, 62.8%가 부적합한 작업으로 작업전환이나 중재조치가 필요한 경우였다. 자각증상과 RULA를 이용한 작업평가 결과를 비교한 결과 RULA점수가 클수록 자각증상율이 높음을 보였다.(p<0.05) 4. RULA평가지표와 자각증상사이의 관련성을 보기 위하여, RULA지표와 기타 작업관련요인들을 독립변수로, 자각증상유무를 종속변수로 하여 다중 로지스틱 회귀분석을 실시하였다. 최종적으로 증상유무를 가장 잘 설명하는 회귀모형에 대한 분석결과는 다음과 같다. 모든 증상군에 대해서는 반복작업(OR 2.183), 진동공구 사용(OR 2.775)과 총 위험도 점수(OR 2.250); 목 부위 증상군에서는 상완의 자세점수(OR 1.786), 상완 및 손부 위의 총점수(OR 1.634) ; 어깨 증상군은 상지의 근사용(OR 3.076), 상완 및 손부 위의 총점수(OR 1.798); 어깨와 목 부위를 합한 증상군은 상완 및 손부위의 총점 수(OR 1.715)와 상지의 근사용 점수(OR 2.057); 팔 증상군에서는 상지의 근사용 점수(OR 10.662) ; 손 부위 증상군에 대해서는 손목의 자세/손목 비틀림 지표 (OR 2.068)와 상지의 근사용 점수(OR 2.215); 허리부위 증상군에서는 하지의 근사용 점수(OR 2.601)가 통계적으로 유의한 지표였다.(p<0.05) 이상의 결과에서 작업관련 상지근골격계 자각증상과 RULA 점수사이에는 연관성이 있음이 관찰되었다. 이는 RULA가 직업성 질환을 유발할 수 있는 근골격계 부하에 폭로된 작업자들을 평가하는, 일차적인 작업 위험도 평가도구(Screening tool)로서 쓰일 수 있음을 말해준다. 다만 향후 RULA 사용에 있어서 상지(upper limb)와 허리부위(back)의 평가를 구분하고, 기타 다른 작업관련 요인들에 대한 평가체계를 보완하는 것이 필요하다.

• 한국산업융합학회 논문집
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• 제13권4호
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• pp.219-225
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• 2010

A structure of line for producing products is variously changing to be automatic and one-person Cell-Line considering the physical burden for workers in manufacturing industry of electronic goods. However, workers tend to still accuse Work-related Musculoskeletal Disorders (including shoulder, waist, hand, wrist, leg etc.) as a simply repeated work by accelerating of the production speed for productivity improvement in the assembly line. Thus manufacturing engineers in charge of changing and set up newly for an assembly line are necessary to the construct of the guideline on human engineering. Especially. There is no standardized engineering-guide and it is difficult to create the exact work environment because the risk factor analysis and the improvement for assembly line are executed once a year on the current situation. I'd like to reduce the physical burden on workers through the effective improvement of processing by the guideline on working environment fit for a characteristic on manufacturing process when the process is changed or newly installed.

• 한국산업보건학회지
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• 제15권3호
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• pp.153-159
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• 2005

The purpose of this study was to assess the ergonomic risks of lifting tasks in a marine diesel engine manufacturing industry using the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health(NIOSH) Revised Lifting Equation(NLE). Average Lifting Index(LI=Weight of Load/Recommended Weight Limit) of a total number of 45 lifting tasks was $1.6{\pm}0.7$. The LIs were above 1 at 34 tasks(75.6%), and above 2 at 11 tasks(24.4%). Parts management showed the highest average LI value (LI=2.3) in all departments, which resulted from high frequency and heave load of lifting. The common and significant ergonomic risk factors in the processes were the heavy weight of diesel engine parts and the long horizontal distance. In addition, some lifting tasks had such potential risk factors as the long vertical distance, the high frequency of lifts or the long work duration.

• 한국산업보건학회지
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• 제19권2호
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• pp.88-95
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• 2009

There are many assessment techniques used for occupational risk factors of MSDs in the workplaces. However, because all ergonomic assesment techniques or tools are based on theoretical background derived from workphysiology, biomechanics, psychophysics, industrial hygiene, work system, and etc, it is impossible to compare the assessment techniques. This study was conducted to compare the excess rates of risk factors among ergonomic assessment techniques and to make alternative methods. Site-visits to 6 automobile products and parts company provided data for process repeated work where the produced data was examined for evaluating the relationship between workplace lay-out and work posture by using ergonomic assessment techniques. We evaluated 157 jobs for simple repeated work and 37 jobs for manual materials handling (MMH). In simple repeated work, the exceeded rates of AC were 36.3% in OWAS method and 93.0% in RULA method. The exceeded rate for RULA method was significantly higher than those for OWAS method (p<0.05). In MMH, the exceeded rates of AC were 80.0% in NLE method and 76.5% in WAC method. Statistically significant differences were not identified in the exceeded rates for NLE and MAC methods (p<0.05). The analyzed results among ergonomic assessment techniques (OWAS, RULA, NLE/WAC) were applied to the same work places performing simple repeated work and manual materials handling simultaneously. The applied results showed statistically significant differences (p<0.05) among ergonomic assessment techniques (OWAS, RULA, NLE/WAC). Exceeded rates of four ergonomic assessment techniques in decreasing order was "RULA>NLE>WAC>OWAS". The RULA method was the strongest assessment technique for automobile products and parts company. We discovered that the results could easily be overestimated or underestimated when the ergonomic assessment techniques were not applied correctly during the evaluation process. Therefore, we recommend using at least 2 methods when evaluating and analysing the results.

• 대한물리치료과학회지
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• 제17권3_4호
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• pp.23-28
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• 2010

Purpose: Hyperglycemia is associated with an risk of cardiovascular disease, mortality, diabetes mellitus and musculoskeletal disorders. The purpose of this study was to analyse the effect of two different treadmill exercise on blood levels of glucose in SD rats. Methods: The experimental groups were divided into 2 groups. The exercise was performed in the treadmill for 20minutes with 15m/min(group I, n=20) and 25m/min(group II, n=20) Blood samples were collected before exercise, 6day and 12days after treadmill exercise. Results: A significant difference was only at 12days on independent samples t-test for both groups. There were statistically significant difference between pre and 6days, 6days and 12days, pre and 12days on tests of pairwise comparisons for each groups. Both group were showed linear effects following treadmill exercise in 12days. Conclusion: These results suggest that a trend toward decrease in the levels of glucose, following treadmill exercise, were revealed in both group. Aerobic exercise related to a positive effect in control of glucose level.

• 대한산업공학회지
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• 제27권4호
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• pp.413-423
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• 2001

Low back disorders (LBDs) are one of the most common and costly work-related musculoskeletal disorders. One of the major possible risk factors of LBDs is to work with static and awkward trunk postures, especially in a complex trunk posture involving flexion, twisting and lateral bending simultaneously. This study is to examine the effect of complex trunk postures on the postural stresses using a psychophysical method. Twelve healthy male students participated in an experiment, in which 29 different trunk postures were evaluated using the magnitude estimation method. The results showed that subjective discomfort significantly increased as the levels of trunk flexion, lateral bending and rotation increased. Significant interaction effects were found between rotation and lateral bending or flexion when the severe lateral bending or rotation were assumed, indicating that simultaneous occurrence of trunk flexion, lateral bending and rotation increases discomfort ratings synergistically. A postural workload evaluation scheme of trunk postures was proposed based on the angular deviation levels from the neutral position. Each trunk posture was assigned numerical stress index depending upon its discomfort rating, which was defined as the ratio of discomfort of a posture to that of its neutral posture. Four qualitative action categories for the stress index were also provided in order to enable practitioners to apply corrective actions appropriately. The proposed scheme is expected to be applied to several field areas for evaluating trunk postural stresses.

• 한국안전학회지
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• 제20권4호
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• pp.148-153
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• 2005

Computer dominated jobs and industrial automation have rapidly created work-related musculoskeletal disorders(WMSDs) and WMSDS are expanding to employee of other general industry. Specific risk factors associated with WMSDs include repetitive motion, heavy lifting, forceful exertion, contact stress, vibration awkward posture and rapid hand and wrist movement. The purpose of this paper is to analyze the effects of the neck muscle workload according to posture(joint angle) and load weight. Seven male students participated in this study. To analyze neck muscle workload was studied on electromyographic(EMG) activity for sternocleidomastoid and trapezius, was subjectively rated using a Borg's CR-10 scale. ANOVA showed that the CR-10 ratings and most EMG root-mean-square (RMS) value were statistically significant improvement according to posture(joint angle) and load weight. The results of this study indicate the joint angle and weight of neck muscle workload to provide safe working conditions. To reduce the large number and severity of WMSDs employees have been experiencing, we need to redesign the job in workplace to identify and control hazards that are reasonably likely to be causing or contributing to the WMSDs.

• 대한물리의학회지
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• 제8권3호
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• pp.289-294
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• 2013

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to examine differences in erect spinae activities at different height of table during ultrasound therapy in order to propose a optimum work environment. METHODS: Twenty five healthy adult males and females volunteered to participate in this study. EMG signals of both erector spinae(T10, T12, L2, L4) were recorded throught the surface electromyography system at different height of table(45cm, 56.2cm, 67.5cm) during ultrasound therapy work. RESULTS: The higher table heights was, the lower %RVC of the T10, T12, L2, L4 erect spinae at both sides. The left and right T10, T12 and the left L4 showed significant differences. The lower the spinal level was, the higher %RVC of both erect spinae at 45cm, 56.2cm, 67.5cm. The left erect spinae at 56.2cm, right erect spinae at 45cm, 67.5cm showed significant differences. CONCLUSION: The muscle activities of both erect spinae decreased at higher table height and increased lower spinal level. We identified lower table height are risk factor of spine work related musculoskeletal disorders.

• 대한물리의학회지
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• 제4권2호
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• pp.117-124
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• 2009

Purpose：The purpose of this study was to investigate of the change of the forward head posture(FHP) according to computer using time. Methods：Subjects were 30 male and 30 female. The factors of FHP were measured cranial vertical angle, cranial rotation angle, and head, upper back, neck flexion/extension angle according to computer using time. Change of FHP used to Digital Inclinometry(JTech, Dualer IQTM Dual Inclinometer). The data were collected by data logger(Logger Teknologi HB, Akarp, Sweden). Results：Cranial vertical angle, cranial rotation angle, and head, upper back, neck flexion/extension were increased according to computer using time(p<.05). But cranial vertical angle and cranial rotation angle, and head, upper back, neck flexion/extension were not significant differences between male and female group(p>.05). Conclusion：The effects of cranial vertical angle, cranial rotation angl and head, neck and upper back angle depend on the computer task time. Increased of FHP may result increased tension in posture muscles of cervical spine, resulting in a risk of musculoskeletal disorders.