• Safety and Health at Work
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• 제3권1호
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• pp.77-83
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• 2012

Zoonoses represent a public health risk recently pointed out by the spreading of previously unknown human infectious diseases emerging from animal reservoirs such as severe acute respiratory syndrome and avian influenza caused by H5N1-virus. These outbreaks have shown that animal breeding activities can pose a significant public health risk. Until now, the risk of zoonoses has probably been underestimated, particularly in occupational settings. The emergence or re-emergence of bacterial (Mycobacterium bovis and Brucella spp) or viral (hepatitis E virus) infections shows that zoonoses should be considered as emerging risks in agricultural and animal breeding and should be addressed by specific preventive interventions. Close cooperation and interaction between veterinarians, occupational health physicians and public health operators is necessary, for a worldwide strategy to expand interdisciplinary collaborations and communications in all aspects of health care for humans, animals and the environment. This is what the One Health Approach was intended to be.

• Environmental Analysis Health and Toxicology
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• 제31권
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• pp.11.1-11.6
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• 2016

Objectives A hazard assessment of di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP), a commonly used workplace chemical, was conducted in order to protect the occupational health of workers. A literature review, consisting of both domestic and international references, examined the chemical management system, working environment, level of exposure, and possible associated risks. This information may be utilized in the future to determine appropriate exposure levels in working environments. Methods Hazard assessment was performed using chemical hazard information obtained from international agencies, such as Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development-generated Screening Information Data Set and International Program on Chemical Safety. Information was obtained from surveys conducted by the Minister of Employment and Labor ("Survey on the work environment") and by the Ministry of Environment ("Survey on the circulation amount of chemicals"). Risk was determined according to exposure in workplaces and chemical hazard. Results In 229 workplaces over the country, 831 tons of DEHP have been used as plasticizers, insecticides, and ink solvent. Calculated 50% lethal dose values ranged from 14.2 to 50 g/kg, as determined via acute toxicity testing in rodents. Chronic carcinogenicity tests revealed cases of lung and liver degeneration, shrinkage of the testes, and liver cancer. The no-observed-adverse-effect level and the lowest-observed-adverse-effect level were determined to be 28.9 g/kg and 146.6 g/kg, respectively. The working environment assessment revealed the maximum exposure level to be $0.990mg/m^3$, as compared to the threshold exposure level of $5mg/m^3$. The relative risk of chronic toxicity and reproductive toxicity were 0.264 and 0.330, respectively, while the risk of carcinogenicity was 1.3, which is higher than the accepted safety value of one. Conclusions DEHP was identified as a carcinogen, and may be dangerous even at concentrations lower than the occupational exposure limit. Therefore, we suggest management of working environments, with exposure levels below $5mg/m^3$ and all workers utilizing local exhaust ventilation and respiratory protection when handling DEHP.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• 제8권3호
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• pp.231-236
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• 2017

Vital to the prevention of work-related ill-health (WRIH) is the availability of good quality data regarding WRIH burden and risks. Physician-based surveillance systems such as The Health and Occupation Research (THOR) network in the UK are often established in response to limitations of statutory, compensation-based systems for addressing certain epidemiological aspects of disease surveillance. However, to fulfil their purpose, THOR and others need to have methodologic rigor in capturing and ascertaining cases. This article describes how data collected by THOR and analogous systems can inform WRIH incidence, trends, and other determinants. An overview of the different strands of THOR research is provided, including methodologic advancements facilitated by increased data quantity/quality over time and the value of the research outputs for informing Government and other policy makers. In doing so, the utility of data collected by systems such as THOR to address a wide range of research questions, both in relation to WRIH and to wider issues of public and social health, is demonstrated.

• 한국산업보건학회지
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• 제25권3호
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• pp.285-293
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• 2015

Objectives: This study was conducted in order to ascertain the important factors for SMEs in managing the risks of chemicals and to suggest a government role in strengthening the responsibility of small and medium enterprises(SMEs) as employers. Methods: About 100 enterprises were surveyed in Incheon. A questionnaire for employers and walk-through surveys by occupational hygienists were performed at each enterprise. Results: The results showed that most employers thought chemicals were not hazardous but chemical management was needed. When employers determine how to manage chemicals, they rely heavily on personal experience and rather less on information from the government or experts. However, if employers think the chemicals are hazardous, they do more to manage the chemicals. Conclusions: When employers think chemicals are hazardous, risk assessment would be an effective tool to control chemical hazards in SMEs. Employers' position on chemical hazards is very important. Since the government is the initiator, it is the government who develops messages for SMEs, such as "Chemicals are hazardous and management can reduce the risk of chemicals." Governmental messages can play an invaluable role in strengthening the responsibility of SME employers to manage chemical hazards.

• 대한기계학회논문집A
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• 제22권3호
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• pp.644-653
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• 1998

In resistance spot weld, the assurance of weld quality has been a long-standing problem. Since the weld nuggets if resustance spot welding form between the workpieces, visual detection of defects in usually impossible. Welding quality of resistance spot welding can be verified by non destructive and destructive inspections such as X-Ray inspection and testing of weld strength. But these tests, in addition to being time-consuming and costly, can entail risks due to sampling basis. The purpose of this study is the development of the monitoring system based on fuzzy inference, aimed at diagonosis of quality in resistance spot welding. The fuzzy inference system consists of fuzzy input variables, fuzzy membership functions and fuzzy rules. For inferring the welding quality(strength), the experimental data of the spot welding were acquired in various welding conditions with the monitoring system designed. Some fuzzy input variables-maximum, slop and difference values of electrode movement signals-were extracted from the experimental data. It was confirmed that the fuzzy inference values of strength have a .${\pm}$5% error in comparison with actual values for the selected welding conditions(9-10.5KA, 10-14 cycle, 250-300 $kg_f$). This monitoring system can be useful in improving the quality assurance and reliability of the resistance spot welding process.

• 한국융합학회논문지
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• 제9권4호
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• pp.321-329
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• 2018

본 연구는 화장용 문신으로 사용되는 염료 및 색소의 대표적인 중금속과 기타 금속류 분석을 통하여 염료 및 색소에 관한 정확한 정보 제공 및 생산에 대한 적절한 지침과 통제의 기준을 확립하는데 자료를 제공하고자 시도되었다. 화장용 문신 제품 30개를 대상으로 화장용 문신 염료 기준에 해당하는 대표적인 중금속인 비소, 안티몬, 코발트, 카드뮴, 구리, 납, 아연, 바륨, 주석, 셀레늄, 크롬과 마그네슘, 망간, 티타늄, 알루미늄에 대한 성분 함유량 검출(15종)을 분석하였다. 화장용 문신 제품에 사용되는 염료 및 색소의 중금속류 성분의 함유량을 검사한 결과, 총20개 제품(66.7%)에서 기준치를 초과하는 중금속이 검출되어 안전기준에 부적합한 것으로 나타났다. 안전한 시술을 위한 전문기관의 지침과 사용되어지는 염료 및 색소에 대한 적절한 통제관리 및 표준지침, 중금속의 잠재적인 위험성에 대한 연구가 필요하다고 제시된다.

• Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• 제41권11호
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• pp.318-327
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• 2017

Background: A typical sewage treatment plant is designed for organic and nutrient removal from municipal sewage water and not targeted to eliminate micropollutants such as pesticides, pharmaceuticals, and nano-sized metals which become a big concern for sustainable human and ecological system and are mainly discharged from sewage treatment plant. Therefore, despite contaminant removal by wastewater treatment processes, there are still remaining environmental risks by untreated pollutants in STP (sewage treatment plant) effluents. This study performed aquatic toxicity tests of raw wastewater and treated effluents in two sewage treatment plants to evaluate toxicity reduction by wastewater treatment process and analyze concentration of contaminants to reveal potential toxic factors in STP effluents. Methods: Water samples were collected from each treatment steps of two STPs, and acute and chronic toxicity tests were conducted following USEPA (United States Environmental Protection Agency) and OECD (Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development) guidelines. Endpoints were immobility for mortality and reproduction effect for estrogenicity. Results: Acute $EC_{50}s$ (median effective concentration) of influents for Seungki (SK) and Jungnang (JN) STPs are $54.13{\pm}32.64%$ and $30.38{\pm}24.96%$, respectively, and reduced to $96.49{\pm}7.84%$ and 100%. Acute toxicity reduction was clearly correlated with SS (suspended solids) concentration because of filter feeding characteristics of test organisms. Chronic toxicity tests revealed that lethal effect was reduced and low concentration of influents showed higher number of neonates. However, toxicity reduction was not related to nutrient removal. Fecundity effect positively increased in treated wastewater compared to that in raw wastewater, and no significant differences were observed compared to the control group in JN final effluent implying potential effects of estrogenic compounds in the STP effluents. Conclusions: Conventional wastewater treatment process reduced some organics and nutritional compounds from wastewater, and it results in toxicity reduction in lethal effect and positive reproductive effect but not showing correlation. Unknown estrogenic compounds could be a reason causing the increase of brood size. This study suggests that pharmaceutical residues and nanoparticles in STP effluents are one of the major micropollutants and underline as one of estrogenic effect factors.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• 제37권1호
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• pp.26-36
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• 2004

Objective : To examine the association between hospital procedure volume and treatment outcomes following allogeneic bone marrow transplantation (allo-BMT). Methods : Out of 1,050 patients who received allo-BMTs between 1998 and 2000 in 21 Korean hospitals, 752 with first allo-BMT and complete data were included in this study. Study subjects were divided into the following three groups according to cumulative hospital experience of all-BMTs during the study period: low (<30 cases), medium (30-49) and high ($\geq$50 cases) volume. Patient outcome was defined as early survival at day 100 and one-year survival. Multiple logistic regression analyses were performed to examine the association between hospital experience and survival at day 100 and one year. Results : When the low volume group was defined as the reference group, the adjusted relative risks (RR) of survival at day 100 for the high volume group were 2.46(95% CI, 1.13-5.36) for all patients, 2.61(1.04-6.57) for those with leukemia, and 2.20(0.47-10.32) for those with aplastic anemia. For one-year survival, adjusted RR for the high volume group were 2.52(1.40-4.51) for all patients, 1.99 (1.01-3.93) for leukemia, and 6.50(1.57-26.80) for aplastic anemia. None of the RR for the medium volume group was statistically significant. Patient factors showing significant relationship with survival were donor-recipient relation, human leukocyte antigen matching status, time from diagnosis to transplant, and disease stage. Conclusions : The study results suggest that the cumulative experience of hospitals in providing allo-BMT is positively associated with patient survival.

• 한국안전학회지
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• 제32권3호
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• pp.90-98
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• 2017

The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of employment type(direct employment, dispatch and service supplier) on risk factor exposure, health and satisfaction. The data of the 4th wave of Korean Working Conditions Survey (KWCS) conducted by Korea Occupational Safety and Health Agency (KOSHA) in South Korea was used. Business support service industry and manufacturing industry were selected as appropriate industries for analysis. In the final analysis, 5,865 in the manufacturing industry and 1,361 in the service support industry were included. Various variables related risk, safety, satisfaction and health such as risk factor exposure, MSDs exposure, work environment satisfaction, injury probability, dangerous work, workload, physical health problem, perceived health, positive emotions, stress, participation for decision making and experience of accident/disease were analyzed and company size and age was controled. An ANCOVA was conducted to identify significant mean differences of risk, safety, satisfaction and health related variables among direct employed workers, dispatch and service supplier workers. The results showed that all the variables except stress showed a significant difference depending on employment type in the service supply industry. In the manufacturing industry, there were significant difference in the risk factor exposure, MSDs exposure, work environment satisfaction, workload, physical health problem, perceived health, and participation depending on employment type. These results indicated that the risks are unloaded to subcontract and outsourcing company workers. Based on these results, the implications of this study and suggestions for future research were discussed.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• 제4권4호
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• pp.187-196
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• 2013

Background: Health, safety, and well-being (HSW) at work represent important values in themselves. It seems, however, that other values can contribute to HSW. This is to some extent reflected in the scientific literature in the attention paid to values like trust or justice. However, an overview of what values are important for HSW was not available. Our central research question was: what organizational values are supportive of health, safety, and well-being at work? Methods: The literature was explored via the snowball approach to identify values and value-laden factors that support HSW. Twenty-nine factors were identified as relevant, including synonyms. In the next step, these were clustered around seven core values. Finally, these core values were structured into three main clusters. Results: The first value cluster is characterized by a positive attitude toward people and their "being"; it comprises the core values of interconnectedness, participation, and trust. The second value cluster is relevant for the organizational and individual "doing", for actions planned or undertaken, and comprises justice and responsibility. The third value cluster is relevant for "becoming" and is characterized by the alignment of personal and organizational development; it comprises the values of growth and resilience. Conclusion: The three clusters of core values identified can be regarded as "basic value assumptions" that underlie both organizational culture and prevention culture. The core values identified form a natural and perhaps necessary aspect of a prevention culture, complementary to the focus on rational and informed behavior when dealing with HSW risks.