• 대한안전경영과학회지
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• 제16권3호
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• pp.101-110
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• 2014

This study tried to identify the effects of ergonomic risk factors for absence from work of fire fighters in Korea. A self-administered questionnaire was prepared for this study. The questionnaire consisted of several parts such as 'general information', 'work-related factors', 'physical & chemical risk factors', 'ergonomic risk factors', and 'absence information'. A total of 7,098 fire fighters participated in this study. The data obtained from the survey was mainly analyzed by logistic regression. A total of 856 out of 7,098 fire fighters experienced absence from work. The risk factors such as gender, age, marital status, education level, total work year, work area. position, job rotation, noise, dust, organic solvent, skin contact with chemical substance, toxic waste, regional vibration, manual material handling, continuous standing posture, awkward working posture were associated with absence from work. Specifically, awkward working posture and manual material handling from ergonomic risk factors were major risk factors for absence from work.

• 대한인간공학회지
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• 제24권1호
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• pp.27-35
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• 2005

This paper describes a practical ergonomic approach for the shipbuilding industry that occupies the highest rate of work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSD) in Korea. Typical work processes within a shipbuilding operation were surveyed to determine the presence of risk factors associated with musculoskeletal disorders. We used interviews, document analysis, video analysis, and OWAS postural analysis to identify and quantify ergonomic risk factors that workers may be exposed to in the course of their normal work duties. Some ergonomics actions were performed to solve the problems identified in the risk factor analysis. The practical ergonomic approach has resulted in decreases in workers' accident, and increases in productivity. The ergonomic solutions developed in this study could be applied to other sectors of industry that share common features of work with shipbuilding industry.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• 제9권1호
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• pp.75-78
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• 2018

Background: To identify work sectors with high risk for work-related musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) in Korean men and women. Methods: We analyzed nationwide data to identify ergonomic risk factors in Korean employees. In particular, we analyzed data on exposure to five ergonomic risk factors (painful/tiring postures, lifting/moving heavy materials, standing/walking, repetitive hand/arm movements, and hand/arm vibration) according to employment sector, sex, and age, using the 2014 Fourth Korean Working Conditions Survey. We also used workers' compensation data on work-related MSDs in 2010, which is available by sex. Results: The different work sectors had different gender distributions. "Manufacturing" (27.7%) and "construction" (11.3%) were dominated by males, whereas "human health and social work activities" (12.4%), "hotel and restaurants" (11.7%), and "education" (10.4%) were dominated by females. However, "wholesale and retail trade" and "public administration and defense" employed large numbers of males and females. Furthermore, the work sectors with a greater proportion of work-related MSDs and with multiple ergonomic risk factors were different for men and women. For men, "construction" and "manufacturing" had the highest risk for work-related MSDs; for women, "hotel and restaurants" had the highest risk for work-related MSDs. Conclusion: Ergonomic interventions for workers should consider gender and should focus on work sectors with high risk for MSDs, with multiple ergonomic risk factors, and with the largest number of workers.

• 한국산업보건학회지
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• 제19권4호
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• pp.390-402
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• 2009

This study aimed to examine the general characteristics of individual workers, psychosocial working environment, and ergonomic risk factors which affect the status of musculoskeletal disorders. Self-report was carried out for musculoskeletal symptoms and ergonomic risks in working environment in 856 production workers in 16 small to medium sized manufacturing companies. Musculoskeletal symptoms were examined with a standardized questionnaire, and ergonomic risks were evaluated with a qualitative self-administered instrument for the tasks related to musculoskeletal disorders. Major findings were as follows: 1) Complaint rate for musculoskeletal symptoms was higher in female, aged, married workers with longer working hours, less leisure/hobby activity, longer household working hours and history of disease or accident. 2) Complaint rate for musculoskeletal symptoms was significantly higher in workers with dissatisfaction, difficult tasks, and no self-control at work. 3) Complaint rate for musculoskeletal symptoms was significantly higher in workers involved in tasks with major ergonomic risk factors, and handling heavy equipment. 4) Explanatory power increased the model with the musculoskeletal symptoms as dependent variable and demographic variables, psychosocial working environment and ergonomic risk factors included, and total explanatory power of 18.6% revealed the significant effect. Based on the results, we can conclude that musculoskeletal symptoms in manufacturing workers are associated with individual demographic characteristics, psychosocial working environment and ergonomic risk factors.

• 대한안전경영과학회지
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• 제7권3호
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• pp.63-72
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• 2005

The purpose of this study is to examine the prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders and ergonomic risk factors for workers of printing business. A self-reporting survey and task analysis using video camera were performed to identify ergonomic risk factors associated with musculoskeletal disorders. We used the OWAS, RULA, and REBA methods to quantify the risk factors, and the results show that the printing business have high risk of work-related musculoskeletal disorders.

• 한국산업보건학회지
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• 제18권2호
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• pp.122-132
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• 2008

The purpose of this study is to present the basic materials of a developmental counterplan by assessing prevalence of musculoskeletal symptoms and characteristics of work-related ergonomic risk factors. The prevalence of musculoskeletal symptoms of 64 vineyard workers was investigated by using a self-reported questionnaire. And the vineyard workers' tasks were also collected and analyzed during 9-month period by observing and videotaping methods to identify the ergonomic risk factors. The prevalence rate of musculoskeletal symptoms of female(84.4%) was much higher than that of male(62.5%) and a total prevalence rate was 73.4%. There was no different prevalence of musculoskeletal symptoms between age over 60 years and under 60 years. The prevalence rates of musculoskeletal complaints for each body part were 48.4%, 42.2%, and 35.9% for the wrist, legs/knee, and shoulder, respectively. In postural risk analysis, 7 works(REBA score) represented the high risk tasks such as delivering harvest boxed(12), picking cluster(11) and so on. The main works(exposure score) were orderly ranked as picking cluster(1590), pruning branch(388), and cluster thinning(327). The risk factors of vineyard work were identified as follows: shoulder flexion(${\geq}45^{\circ}$), wrist Flex./Ext.(${\geq}15^{\circ}$), hand force(power/pinch-grip), and prolonged standing(${\geq}4hr$). The engineering solutions including an improvement of hand tools, working process, and working environment should be applied to the high risky tasks in order to resolve the ergonomic problems. The administrative solutions such as improving a distribution of resting time, an exercise cure, an early recognition of symptoms and rehabilitation might be another solution for reducing musculoskeletal symptoms in vineyard workers.

• 대한인간공학회지
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• 제25권3호
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• pp.105-111
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• 2006

This paper summarizes the ergonomic risk assessment of hotel chef. The cooking operations were observed in order to determine sources of ergonomic stress and make recommendations to reduce the risk of work-related musculoskeletal disorders in Korean, Japanese, and western style cooking. We used interviews, document analysis, video analysis, and risk assessment to identify and quantify ergonomic risk factors. The results indicate that the cooking operations have some ergonomic problems. These findings identified in this study can be used to reduce the risk of work-related musculoskeletal disorders in food service areas.

• 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.

• 한국전문물리치료학회지
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• 제16권1호
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• pp.42-51
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• 2009

The purpose of this study was to develop a checklist of risk factors for quantitative assessment of musculoskeletal complaints in shipbuilding workers. A key point was to develop comprehensive a checklist including the worker's physical ability, as ergonomic and workload factors. ln the first, through correlation analysis between musculoskeletal complaints and physical abilities in shipbuilding workers, risk factors related to physical abilities were selected. In the second, after the development of a checklist was composed of physical, ergonomic and workload factors, factor analysis was used to test the validity of the developed checklist. Each factors selected finally showed that physical factors were hand grip strength, spinal curvature, and flexibility (sit to reach), ergonomic factors were posture, total exposed time, duration, and force of working, and workload factors were physical and psychological workload perceived by worker. The results showed that musculoskeletal complaints was associated with physical abilities (p<.05). The developed checklist had a reliability of .761 (Cronbach=.761) and a validity and explanation of 54.9%. The criterion of management was classified in 4 stages by relative weights of each factor. It is suggested that active intervention is needed to reduce musculoskeletal complaints in workers with more than a 14.31 score.

• 한국안전학회지
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• 제20권1호
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• pp.148-152
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• 2005

The purpose of this paper is to investigate risk factors and ergonomically improve the manufacturing lines of compressors for prevention of work-related musculoskeletal disorders, enhancement of productivity, and workers satisfaction We executed questionnaire survey, ergonomic risk factors investigation of manufacturing lines and ergonomic intervention of work methods, workplace and hand tools. The results of the questionnaire showed that $7.9\%$ of respondents were positive in WMSDs symptom survey. In ergonomic evaluation, the analysis methods such as RULA and NIOSH lifting equation were used and 28 processes in the lines were evaluated to be potentially hazardous. We ergonomically improved the processes to reduce potential WMSDs hazards : manual material handling, carts, work tables, transport methods, working posture and hand tools.