• Journal of Convergence for Information Technology
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• v.9 no.3
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• pp.90-97
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• 2019

In order to identify relationships between oral health management behavior and subjective oral health perception and oral acid production in small and medium industry workers, an examination on oral acid production and a survey were conducted. As a result, the subjective oral health status, which is subjective oral health perception, was found to have a significant effect on oral acid production, and the worse the subjective oral health status was, the higher the oral acid production was. As the subjective oral health perception is expected to be helpful for the development of industrial oral health programs to improve oral health of workers, organizational and institutional efforts for industrial oral health education will be necessary for improvement of subjective oral health perception of workers.

• Journal of Digital Convergence
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• v.6 no.3
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• pp.131-138
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• 2008

The Film-making industry in Korea has significantly expanded during last decade. However, the development didn't necessarily mean there's improvement in terms of the quality of life for the film staffs. In post-production stages, especially, any workers involved in the production can get tremendous amount of mental pressure and stress due to the deadline. Thus, in this period, most labor issues are found and often ignored. In this research, compared to Hollywood, Korean domestic film industry will be analyzed with focus on labor organizations. Their role will be explored and examined in terms of improving the qualify of life as well as of the film itself.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.38 no.3
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• pp.241-251
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• 2005

There has been an enormous increasing trend of widening gap of social inequalities since economic crisis at the end of 1997 in Korea. Since then, Korean society has deteriorated in economic and social conditions; the unemployment rate, temporary or casual workers and absolute poverty have increased. This paper presents the origin of inequalities in work and health in Korea. The origin of inequalities in work begins with the relationship between the capitalist and labourers in the capitalist mode of production. The conception and execution are dissolved in the work process in the capitalist mode of production. Thus, captitalists become control over ther labour process from workers. An alienation of the work process from the workers. The distribution of work is the majour source if inequalities in many countries as well as Korea. This paper presents the increasing tendency of unhealthy states such as mortality, early death, morbidity, physical work load, workplace injury amongst the under-privileged: ordinary workers, unemployed people, casual workers and socially deprived people in Korea.

• Fashion & Textile Research Journal
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• v.14 no.4
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• pp.597-606
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• 2012

To increase the productivity and product quality of customized baseball jerseys, this study developed a multi-variable system for a production process that efficiently controls diverse production management factors. The working time was measured through the establishment of a standard process where skilled workers and Chinese factory workers manufactured 5 sets of the same basic design jerseys. Based on the measured working time (1,136 seconds/per unit), the multi-variable process control system was developed, where hourly production management is possible according to the involved workers and equipment types. Each process was assigned accoding to the production management factors for a total of 28 standard processes. The processes were developed based on consideration of work characteristics according to the order of needlework of open-type set baseball jerseys with sleeves(the basic design of baseball jerseys)to result in a customized production system structure that could be set up with multi-variables. As a result, a total 12 types of systems were developed in consideration of the personnel involved and the number of equipments. The optimal production management system (with the highest efficiency compared to the number of workers)was A-2, B-1, C-1. D-2, E-2, F-1, and G-1. This system had extremely high efficiency and showed 99% assignment efficiency for the 7-person team. Though not optimal, possible process assignment for each working personnel is proposed as a reserve process in case work modification is inevitable due to malfunctions and the absence of equipments.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.2 no.3
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• pp.243-249
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• 2011

Objectives: Cement contains hexavalent chromium, which is a human carcinogen. However, its effect on cancer seems inconclusive in epidemiologic studies. The aim of this retrospective cohort study was to elucidate the association between dust exposure in the cement industry and cancer occurrence. Methods: The cohorts consisted of male workers in 6 Portland cement factories in Korea. Study subjects were classified into five groups by job: quarry, production, maintenance, laboratory, and office work. Cancer mortality and incidence in workers were observed from 1992 to 2007 and 1997-2005, respectively. Standardized mortality ratios and standardized incidence ratios were calculated according to the five job classifications. Results: There was an increased standardized incidence ratio for stomach cancer of 1.56 (27/17.36, 95% confidence interval: 1.02-2.26) in production workers. The standardized mortality ratio for lung cancer increased in production workers. However, was not statistically significant. Conclusion: Our result suggests a potential association between cement exposure and stomach cancer. Hexavalent chromium contained in cement might be a causative carcinogen.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.3 no.2
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• pp.85-91
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• 2012

The occupations involved in food animal production have long been recognized to carry significant health risks for workers, with special attention to injuries. However, risk of pathogen exposure in these occupations has been less extensively considered. Pathogens are a food safety issue and are known to be present throughout the food animal production chain. Workers employed at farms and slaughterhouses are at risk of pathogen exposure and bacterial infections. The industrialization of animal farming and the use of antimicrobials in animal feed to promote growth have increased the development of antimicrobial resistance. The changed nature of these pathogens exposes workers in this industry to new strains, thus modifying the risks and health consequences for these workers. These risks are not yet recognized by any work-related health and safety agency in the world.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.9 no.4
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• pp.416-420
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• 2018

Background: Urinary 1-hydroxypyrene (1-OHP) has been widely used as a biomarker of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in occupationally exposed workers. The objective of this study is to investigate the concentration of urinary 1-OHP among charcoal workers as subjects and non-charcoal workers as controls. Methods: Early morning urine samples were collected from 68 persons (25 charcoal workers in Igbo-Ora, 20 charcoal workers in Alabata, and 23 non-charcoal workers) who volunteered to participate in this study. 1-OHP determination in urine samples was carried out using high performance liquid chromatography after hydrolysis. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used for data analysis at p < 0.05. Results: The mean urinary 1-OHP concentration (${\mu}mol/mol$ creatinine) among charcoal workers at Igbo-Ora and Alabata and non-charcoal workers were $2.22{\pm}1.27$, $1.32{\pm}0.65$, and $0.32{\pm}0.26$ (p < 0.01). There existed a relationship between respondent type and 1-OHP concentration. Charcoal workers were 3.14 times more at risk of having 1-OHP concentrations that exceed the American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists guideline of $0.49{\mu}mol/mol$ creatinine than non-charcoal workers (relative risk = 3.14, 95% confidence interval: 1.7-5.8, p < 0.01). Conclusion: Charcoal workers are exposed to PAHs during charcoal production and are at risk of experiencing deleterious effects of PAH exposure. Routine air quality assessment should be carried out in communities where charcoal production takes place. Assessment of urinary 1-OHP concentration and use of personal protective equipment should also be encouraged among charcoal workers.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.2 no.1
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• pp.26-33
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• 2011

Objectives: The purpose of this retrospective cohort study was to investigate the relationship between exposure of Korean workers to petrochemicals in the refinery/petrochemical industry and lymphohematopoietic cancers. Methods: The cohort consisted of 8,866 male workers who had worked from the 1960s to 2007 at one refinery and six petrochemical companies located in a refinery/petrochemical complex in Korea that produce benzene or use benzene as a raw material. Standardized mortality ratios (SMRs) and standardized incidence ratios (SIRs) were calculated for 1992-2007 and 1997-2005 based on the death rate and cancer incidence rate of the Korean male population according to job title (production, maintenance, laboratory, and office workers). Results: The overall mortality and most cause-specific mortalities were lower among these workers than those of the general Korean population. Increased SMRs were observed for leukemia (4/1.45; SMR 2.77, 95% CI: 0.75-7.09) and lymphohematopoietic cancers (5/2.51; SMR 2, 95% CI: 0.65-4.66) in production workers, and increased SIRs were also observed in leukemia (3/1.34; SIR 2.24, 95% CI: 0.46-6.54) and lymphohematopoietic cancers (5/3.39; SIR 1.47, 95% CI: 0.48-3.44) in production workers, but the results were not statistically significant. Conclusion: The results showed a potential relationship between leukemia and lymphohematopoietic cancers and exposure to benzene in refinery/petrochemical complex workers. This study yielded limited results due to a short observational period; therefore, a follow-up study must be performed to elucidate the relationship between petrochemical exposure and cancer rates.

• Toxicological Research
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• v.21 no.2
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• pp.121-128
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• 2005

Economic animal husbandry workers exposed to organic dust can be suffered from immunologic disorders. Our study was to determine immunological parameters related with occurrence of respiratory allergic diseases to animal husbandry workers in Korea for the first time. Peripheral blood were obtained from twenty-five pig barn workers, forty-nine chicken farming workers and fifty-one non-agricultural control workers. Significantly upregulated plasma IgE level was observed with pig-barn workers than that of chicken farming workers or healthy community control subjects. Furthermore, level of histamine, a hallmark of allergy induction, was upregulated in the pig and chicken farming workers in comparison with that of the control subjects. Downregulation of $IFN_\gamma$ and $TNF_{\alpha}$ production from T cells was apparent in the animal husbandry workers compared with the control subjects. Meanwhile, T cells collected from the pig barn workers demonstrated significantly higher production of IL-4 and IL-10 than the other groups. There were also alterations in IgG subclass distribution. In conclusion, immunological modulation probably leading to occupational allergic diseases can be occurred in the economic animal husbandry workers and the pig barn workers could be the most risky group to the work-related allergic disease.

• Korean Journal of Occupational Health Nursing
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• v.7 no.2
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• pp.130-135
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• 1998

To investigate the working characteristics of the workers by place of duty, a study was carried out among 591 male workers aged 20-55 employed in an automobile industry in Korea. Workers participated to this study were divided into low back pain(LBP) and control group, according to the self-reports by written questionnaires. Work factors and complaint rates of low back pain were compared to the work places. The results were as follows ; 1) The complaint rates of low back pain were 49.2%(292 men) as a whole, 58.6%(34 men) in Production Control Department I, 50.2%(120 men) in Stamping Tool Department, 46.9%(138 men) in Bus Department. 2) Lifting and earring work of individual workers were directly associated with low back pain. Frequency of lifting and carring work is higher in the Final Body Section(Production Dept. I) and Body I Section(Bus Dept.). 3) LBP group were more frequently involved in working in awkward position(Quality Control Section of Stamping Tool Dept.), bending(Body I Section of Bus Dept.) and twisting posture(Sash Section and Body I Section of Bus Dept.). 4 )Workers exposed to vibration during working shows the higher complaint rate of low back pain.