• International Journal of Highway Engineering
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.129-142
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• 2015

PURPOSES : The purpose of this study is to suggest a basis for setting appropriate safety goals specifically related to the threshold zone luminance in a vehicular traffic tunnel. METHODS : In the test, drivers were divided into two groups. One group consisted of all drivers (average drivers) group with an age ratio of drivers holding domestic driver's license and driver group by age to produce threshold zone luminance in the tunnel. The threshold zone luminance produced as a result was used to analyze how it affects the safety level of each driver group and provide a basis for setting an appropriate safety criterion that can be used to determine threshold zone luminance. We used test equipment, test conditions, and ananalysis of threshold zone luminance identical to that reported by ChoandJung(2014) but the values of adaptation luminance in our analys is were expanded to range from100 to $10,000cd/m^2$. RESULTS : Adaptation luminance and threshold zone luminance are found to be related by a quadratic function. The threshold zone luminance needed by older drivers to ensure a certain safety level is significantly higher than that for drivers of other age brackets when adaptation luminance increases. 56% of older drivers are at an increased risk of an accident at the same luminance for which the safety level of average drivers is 75%. The safety level that can be achieved for older drivers increases to above 60% when threshold zone luminance level is set with the goal of attaining a safety level of more than 85% for average drivers. The safety level that can be attained for average drivers is above 90% when the threshold zone luminance is high enough to ensure over 75% in the safety level of older drivers. Results of this study are applicable to highways and others whose designed speed is 100 km/h. CONCLUSIONS : Threshold zone luminance determined on the basis of drivers having average visual ability is of limited value as a performance standard for ensuring the safety of older drivers. Hence, safety level for older drivers should be considered separately from safety levels for drivers with an average ability to avoid risk. Upward adjustment of older drivers' safety level in the process of determining appropriate threshold zone luminance in a vehicular traffic tunnel may bring both tangible and intangible benefit as a result of reducing accidents. However, there is an associated dollar cost arising from installing and operating lights. As a result, the economic impact of these trade-offs should also be considered.

• International Journal of Highway Engineering
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• v.16 no.3
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• pp.85-99
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• 2014

PURPOSES : This study has been performed with the objective to determine threshold zone luminance of adaptation luminance by target safety level in a vehicular traffic tunnel with design speed set at 100km/h. METHODS : The study made a miniature capable of portraying changes in luminance distribution within $2{\times}10^{\circ}$ conical field of view of the driver approaching to the tunnel for the test. Test conditions were set based on justifications for CIE 88-1990's threshold zone luminance used as a reference by domestic tunnel light standards (KS C 3703 : 2010). Luminance contrast of object background and object is 23%, object presentation duration is 0.5 seconds, and size of the object background is $7.3{\times}11.5m^2$ RESULTS : Threshold zone luminance was set within adaptation luminance of $100{\sim}3,000cd/m^2$. Adaptation luminance and threshold zone luminance based on 50%, 75% and 90% target safety level all showed a relatively high linear relationship. According to findings in the study, it is not appropriate to specify the relationship between adaptation luminance and threshold zone luminance as luminance ratio. Rather, direct utilization of the linear relationship gained from the study findings appears to be the better solution. CONCLUSIONS : Findings of this study may be used to determine operation of threshold zone luminance based on target safety level. However, a proper verification and validity of test results are required. Furthermore, a study to determine proper threshold zone luminance level considering target safety level reviewed in this study and various decision-making factors such as economic conditions in Korea and energy-related policies should be carried out in addition. Additional tests on adaptation luminance greater than $3,000cd/m^2$ will be performed, through which application scope of the test findings will be broadened.

• Journal of The Korean Society of Agricultural Engineers
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• v.57 no.4
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• pp.135-141
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• 2015

The objective of this study is to develop an early warning system for rainfall induced landslides. For this study, we suggested an analysis process using rainfall forecast data. 1) For a selected slope, safety factor with saturated depth was analyzed and safety factor threshold was established (warning FS threshold=1.3, alarm FS threshold=1.1). 2) If rainfall started, saturated depth and safety factor was calculated with rainfall forecast data, 3) And every hour after safety factor is compared with threshold, then warning or alarm can issued. In the future, we plan to make a early warning system combined with the in-situ inclinometer sensors.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Safety
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• v.15 no.3
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• pp.1-6
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• 2000

In fatigue crack growth test, it is important not only to analyze characteristics of fatigue crack growth but also to determine the threshold stress intensity factor, ${\Delta}K_{th}$. which is the threshold value of fatigue crack growth. Linear regression analysis using fatigue test data near the threshold is suggested to determine the ${\Delta}K_{th}$ in the standard test method but the ${\Delta}K_{th}$ can be affected by a fitting method. And there are some limitations on the linear regression analysis in the case of small number of test data near the threshold. The objective of this study is to investigate differences of the ${\Delta}K_{th}$ due to regression analysis method and to evaluate the relative error range of the ${\Delta}K_{th}$ in same fatigue crack growth test data.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Safety
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• v.27 no.2
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• pp.20-24
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• 2012

Experimental studies were performed to investigate the eye injury risks by different BB pellet materials. Four different BB pellet materials were used: plastic (P), silicon (S), rubber (R) and plastic covered with silicon (SR). The BB pellet images penetrating into the gelatine simulant were recorded by a high-speed video camera. The results obtained from the different pellet materials were discussed in terms of impact velocity and penetration depth; threshold velocity and projectile sectional density; eye injury risks by normalized energies. It was found that the P pellets caused higher impact velocity while the lower was SR pellets. The penetration depth and threshold velocity of the pellets were dependent on the impact velocity of the pellets, and the P pellets resulted in the higher eye injury risk while the lower was SP.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.32 no.1
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• pp.17-29
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• 1999

Objectives. This study was carried out to analyze the hearingthreshold levels and relating factors of 1,048 workers with noiseinduced hearing loss$(D_1)$. Methods. We analyzed the hearing-threshold levels and relating factors of 1,048 workers with noise-induced hearing loss$(D_1)$ examined by the summary reports of specific health examination results of industries and personal reports of specific health examination results reported by 58 specific health examination institutes and 8 secondary pneumoconiosis examination institutes in 1996. Results. Among 1,048 workers at 510 workplaces, male workers were 1,009 (96.3%) and female workers were 39 (3.7%). The mean ages of workers initially exposed to noise and at present were 28.7 and 47.2, respectively. The duration of total exposure was 16.5 years. Average hearing-threshold levels analyzed by three-divided classification of the study subjects were 43.7dB(Lt) and 42.6dB(Rt). Those analyzed by six-divided classification were 50.5dB(Lt) and 48.6d8(Rt). Among workers with noise-induced shearing loss$(D_1)$, 16.3% was unilateral hearing loss and 84.6% was classified to compensation case. 8.8%(Rt) and 10.2%(Lt) of them were suspected to be conductive hearing loss by differences of air-bone hearing-threshold levels. Hearing-threshold levels of workers in manufacturing industry were significantly increased during the short exposure compared with the levels in mining industry. Among manufacturing industries, hearing-threshold levels of workers in trailer and other transportation equipment manufacturing industry were significantly increased. Age and duration of total noise exposure were not significantly related to the average hearing-threshold levels analyzed by three-divided classification. Hearing-threshold levels of female workers were significantly increased during the short exposure compared with those of male workers. Hearing-threshold levels of workers at the high risk group, ages of 20s, 30s and total exposure duration of less than 10 years, were not significantly increased compared with those of the other groups. However, they were exposed at young ages. The 3 leading industries of workers at high risk group were trailer and other transportation equipment manufacturing, automobile manufacturing and assemble-metal manufacturing industries. Conclusions. This study was the first nationwide analysis of the hearing-threshold levels and relating factors of workers with noise. induced hearing loss$(D_1)$. We found the differences of the real number by the statistics of the department of labour and the expected number of worker' s compensations for occupationally-induced hearing loss estimated by this study. According to the results of this study, we should carefully examine the methods to narrow this difference.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Gas
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• v.21 no.4
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• pp.6-15
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• 2017

Process safety management(PSM) system was implemented in Korea since 1996. It helps reduce and prevent the occurrence of chemical accidents. There has been no review on the feasibility of the threshold quantities of the existing 21 species and the newly added toxic substances such as hydrogen bromide in the PSM system. The threshold quantities of the target toxic substances(25 species) of PSM were compared with domestic and foreign PSM systems similar to those of Korea. Also, we proposed the toxic harmfulness and hazard equation consisted of inhalation toxicity, NFPA index and others. According to this equation, high risk, medium risk and low risk are classified and reflected in the adjustment of threshold quantities. From the above research, It is expected to help to reduce confusion and burden of the workplaces due to the difference from other PSM system and improve in the threshold quantities.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.8 no.2
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• pp.206-211
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• 2017

Background: Self-reported low back pain (LBP) has been evaluated in relation to material handling lifting tasks, but little research has focused on relating quantifiable stressors to LBP at the individual level. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) Composite Lifting Index (CLI) has been used to quantify stressors for lifting tasks. A chemical exposure can be readily used as an exposure metric or stressor for chemical risk assessment (RA). Defining and quantifying lifting nonchemical stressors and related adverse responses is more difficult. Stressor-response models appropriate for CLI and LBP associations do not easily fit in common chemical RA modeling techniques (e.g., Benchmark Dose methods), so different approaches were tried. Methods: This work used prospective data from 138 manufacturing workers to consider the linkage of the occupational stressor of material lifting to LBP. The final model used a Bayesian random threshold approach to estimate the probability of an increase in LBP as a threshold step function. Results: Using maximal and mean CLI values, a significant increase in the probability of LBP for values above 1.5 was found. Conclusion: A risk of LBP associated with CLI values > 1.5 existed in this worker population. The relevance for other populations requires further study.

• Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
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• v.22 no.1
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• pp.82-90
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• 2012

Objectives: This study was performed to provide workplaces with political guidelines that apply international CMRs (Carcinogens, Mutagens, Reproductive toxins) information to Public Notice of TLVs (Threshold Limit Values). We analyzed information supply status about CMRs of international agencies and compared substances for which TLVs are set in KMoEL (Ministry of Employment and Labor in Korea). Methods: We referred to the reliable literature about classification criteria of CMRs corresponding to UN GHS (Globally Harmonized System of classification and Labeling of chemicals) and Public Notice No. 2009-68 'Standard for Classification, Labeling of Chemical Substance and Material Safety Data Sheet' in KMoEL. The classification system of CMRs in professional organizations (IARC, NTP, ACGIH, EU ECHA, KMoEL, etc.) was investigated through the internet and literature. Conclusions: 191 chemical substances among total 650 substances with TLVs are classified as carcinogens. Also, 43 substances classified as mutagens, and 44 as reproductive toxicants. These results suggest that the information of CMRs in Public Notice of TLV will be reorganized to 191 carcinogens, 43 mutagens, and 44 reproductive toxicants.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Toxicology Conference
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• 2003.10b
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• pp.24-25
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• 2003

Genotoxicity plays an important role for the safety evaluation of chemicals. When the carcinogenicity is evident on a chemical, the threshold can be estimated only when genotoxic mechanism does not operate for carcinogenesis otherwise threshold cannot be set. Without genotoxic mechanism- non-genotoxic carcinogen-threshold can be estimated but with genotoxic mechanism-genotoxic- carcinogen-it cannot be estimated.(omitted)