• Korean Journal of Occupational Health Nursing
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.39-49
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• 2003

The Purpose of this study is to identify the trends of studies on workers' musculoskeletal disorder and to suggest the direction of future research. 83 research article on workers' musculoskeletal disorder were reviewed. The results are as follows : 1. Studies on workers' musculoskeletal disorder have increased rapidly since 1996, but most of them were done by non-experimental design. 2. The most frequently selected subjects of studies are telephone operators and manufacturing workers. 3. The most frequently used instrument of studies is NIOSH's questionnaire & RULA (ergonomic work posture analysis). 4. The most frequently analysed variables relating to workers' musculoskeletal disorder are working years, hours of work a day, working process, and physical exercises. Therefore, it is needed to develop the management program of workers' musculoskeletal disorder and examine its effects.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.3 no.2
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• pp.130-139
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• 2012

Objectives: The purpose of this study is to evaluate the tire manufacturing work environments extensively and to identify workers' exposure to hazardous substances in various work processes. Methods: Personal air sampling was conducted to measure polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, carbon disulfide, 1,3-butadiene, styrene, methyl isobutyl ketone, methylcyclohexane, formaldehyde, sulfur dioxide, and rubber fume in tire manufacturing plants using the National Institute for Occupational Safety Health Manual of Analytical Methods. Noise, carbon monoxide, and heat stress exposure were evaluated using direct reading instruments. Past concentrations of rubber fume were assessed using regression analysis of total particulate data from 2003 to 2007, after identifying the correlation between the concentration of total particulate and rubber fume. Results: Workers were exposed to rubber fume that exceeded 0.6 mg/$m^3$, the maximum exposure limit of the UK, in curing and production management processes. Forty-seven percent of workers were exposed to noise levels exceeding 85 dBA. Workers in the production management process were exposed to $28.1^{\circ}C$ (wet bulb globe temperature value, WBGT value) even when the outdoor atmosphere was $2.7^{\circ}C$ (WBGT value). Exposures to other substances were below the limit of detection or under a tenth of the threshold limit values given by the American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists. Conclusion: To better classify exposure groups and to improve work environments, examining closely at rubber fume components and temperature as risk indicators in tire manufacturing is recommended.

• Journal of Korean Public Health Nursing
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• v.36 no.3
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• pp.347-360
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• 2022

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to identify the risk perception, safety climate and preventive behaviors of COVID-19 infections, and to verify the factors influencing the adoption of preventive behaviors by health care workers. Methods: A mixed-method approach was used based on a survey carried out in a general hospital. Quantitative data (N=181) were collected through a questionnaire and analyzed using multiple regression. Qualitative data (N=8) were collected through individual interviews and analyzed through Colaizzi's phenomological research method. Results: The factors influencing adoption of preventive behaviors by health care workers were safety climate (β=.41, p<.001), education (β=-.20, p=.025), work unit (β=-.16, p=.032), and risk perception (β=.15, p=.020). The explanatory power was 28.3%, and they have shown that these health care workers felt 'the threat of a pandemic like a battlefield', experienced 'struggle with quarantine rules' and realized 'the reality of infection control and the reorganization for change'. Conclusion: The findings of this study indicate that to increase the adoption of infection control preventive behaviors by health care workers when faced with new infectious diseases in the future, it is necessary to establish organizational support and a safe climate. This study confirms the need for preemptive support and education.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Safety
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• v.29 no.4
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• pp.147-152
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• 2014

The purpose of this study, the overall occupational safety and health status and identify the characteristics of the workers engaged in the field of quick services, substitute driving services, home delivery, caregiver, film and television arts, to take appropriate measures to prevent industrial accidents, profession and working environment, safety recognition and education, and safety activities, accident experience and job stress survey. Survey using a structured questionnaire, 846 people directly interview research. Safety consciousness level of himself or herself was "fair level" of 3.19 points and those of colleagues and the general public were evaluated to be low as 2.84 points and 2.54 points, respectively. During the last 12 months, 21.3% of total workers in 5 job categories have received an industrial safety health education for job-related accident or disease and 87.6% of workers engaged in caregiver have received an industrial safety health education for job-related accident or disease. The proportions for delivery worker, substitute driving service and quick service/cultural art were 26.4%, 12.1% and below 10%, respectively. Frequency of having received an education was 5.7 days on average and education hour was 9.2. Regarding cases of having experienced job-related accident or having been exposed to job-related disease over the past 1 year, 17.0% of total respondents have experienced accident and 21.3% have experienced job-related disease. Preventive education for occupational safety is required to be expanded and strengthened. Except caregiver, the proportion of having received an information and education for safety rules and hazardous factors. Safety education is urgently required in order to prevent and reduce accident. Safety and health guideline is required to be developed and disseminated in order to prevent accident in advance.

• Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
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• v.19 no.3
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• pp.297-306
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• 2009

The purposes of this study were to investigate whether the program of health promotion and follow up feedback by periods could improve physical fitness related to work ability of the middle-aged and aged workers. Subjects were composed of two groups; workers aged below forty five and forty five and over who had measured their health-related physical fitness twice for 2 years (2006 & 2007) through the program of health promotion operated by Korea Occupational Safety & Health Agency. Paired t-test was used to evaluate the difference between the first measurement and re-measurement of health-related fitness which was operated after six to twelve months from the first one. We used 0.05 level for statistical significance. The results of this study were as follows. All measurement items including body fat ratio(%), $VO_2max$, grip strength, sit-up, and trunk flexion were significantly improved in both groups. The improvement(%) of $VO_2max$, grip strength of workers of forty five and above was lower than those of workers of below forty five. Servicing the program of health promotion and follow up feedback by periods may help workers' improvement of health-related physical fitness related to work ability.

• Korean Journal of Occupational Health Nursing
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.44-54
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• 2009

Purpose: The aim of this study was to examine the effects of obesity on the physiological levels of adiponectin, leptin and components of metabolic syndrome (MS) in male workers, aged 30-40 years. Methods: Body mass index (BMI) was measured with Anthropometric equipment. Blood pressure and serum parameters were measured with an automatic digital sphygmomanometer and autochemical analyzer, respectively. Adiponectin and leptin were analysed by ELISA kits and MS was defined based on the NCEP-ATP III. Results: Body fat mass of waist and hip, systolic and diastolic blood pressure were significantly higher, as expected, in the BMI>25kg/$m^2$ in comparison with the $BMI{\leq}25kg/m^2$. While fasting glucose, insulin, HOMA-IR and leptin in the BMI>25kg/$m^2$ were also significantly higher compared with $BMI{\leq}25kg/m^2$, HDL-cholesterol and adiponectin were significantly higher in $BMI{\leq}25kg/m^2$. On multiple logistic regression analysis for the components of MS, exercise, adiponectin and leptin were an only independent factor for MS in non-obese male workers($BMI{\leq}25kg/m^2$) after adjustment for age, cigarette smoking and drinking habits. Conclusion: These results suggested that the obesity in men was associated with physiological levels of adiponectin and leptin contributing to feedback control of MS and that dysfunction and/or declination in feedback control system associated with changes in physiological levels of neurptrophics: adiponectin and leptin might ultimately induce MS.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.12 no.2
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• pp.286-287
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• 2021

• Journal of the Korea Safety Management & Science
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• v.15 no.4
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• pp.145-152
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• 2013

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of risk awareness on injury experience in quick delivery service workers. Risk awareness has complicate characteristics such as its level of worker and worker's decision about the level of other's risk perception. Data were collected by interview survey with structured questionnaire about injury experience, risk perception, work characteristics, and socio-demographic characteristics of quick delivery service workers by cross sectional survey design in 2012. The sample size was 120 respondent of quick delivery service workers. Statistical method for this study was hierarchical logistic regression method with 3 different models using socio-demographic characteristics and work characteristics and risk perception, etc. The difference between the level of risk perception of quick delivery service and other's was statistically significant effect on the experience of injury. Especially the higher the level of risk perception of quick delivery service workers is than other's, the lower the injury experience of quick delivery service worker is. The limitation of this study can be found in survey design. The future study for investigation of mechanism of the combined effect of risk perception of quick delivery service workers and others on injury experience.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.96-101
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• 2021

Background: Many studies have reported noticeable increases in the proportion of employees working either relatively short or relatively long hours. Such trends have been accompanied by an increasing concern regarding work hour mismatches defined as a discrepancy between actual and preferred work hours. The aim of this study was to investigate association between work hour mismatch and depression. Methods: Data regarding work hour mismatches for 47,551 adults were extracted from the 2017 Korean Working Conditions Survey. The World Health Organization-Five Well-Being Index was used to measure depression. Multiple logistic regression analyses were performed to examine the association between work hour mismatch and depression. Results: Men and women workers with work hour mismatch were more likely to have depression [underemployed males: odds ratio (OR) = 1.30, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.14-1.49, overemployed males: OR = 1.28, 95% CI = 1.18-1.40; underemployed females: OR = 1.37, 95% CI = 1.20-1.56, overemployed females: OR = 1.12, 95% CI = 1.02-1.23]. Underemployed workers, workers who worked more than 52 hours per week, and workers with a high income level, all had higher ORs for depression. The greater the discrepancy between actual and preferred work hours, the higher OR for depression among both underemployed and overemployed workers. Conclusions: A difference between actual and preferred work hours was associated with depression. Underemployed workers had a higher risk of depression than that of overemployed workers. As a work hour mismatch negatively affected workers' mental health, it is important to reduce work hours mismatches as well as shorten the absolute number of work hours.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.2 no.2
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• pp.87-96
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• 2011

In 1967, the problem of occupational lead exposure came to public attention in Korea. Since then, regular progress has been made in lowering workplace lead exposures, instituting new workplace controls, and implementing health examinations of exposed workers. Past serious lead poisoning episodes made it possible to introduce biological monitoring programs on a voluntary basis in high-lead-exposure facilities in Korea. Industry-specific occupational health services for lead workers in Korea during the last 22 years can be categorized into three phases. During the first phase (1988-1993), efforts were directed at increasing awareness among workers about the hazards of lead exposure, biological monitoring of blood zinc protoporphyrin began, and a respiratory protection program was introduced. During the second phase (1994-1997), a computerized health management system for lead workers was developed, blood-lead measurement was added to biologic monitoring, and engineering controls were introduced in the workplace to lower air-lead levels to comply with air-lead regulations. Finally, during the third phase (1998-present), a new biomarker, bone-lead measurement by X-ray fluorescence, was introduced. Bone-lead measurement proved to be useful for assessing body burden and to demonstrate past lead exposure in retired workers. Occupational health service practice for lead workers, including the industry-specific group occupational health system, has brought considerable success in the prevention of lead poisoning and in reducing the lead burden in Korean lead workers during the last several decades. The successful achievement of prevention of lead poisoning in Korea was a result of the combined efforts of lead workers, employers, relevant government agencies, and academic institutes.