• Journal of Korea Port Economic Association
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• v.34 no.4
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• pp.85-104
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• 2018

Globally, more than 90 percent of all international commerce takes place via sea freight. In terms of container cargo volume, Busan Port is the world's sixth largest port, given its geographical conditions. Regarding geographic advantages, a cargo-working operation that met customers' demand using a 24-hour operating delivery system also contributed to the growth of Busan Port as a global hub. However, research and studies on the working conditions for stevedores are lacking, even though the port industry relies heavily on human resources. Therefore, this study identifies the awareness of the working environment by cargo-working employees at Busan Port and their satisfaction level related to their working environment, such as working two shifts in a 24-hour period.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.2 no.4
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• pp.355-364
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• 2011

Objectives: Though sulfur dioxide (SO2) is used widely at workplaces, itseffects on humans are not known. Thresholds are reportedwithout reference to gender or age and occupational exposure limits are basedon effects on lung functioning, although localized effects in the upper airways can be expected. This study's aim is to determine thresholds with respect to age and gender and suggests a new approach to risk assessment using breathing reflexes presumably triggered by trigeminal receptors in the upper airways. Methods: Odor thresholds were determined by the ascending method of limits in groups stratified by age and gender. Subjects rated intensities of different olfactory and trigeminal perceptions at different concentrations of $SO_2$. During the presentation of the concentrations, breathing movements were measured by respiratory inductive plethysmography. Results: Neither age nor gender effects were observed for odor threshold. Only ratings of nasal irritation were influenced bygender. A benchmark dose analysis on relative respiratory depth revealed a 10%-deviation from baseline at about 25.27 mg/$m^3$. Conclusion: The proposed new approach to risk assessment appearsto be sustainable. We discuss whether a 10%-deviation of breathingdepth is relevant.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.12 no.3
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• pp.370-376
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• 2021

Backround: Working condition surveys are widely recognized as useful tools for monitoring the quality of working life and the improvements introduced by health and safety policy frameworks at the European and national level. The Italian Workers' Compensation Authority carried out a national survey (Insula) to investigate the employer's perceptions related to working conditions and their impact on health. Methods: The present study is based on the data collected from the Italian survey on health and safety at work (INSULA) conducted on a representative sample of the Italian workforce (n = 8,000). This focuses on the relationship between psychosocial risk factors and self-reported health using a set of logistic and linear regression models. Results: Working conditions such as managerial support, job satisfaction, and role act as protective factors on mental and physical health. On the contrary, workers' risk perceptions related to personal exposure to occupational safety and health risks, concern about health conditions, and work-related stress risk exposure determine a poorer state of health. Conclusions: This study highlights the link between working conditions and self-report health, and this aims to provide a contribution in the field of health at work. Findings show that working conditions must be object of specific preventive measures to improve the workers' health and well-being.

• Journal of Digital Convergence
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• v.16 no.12
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• pp.523-531
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• 2018

This study was conducted to investigate the relation between working conditions and occupational injuries among Korean employees. This study was based on the 4th Korean Working Conditions Survey(KWCS) and a total of 36,292 data were analyzed. Multivariate logistic regression was used to investigate the relation of working conditions and occupational injuries after controlling for individual variables. After control of personal factors, perception of the threat to health or safety(OR=3.77, 95% CI=2.934-4.844), 49-59 working hours(OR=1.63, 95% CI=1.023-2.601), 60 hours or more per week(OR=2.66, 95% CI=1.683-4.197), and manual occupation type(OR=1.76, 95% CI=1.218-2.536) were associated with occupational injuries. Our results indicate that working conditions influence occupational injuries, and the focus should be on prevention and management strategies for occupational injuries to vulnerable workers.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing
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• v.50 no.6
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• pp.837-847
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• 2020

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of hospital characteristics on employment rate, working period, and retirement of ward nurses in Korea through a retrospective cohort study based on HIRAS data. Methods: Data were obtained from a report on medical care institutions of Health Insurance Review & Assessment Service (HIRAS). Data from 259,941 nurses who were working for a day or more from January 1, 2012, to December 31, 2016, at 2,942 medical care institutions were analyzed. Life table method analysis, Kaplan-Meier analysis, and Cox proportional hazard regression analysis were conducted. Results: The employment rates of 5 yeas and 10 years for the total sample were 38% and 28%, respectively. The estimated mean value of the working period was 3,642.7 days (SE: 17.4 days). Cox proportional hazard regression analyses revealed that nurses who were working at the general hospital/hospital, clinic, and nursing hospital were more likely to leave the hospital compared to those who were working at the 3rd general hospital. Nurses who were working at the medical institutions which were located in cities and countries, established by the private foundation, rated lower levels of nursing, and owned an insufficient number of beds, nurses and doctors were more likely to leave their workplace compared to those of the counterparts. Conclusion: This study indicates that hospital characteristics may play a significant role in retirement and working period of ward nurses in Korea. The improvement of hospital conditions to reduce ward nurses' retirement are needed.

• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
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• v.22 no.9
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• pp.485-496
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• 2022

The study aims to determine the factors associated with married working women's health-related quality of life (HRQOL) in terms of general, marital, work, and health characteristics. In view of this, data was gathered from a total of 2,060 married working women who participated in the 7th wave (2017-2018) of the Korean Longitudinal Survey of Women and Family (KLoWF), which was conducted by the Korean Women's Development Institute. The data was analyzed using SPSS 25.0. As a result of inputting the general characteristics, marital characteristics, working characteristics, and health characteristics of married women, family's economic status, diagnosed disease, perceived stress were found to have a significant effect on married working women's HRQOL. Based on the study results, educational programs and various policies to help married working women better manage their family-work conflict were proposed as a means to improve their HRQOL. This study is significant as it identified a wide range of factors that affect married working women's HRQOL and discussed health and welfare measures to improve it.

• Human Ecology Research
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• v.59 no.2
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• pp.199-213
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• 2021

The purpose of the study was to apply latent transition analysis to the work-family balance of working mothers with a child in elementary school by focusing on the effect of antecedents on both work-family balance typology and the transition between typologies. Data from 400 working mothers who participated in the eighth and eleventh waves of the Panel Study on Korean Children were used. The results can be summarized as follows. First, the latent profile analysis of working mothers whose children were in the first grade classified the work-family balance types as 'contradictory' or 'beneficial' and of working mothers whose children were in the fourth grade as 'conflictual', 'contradictory', 'high beneficial', 'low beneficial' or 'beneficial'. Second, working mothers whose work-family balance was 'contradictory' or 'beneficial' when their children were in the first grade mostly had, respectively, a 'low beneficial' or a 'high beneficial' balance when their children were in the fourth grade. Third, the probability of being classified into each type differed according to subjective happiness and marital conflict in the first grade, and marital conflict and social support in the fourth grade. Moreover, marital conflict and social support were significant in the transition between the types of work-family balance. The study showed that the types of work-family balance differed for each time point for individual working mothers. The study also highlighted the importance of parenting-related personal, family and social factors in determining the work-family balance type and transition between types.

• Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
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• v.32 no.4
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• pp.325-339
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• 2022

Objective: This study was to perform to identify the distribution characteristics and related factors of work-related low back pain among manufacturing workers in Korea. Methods: We analyzed the third(2011) through sixth(2020) Korean Working Conditions Survey. This study examined changes in the prevalence of work-related low back pain among manufacturing workers and related factors, including demographic characteristics and working conditions. Results: The prevalence of work-related low back pain showed a general tendency to increase during the study periods except for the 5th wave. The prevalence of work-related low back pain was higher in women than in men. The prevalence increased with increasing age and decreased with higher educational attainment. This trend was observed in all survey waves. The prevalence ratios for work-related low back pain according to working conditions varied over the survey period. In general, workers with manual jobs, long working hours, and exposure to tired or painful postures showed relatively higher prevalence ratios than did their counterparts. Providing Information on health and safety, perception that work affects health, and experience of presenteeism were identified as influencing factors for work-related low back pain. Although the working environment is improving, work-related back pain is on the rise. A multifaceted study on risk factors for work-related low back pain is needed. Conclusion: Work-related low back pain is a significant factor affecting the working population's quality of life. The prevalence of work-related low back pain showed a tendency to increase during the study periods. A multifaceted study on risk factors for work-related low back pain is needed.

• Korean Journal of Culture and Social Issue
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• v.28 no.3
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• pp.441-481
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• 2022

This study attempted to explore the experience related to the work-family balance of working moms during the COVID-19 period. To this end, in-depth interviews were conducted by recruiting 17 part-time and full-time working moms with at least 1 child under the age of 13. As a result of analyzing the data using the method of grounded theory, 106 concepts, 50 subcategories, and 24 categories were derived. The central phenomenon that working moms experienced in the process of work and family balance were "physical and emotional exhaustion", "anxiety and guilt about not doing well in situations of role conflicts between various roles", "job crisis experienced by working mothers" and "deepening family conflicts". The process of working moms overcoming the central phenomenon and achieving work-family balance was identified as five stages: the 'shock and confusion stage', the 'struggling stage', the 'actively coping and making compromise stages', the 'acceptance stage', and the 'post-traumatic growth stage'. Based on these results, discussions on the work-family balance of working mothers during the COVID-19 period was dealt as well as suggestions for follow-up studies.

• Korean Journal of Biological Psychiatry
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• v.29 no.2
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• pp.46-55
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• 2022

Objectives 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 that how much subjective mental well-being of employees would be influenced by their hours of work. The aim of this study was to investigate the association between work hours and clinically relevant depressive symptoms with demographic variables adjusted. Methods Participants were employees of a total of 56 private companies and local government organizations in Korea, aged 19 to 65 years. A self-report questionnaire that included items on working hour, job stress, levels of depression, and socio-demographic factors was administered to 15360 Korean employees, with 14477 valid responses. Hierarchical linear regression analyses, adjusted for sociodemographic factors, job related demographic factors, job stress, were used additionally to estimate the association between working hours and depressive scores. Results We found that working more than 40 hours per week correlated positively with the level of depressive symptoms after adjusting for demographic variables and the level of job stress. Furthermore, working 40 or fewer hours per week correlated negatively with the level of depressive symptoms. Being younger (β = -0.078, β = -0.099), being a female (β = 2.770, β = 1.268), and possessing a lower level of education (β = -0.315, β = -1.125) were significantly associated with higher level of depressive symptoms in all respondents. Conclusions Both of working excessively long or short hours is significantly associated with the prevalence of depressive symptoms. Establishing proper office hours for employees is critical to improving the quality of working conditions and maintaining good mental health in the workplace.