Influence of Physical and Musculoskeletal Factors on Occupational Injuries and Accidents in Korean Workers Based on Gender and Company Size

The Dual Labor Market and Workers' Health Inequality in South Korea

OBJECTIVE

We investigated how worker health inequality is potentially linked to the dual labor market in South Korea.

METHODS

Using the data from the fifth Korean Working Conditions Survey, we analyzed the data from 21,088 paid workers. We used logistic regression analyses to assess whether employment type or company size had a significant effect on workers' physical and mental health and work-related injuries.

RESULTS

Workers' health status was significantly associated with employment type and company size. Nonstandard workers had higher rates of musculoskeletal diseases or injuries, and their self-rated health and psychological well-being were lower than standard workers. Company size showed a significant correlation only for work-related injuries.

CONCLUSIONS

The structure of inequality in Korea's labor market according to employment type and company size seems to be affecting the health and safety of workers.

Influence of the Thermal Environment on Occupational Health and Safety in Automotive Industry: A Case Study

Considering thermal environment aspects have a major impact not only on occupational health and safety (OH&S) performance but also on the productivity and satisfaction of the workers, the aim of the case study was to assess the thermal comfort of a group of 33 workers in an automotive industry company, starting with collecting data about the thermal environment from different workplaces, continuing with the analytical determination and interpretation of thermal comfort using the calculation of the Predicted Mean Vote (PMV) and Predicted Percentage of Dissatisfied (PPD) indices, according to provisions of the standard ISO 7730:2005, and comparing the results with the subjective perception of the workers revealed by applying individual questionnaires. The results of the study represent an important input element for establishing the preventive and protective measures for the analysed workplaces in correlation with the measures addressing other specific risks and, also, could serve as a model for extending and applying to other similar workplaces in future studies. Moreover, the mathematical model and the software instrument used for this study case could be used in further similar studies on larger groups of workers and in any industrial domain.

Association between Occupational Noise and Vibration Exposure and Insomnia among Workers in Korea

Background: The effect of noise and vibration exposure on disturbed sleep has been investigated in the past. However, this study was carried out to investigate the relationship between workplace noise and vibration exposure with insomnia amongst representative Korean workers, both simultaneously and separately. Methods: Our research analyzed an overall population of 30,837 workers aged 15 years or older using data derived from the 5th Korean Working Conditions Survey (KWCS) conducted in 2017. Chi-squared tests and logistic regression were performed to investigate baseline characteristics and to quantify the association between workplace exposure to noise and vibration with insomnia. Relative excess risk due to interaction (RERI), attributable proportion (AP), and synergy index (S) were calculated to measure interactions between simultaneous noise and vibration exposure with insomnia. Results: The prevalence of those who reported insomnia was 18.3% of the general population. Among men and women, insomnia in those who were exposed to noise only was 13.9% and 18.3%, respectively, and in those who were exposed to vibration only, it was 23.9% in males and 26.4% in females. Insomnia in those who were exposed to both noise and vibration simultaneously was 20.5% and 41.2% in men and women, respectively. The odds ratio (OR) of insomnia due to noise exposure was 1.10 and 1.07 in men and women, respectively. OR of vibration exposure was 1.84 in men and 1.58 in women. For noise plus vibration exposure OR was 1.83 in men and 3.14 in female workers, where the synergistic effect of noise and vibration exposure could be seen. The association between the varying degree of simultaneous noise plus vibration exposure with insomnia showed a dose–response relationship. The interaction measures showed a synergistic effect of simultaneous exposure in women but not in men. Conclusion: Our study revealed an association between occupational noise and vibration exposure and insomnia, both individually and simultaneously. Additional studies and research are required to further comprehend this relationship.