The health and working conditions of employees have become increasingly important issues in modern society. In recent years, there has been a continuous rise in problems related to the deterioration of workers’ alth, which seriously affects their safety and overall quality of life. Although existing research has investigated various factors affecting workers’ health and working conditions, there is still a lack of studies that scientifically analyze and identify key variables from the vast number of factors. This study employs the Lasso (Least Absolute Shrinkage and Selection Operator) technique to mathematically analyze the key variables influencing workers’ health status and satisfaction with their working environment. Lasso is a technique used in machine learning to identify a small number of variables that impact the dependent variable among a large set of variables, thereby reducing model complexity and improving predictive accuracy. The results of the study can be utilized in efficiently improving workers’ health and working environments by focusing on a smaller set of impactful variables.

This study analyzes the impact of occupational health risk assessments on the safety and health levels and the safety behaviors of workers in manufacturing workplaces. An online survey was conducted among 3,172 companies, yielding 637 responses. The statistical analysis on the collected responses revealed three key findings. First, the safety and health levels (safety importance, safety comprehension, safety awareness) positively influence the outcomes of occupational health risk assessments(safety practice, safety management, safety improvement) and safety behaviors (activity change, safety check). Second, the effectiveness of occupational health risk assessments has a positive impact on safety behaviors. Lastly, the effectiveness of occupational health risk assessments partially mediate the relationship between safety and health levels and safety behaviors. These findings are expected to contribute to the promotion of risk assessments in the field of industrial health and to enhancing safety performance by improving workplace safety, health levels, and safety behavior.

Scientific exploration of how occupational health risks relate with occupational illnesses are essential for mitigating health-related issues in industries. This study analyzed the risk scores obtained by occupational health risk assessments at 3,172 manufacturing companies and examined their effects on occupational illness. Statistical analyses revealed that companies with an occupational health manager (scored 89.1 out of 100) had significantly higher activity scores of health management compared to those without (78.2). However, companies with a history of occupational illness (79.1) or those classified as high-risk industries (85.2) had significantly lower activity scores than their counterparts (81.7, 87.3). In addition, regression analyses using factor analysis showed that latent risk factors such as cardiovascular disease/job stress, health management, and musculoskeletal problem significantly influenced the risk of occupational illness. The activity factors such as health management, work environment management, and regulatory complaisance significant impacted the reduction of occupational illness. The findings of this study can be used to improve the occupational health risk assessment method and utilized in effectively managing occupational risks in industries.

The public safety management guidelines were introduced in 2019 and continue to be dedicated to advancing comprehensive measures for public safety management, with a primary focus on prioritizing the safety and well-being of the public within governmental institutions. To achieve this goal, our previous study developed a establishment procedure of risk assessment-based safety inspection system for public institutions that order construction projects and applied it to highway construction projects to evaluate its effectiveness. To enhance the practicality of the establishment procedure, it is essential to collect and analyze feedback from stakeholders regarding its performance and suitability. This study conducted a survey involving 200 participants who had experience with the establishment procedure, and performed statistical analyses to evaluate its performance and applicability. The survey results indicated that the participants reported a high level of satisfaction (scoring 4 and above on a 5-point Likert scale) in several areas: specialization of safety inspection items for different types of work (with a satisfaction rate of 65%), the evaluation process for safety ratings (64.5%), and their willingness to recommend the procedure to other institutions (75.5%). In the factor analysis with Varimax rotation, two factors emerged: (1) a specialization factor related to safety inspection items, and (2) a grading factor associated with safety evaluation results. Regression analyses of these factors unveiled significant positive relationships with improvements in safety and health performance, including the prevention of fatal accidents, heightened safety responsibility, and raised safety inspection standards. The establishment procedure of safety inspection system developed in our previous study can play a crucial role in reducing accidents resulting in fatalities and injuries at construction sites, ultimately contributing to a safer working environment for all involved parties.

Public institutions have a responsibility to ensure the safety of their employees and the public. One way to do this is to implement a systematic safety inspection system based on risk assessments and continuous improvements. This study developed a systematic safety inspection system for public institutions that are ordered construction projects. The proposed system in this study consists of a three-step process: (1) developing safety grade evaluation tables, (2) preparing and conducting safety inspections, and (3) evaluating and improving safety management grades. The first step is to develop safety grade evaluation tables by analysis and diagnosis of the construction site's work type, disaster statistics, and related laws. The second step is to conduct safety inspections using the developed evaluation tables. The third step is to determine the safety management grade based on the results of the safety inspection, and to improve risk factors found during the safety evaluation. The proposed system was implemented in highway construction projects carried out by public institutions. The results showed that the proposed system has two major effects: (1) reducing accident-related deaths and injuries, (2) improving safety management levels by continuous evaluation and improvement. The proposed system can be utilized in construction projects ordered by public institutions to improve the level of occupational safety and health.

The use of hanging scaffolding for exterior wall painting and cleaning in building construction and maintenance carries the inherent risk of fall accidents. While periodic rope replacement is crucial for preventing accidents resulting from rope breakage, current regulations lack specificity in determining appropriate disposal period for fiber ropes. This study analyzed the tensile strength of the most commonly used PP fiber ropes with different diameters (16 mm, 20 mm) in the domestic construction industry. Additionally, the effect of outdoor exposure was examined by measuring the tensile strength of new ropes and ropes exposing to outdoor conditions for 30 days and 90 days. The results showed that the new ropes and those exposed to outdoor for 30 days met the KS (Korean Standards) criteria for tensile strength. However, a significant decrease in tensile strength was observed in ropes exposed to outdoor for 90 days compared to both the new ropes and those exposed for 30 days. Furthermore, the ropes exposed for 90 days did not meet the KS criteria. These findings indicate the degradation of PP fiber ropes due to UV (Ultra Violet) radiation, highlighting the importance of considering this factor when determining the replacement period for fiber ropes used in scaffolding work.

Construction industry is considered as one of the most high-risk industries for work-related injuries and fatalities, accounting for more than half of fatalities in Korea. Advanced countries have recognized the critical role of designers in preventing construction accidents and have established regulations on design for safety. In line with this, the Korean government have also implemented regulations that require owners and designers to review the safety of design outcomes. However, it has been observed that designers face challenges in identifying hazards and integrating design solutions at the design stage mainly due to their shortage of required knowledge and skills. This study aimed to examine design solutions that can be applied to prevent fall accidents in the construction industry, and to establish a relationship between these solutions and fatal fall accidents occurred over the past three years in Korea. This study also analyzed the relationships of four variables (construction type, cost, work type, and fall location) with design solutions. The results indicated that all four variables have significant relationships with design solutions, with fall location showing the strongest relationship. The design solutions and their relationships with fatal fall accidents identified in this study can be utilized in identifying hazard and integrating design solutions to ensure design for safety.

Occupational safety and health management expenses in the construction industry are statutory and separately included in the cost statement to prevent occupational accidents and health problems. The expenses are determined by multiplying the standard amount by the rate decided according to construction types and scales. However, the current expense appropriation method does not properly reflect the recent changes in the construction industry such as industry size, industry diversification, and social atmosphere about safety reinforcement. This study surveyed 1579 questionnaires in total and analyzed expense execution rate and proportion of each expense category. The expense execution rate was relative higher in complex construction (e.g., heavy construction = 126%, civil engineering = 125%) and long-period project (equal to or over 48 months construction = 133%) compared to general construction (98~116%) and short-period project (less than 48 months construction = 115%). The proportion of spending expenses was higher in the category of safety manager labor costs (25~52%), safety facility costs (22~40%), and personal protective equipment costs (10~25%). The analysis results of the study can be utilized in revising the standard expense appropriation method by reflecting the current usages of the occupational safety and health management expenses in the construction industry.

The Severe Disaster Punishment Act had recently been established in order to promote safety and health (OSH) management system for severe accident prevention. OSH management system is primarily designed based on risk assessments; however, companies in industries have been experiencing difficulties in hazard identification and selecting proper measures for risk assessments and accident prevention. This study intended to introduce an accident analysis method based on epidemiological model in finding hazard and preventive measures. The accident analysis method employed in this study was proposed by the U.S. Department of Energy. To demonstrate the effectiveness of the accident analysis method, this study applied it to two accident cases occurred in construction and manufacturing industries. The application process and results of this study can be utilized in improving OSH management system and preventing severe accidents.

Determination of explosion reference pressure is important in designing and testing flameproof enclosures (Ex d). Although relative humidity affects to explosion pressure, its effect is not well investigated for the gas group IIB, IIA, and I. This study tested explosion pressure for Ethylene (8 vol.%), Propane (4.6 vol.%), and Methane (9.8 vol.%), which are the representative gas of the gas group IIB, IIA, and I, at ambient temperature and atmospheric pressure (1 atm) under different relative humidity (0% ~ 80%). Ethylene- and Propane-air mixed gases generally tended to decrease as the relative humidity increased; however, explosion pressure was largely dropped at 20% of relative humidity compared to 0% and 10% of relative humidity. On the other hand, Methane-air mixture gas showed similar pressures at 0% and 10% of relative humidity; but no explosion occurred at more than 20%. The results of this study can be used in setting a testing protocol of explosion reference pressure for designing and testing a flameproof enclosure.

To test a flameproof enclosure for the safety certificate, a reference pressure of explosion needs to be determined. However, the explosion pressure may be changed according to relative humidity of explosive gases. Therefore, the guideline on relative humidity should be recommended for measuring the explosion pressure for accurate and reproducible testings. This study examined the relationship of explosion pressure with relative humidity of hydrogen (31 vol %)-air and acetylene (14 vol %)-air mixture gases. The explosion pressures were measured by increasing the relative humidity of the gases by 10 % from dry state to 80 % in a cylindrical explosion enclosure of 2.3 L. on ambient temperature and atmospheric pressure (1 atm). The maximum explosive pressures were remained almost constant until the relative humidity reached 10 % for the hydrogen-air mixture and 20 % for the acetylene-air mixture. However, the maximum explosive pressures linearly decreased as the relative humidity increased. Based on the results of the study, it would be recommended to use 10 % relative humidity for the hydrogen-air mixture and 20 % for the acetylene-air mixture as the critical value in testing a flameproof enclosure.

This study examined the certification effects of safety and health management system (SHMS) on the establishment level of SHMS and accident statistics in construction industry. This study obtained the establishment level of SHMS for 106 construction companies surveyed from our previous study. In addition, three major accident statistics (mortality rate, accidental mortality rate, and injury rate) for the companies were collected from the database in Korean Occupational Safety and Health Agency. The statistical analysis results revealed that the establishment level for SHMS certified companies was significantly higher than those for uncertified or certification preparing companies. Furthermore, SHMS certified companies showed significantly smaller accident statistics compared to uncertified or certification preparing companies. The results of this study support the positive effects of SHMS on reducing major industrial accidents in construction companies.

The food delivery platform labor market has been continuing to grow rapidly in Korea, which resulted in traffic accident increases of delivery riders. To prevent traffic accidents while delivery, this study conducted a survey for 462 delivery riders and analyzed the statistical relationships of delivery characteristics and risk perception with delivery accidents. The results of this study revealed that riders with young age (20s: 46.6%) and/or low delivery experience (less than 1 year: 50.6%) had significantly higher proportion of accident experience than other age groups (over 40s: 36.2%) and high delivery experience (more than 2 years: 36.4%). In addition, side job riders (61.5%) showed significantly higher proportion of accident experience than main job riders (39.1%). The riders with accident experience had more number of deliveries per hour (weekday: 3.56, weekend: 3.91) than the riders without accident experience (weekday: 3.29, weekend: 3.68). Lastly, the riders with accident experience rated significantly higher perceived level of risk on weather, violation of traffic laws, uninspected motorcycle, receiving calls while driving, missing safety training, missing personal protective equipment than the riders without accident experience. This study suggested four aspects based on the study results to prevent traffic accidents for delivery riders.

Since cranes are a kind of complex human-machine systems, it is almost impossible to completely secure safety with current technologies. Therefore, managerial interventions to prevent human errors are needed for safely operating a crane. The Occupational Safety and Health law states that cabin-type crane operators should have crane drivers’ licence and crane-related operators (e.g., pendent-type crane operators, slinging workers) should take a special safety training. However, statistics on industrial accidents showed that fatalities due to crane accidents (185 accidents occurred during 2013~2017) were the highest among hazardous machinery and equipment. To effectively control the crane-related accidents, voices of crane workers need to be analyzed to investigate the current status. This study surveyed perceived causes of crane accidents and status of special safety training for crane workers of 387. The survey revealed that 24.3% of the respondents experienced crane accidents and 31.4% eye-witnessed crane accidents. 79% of the respondents pointed human errors such as improper crane operation and improper slinging as the first cause. Lastly, only 16.7% of the respondents took a professional special safety training; but the rest took lecture-based or incomplete education. The findings of the present study can be applied to improve crane-related policies and special safety training systems.

Crane is an important equipment for the transport of heavy goods in industrial sites, but it is also known as one of the most fatal machines. In order to reduce crane accidents, it is necessary to minimize human errors during crane operations. To achieve this, ergonomic design principles are recommended to be reflected from the crane design stage. The study analyzed the safety certification standards for crane that should be fulfilled at the crane design and manufacturing stage. This study selected five representative ergonomic design principles (feedback, compatibility, consistency, full-proof, and fail-safe) by surveying heuristic evaluation principles that are widely used for usability evaluation in early design stage. Next, the principles were applied to the safety certification standards to identify insufficient clauses. This study identified 12 insufficient clauses out of 119 in the current safety certification standards for crane and discussed their improvement directions to comply the ergonomic principles. The analysis results of this study can help of improving the safety certification standards and the method used in this study can also be applied to identify insufficient clauses in the safety certification standards for other industrial machines such as press machine and lift.

The leading source of occupational fatalities is a portable ladder in Korea because it is widely used in industry as work platform. In order to reduce victims, it is necessary to establish preventive measures for the accidents caused by portable ladder. Therefore, this study statistically analyzed injury death by portable ladder for recent 10 years to investigate the accident characteristics. Next, to monitor wearing of safety helmet in real-time while working on a portable ladder, this study developed an object detection model based on the You Only Look Once(YOLO) architecture, which can accurately detect objects within a reasonable time. The model was trained on 6,023 images with/without ladders and safety helmets. The performance of the proposed detection model was 0.795 for F1 score and 0.843 for mean average precision. In addition, the proposed model processed at least 25 frames per second which make the model suitable for real-time application.