Effects of Manganese Exposure on Dopamine and Prolactin Production in Rat

Chunhui Suh,Chae kwan Lee,Jong Tae Lee,Jeong Ho Kim,SeungHwan Shin 대한산업의학회 2008 대한직업환경의학회 학술대회 논문집 Vol.41 No.-

Developmental and Reproductive Toxicity of Perfluorinated Chemicals

Chunhui Suh(서춘희),Nam-Kyoo Cho,Chang-Hee Lee,Jung-Ho Kim,Hui Dong Kim 대한직업환경의학회 2009 대한직업환경의학회 학술대회 논문집 Vol.43 No.-

Distribution of PFOA and PFOS in maternal blood, cord blood and breast milk in Busan

Chunhui Suh,Chae Kwan Lee,Kunhyung Kim,Byung Chul Son,Jong Tae Lee 환경독성보건학회 2013 한국독성학회 심포지움 및 학술발표회 Vol.2013 No.10

비특이적 건물관련질환

서춘희(Chunhui Suh),하은희(Eun-Hee Ha),홍윤철(Yun-Chul Hong),채유미(Chae Yoo Mi),장규진(CHANG Kyu-jin),김정원(Jungwon Kim) 대한직업환경의학회 2012 대한직업환경의학회지 Vol.24 No.4

채용시 건강진단 폐지 후 배치전 건강진단의 실태

서춘희,이종태,김대환,손병철,이창희,김휘동,안진동 大韓産業醫學會 2008 대한직업환경의학회지 Vol.20 No.3

목적: 산업안전보건법 개정 후 배치전 건강진단의 실시 현황 및 보건관리자의 인식도를 파악하고자 하였다. 방법: 부산과 경남에 위치하는 특수건강진단기관 2개소 에서 2006년 1월 1일에서 2006년 12월 31일까지 배치전 건강진단을 받은 근로자 6,507명을 대상으로 배치전 건 강진단서 판정결과를 검토하였다. 건강관리구분 유소견자 판정을 받은 근로자 330명을 대상으로 전화인터뷰를 시도하여 성공한 185명을 최종 연구 대상으로 하였다. 그리고 동 기관에서 관리하고 있으며 특수건강진단을 실시하는 보건관리대행 사업장 중에서 169개의 사업장 보건 관리자를 대상으로 2007년 5월 1일에서 9월 30일까지 설문조사를 하였다. 결과: 근로자 전화 인터뷰 조사에서 배치전 건강진단 결과 질환 유소견 판정때문에 채용이 거부된 사람은 51명 (27.4%)이었다. 보건관리자를 대상으로 한 설문조사에서 채용시 건강진단의 폐지를 모르는 사업장이 39개(23.1%)였다. 배치전 건강진단을 근로자 채용결정 후 부서배치 전에 실시하는 사업장 73개(43.2%)중에서 그 결과를 부서배치에 활용한다고 응답한 사업장이 63개 (37.3%)였다 질환유소견 판정을 받았을 때 고혈압,당뇨병,고지혈증 등 만성 칠환이 있는 경우 각각 20개(11.8%),21개(12.4%),22개(13.0%) 사업장에서 근로자를 고용하지 않는다고 답했고,업무상 질병과 관련된 청력이상,요추부 방사선 이상소견이 있을 때 각각 76개 (44.4%),75개(43.8%) 사업장에서 근로자를 고용하지 않는다고 답했다. 결론: 채용전 건강진단이 폐지되고 배치전 건강진단에 대한 법 조항이 개정되었음에도 불구하고 사업장에서는 법규에 대한 이해가 불충분하여 여전히 배치전 건강진단이 취업시 불건강자를 가려내는 목적으로 이용되고 있으며,업무 적합성 개념에 대한 이해가 불충분하였다. 따라서 사업주는 배치전 건강진단 실시시기를 준수하고 건강 진단 기관에 배치 예정 업무에 대해 구체적인 정보를 제공하여야 한다. 정부에서는 법규 개정 후 홍보에 힘쓰고,법규 시행 후 적절한 정책 평가도 병행하여야 한다. Objectives: We investigated the status of the preplacement medical examination after the revision of the industrial safety and health law on Oct. 7, 2005 by the Ministry of Labor. Methods: Preplacement medical certificates of 6,507 recruits issued by two hospitals in Busan, Kyeongnam Province from Jan. 1 to Dec. 31,2006 were reviewed. Telephone interviews were performed to the recruits with disease and self-reported questionnaires were administrated to health and safety personnel from May 1 to Sep. 30, 2007. Results: Interviews were conducted with 185(56.1 %) recruits with disease, 51(27.4%) of whom were rejected for employment due to the preplacement medical certificate. The questionnaire survey for the health and safety personnel revealed that 39(22.9%) personnel were unaware of the annulment of the preemployment medical examination. Eighty(48.8%) of the health and safety personnel answered that they performed a preplacement medical examination after employment, and 63(37.3%) made a practical application of the workers' placement. The recruits with chronic conditions were refused employment: 20 (11.8%) due to hypertension, 21 (12.4%) diabetes mellitus and 22(13.0%) hyperlipidemia. The recruits with work-related diseases were also refused employments: 76(44.4%) due to lumbar spine abnormality and 75(43.8%) hearing loss. Conclusions: Despite the annulment of the pre-employment medical examination, a preplacement medical examination was often used to discriminate among healthy and diseased recruits. Employers must respect the law for the point of time of the preplacement medical examination and the payment of cost. The government should publicize the revision of the objectives of the law. We suggest that health professionals elucidate the job fitness through the development of the assessment tools and maintain the confidentiality of recruits.

Validation of the Work Engagement Scale-3, used in the 5th Korean Working Conditions Survey

Maro Choi,Chunhui Suh,Seong Pil Choi,Chae Kwan Lee,Byung Chul Son 대한직업환경의학회 2020 대한직업환경의학회지 Vol.32 No.-

Background: The purpose of this study was to assess the reliability and validity of the 3-item version of the Work Engagement Scale (WES-3), which is based on the Job Demands-Resources (JD-R) model and was used in the 5th Korean Working Conditions Survey (KWCS). Methods: This study used data from the 5th KWCS (n = 50,205), which was conducted in 2017 with a sample of the Korean working population. The survey gathered comprehensive information on working conditions to define workforce changes and the quality of work and life. The reliability and internal consistency of the WES-3 were assessed using the corrected item-total correlation and Cronbach"s alpha coefficient. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was used to test the construct validity of work engagement. The convergent validity was assessed using the correlation with the WHO-5 well-being index. Correlations between work engagement and JD-R factors were also calculated. Results: The Cronbach"s alpha for work engagement was 0.776, indicating acceptable internal consistency. The model comprising 3 work engagement and 2 burnout items showed an excellent fit (χ2: 382.05, Tucker-Lewis index: 0.984, comparative fit index: 0.994, root mean square error of approximation: 0.043). The convergent validity was significant (correlation coefficient: 0.42). Correlations with burnout and job demands were negligible, whereas correlations with job resources and job satisfaction were weakly positive. Conclusions: The results of our study confirm that the WES-3 has acceptable reliability and validity.

Perception of and attitude toward ethical issues among Korean occupational physicians

Junghye Choi,Chunhui Suh,Jong-Tae Lee,Segyeong Lee,Chae-Kwan Lee,Gyeong-Jin Lee,Taekjoong Kim,Byung-Chul Son,Jeong-Ho Kim,Kunhyung Kim,Dae Hwan Kim,Ji Young Ryu 대한직업환경의학회 2017 대한직업환경의학회지 Vol.29 No.-

Background: Occupational physicians (OPs) have complex relationships with employees, employers, and the general public. OPs may have simultaneous obligations towards third parties, which can lead to variable conflicts of interests. Among the various studies of ethical issues related to OPs, few have focused on the Korean OPs. The aim of the present survey was to investigate the ethical contexts, the practical resolutions, and the ethical principles for the Korean OPs. Methods: An email with a self-administered questionnaire was sent to members of the Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, comprising 150 specialists and 130 residents. The questionnaire was also distributed to 52 specialists and 46 residents who attended the annual meeting of the Korean Association of Occupational and Environmental Clinics in October 2015, and to 240 specialists by uploading the questionnaire to the online community ‘oem-doctors’ in February 2016. The responses to each question (perception of general ethical conflicts, recognition of various ethical codes for OPs, core professional values in ethics of occupational medicine, and a mock case study) were compared between specialists and residents by the chi-squared test and Fisher’s exact test. Results: Responses were received from 80 specialists and 71 residents. Most participants had experienced ethical conflicts at work and felt the need for systematic education and training. OPs suffered the most ethical conflicts in decisions regarding occupational health examination and evaluation for work relatedness. Over 60% of total participants were unaware of the ethical codes of other countries. Participants thought ‘consideration of worker’s health and safety’ (26.0%) and ‘neutrality’ (24.7%) as the prominent ethical values in professionality ofoccupational medicine. In mock cases, participants chose beneficence and justice for fitness for work and confidential information acquired while on duty, and beneficence and respect for autonomy in pre-placement examinations. Conclusions: This study evaluated the current perception of and attitude toward ethical issues among the Korean OPs. These findings will facilitate the development of a code of ethics and the ethical decision-making program forthe Korean OPs.

High lead exposure in two leaded bronze ingot foundry workers

Yoojun Song,Chunhui Suh,Shin-Ae Kim,Nami Kim,Sung-Min Kim,Seong-Wook Jeong,Se-Yeong Kim,Kun-Hyung Kim,Jeong-Ho Kim,Byung-Chul Son,Chae-Kwan Lee,Jong-Tae Lee 대한직업환경의학회 2014 대한직업환경의학회지 Vol.26 No.-

Background: Awareness about lead poisoning in South Korea has increased; however, occupational exposures occurring in small-scale businesses have not been thoroughly investigated. We report two cases of high lead exposure in a leaded bronze ingot foundry. Case presentation: Two employees, a 54-year-old primary operator and a 46-year-old assistant, at a small-scale metalworking company who had been employed for 18 years and 1 month, respectively, showed elevated blood lead levels (61.1 μg/dL and 51.7 μg/dL, respectively) at an occupational health checkup. Neither worker complained of abnormal symptoms nor signs related to lead poisoning. Health assessment follow-ups were conducted and biological exposure indices of lead were calculated every four weeks. After the initial follow-up assessment, both workers were relocated from the foundry process to the metalworking process. In addition, a localized exhaust system was installed after the second follow-up. Conclusions: Foundry workers in a small-scale businesses might be at high risk of lead exposure because these businesses might be vulnerable to poor industrial hygiene. Therefore, regular occupational health checkups are required.

The work–life balance and psychosocial well-being of South Korean workers

Jae Won Yang,Chunhui Suh,Chae Kwan Lee,Byung Chul Son 대한직업환경의학회 2018 대한직업환경의학회지 Vol.30 No.-

Background: It is challenging to balance work and life, and little attention has been paid to the work.life balance and psychosocial well-being of South Koreans. We assessed the association between work.life balance and psychosocial well-being among paid Korean workers. Methods: This study was based on data from the fourth Korean Working Conditions Survey. We evaluated only paid workers, which constituted 30,649 of the total of 50,007 subjects surveyed. Poor work.life balance was defined based on the goodness of fit between working hours and social commitments. Well-being was measured using the World Health Organization WHO-5 index. Poisson regression with robust variances was used to calculate the estimated prevalence ratios (PRs) with confidence intervals. Results: Poor work.life balance was associated with poor psychosocial well-being (PR = 1.25; 95% CI 1.21 to 1.28) even after adjusting for work-related and individual characteristics. Poor well-being was associated with low-level job autonomy (PR = 1.06; 95% CI 1.03 to 1.09), working for ≥53 h per week (PR = 1.10; 95% CI 1.06 to 1.14), bluecollar status (PR = 1.16; 95% CI 1.11 to 1.21), low-level support at work (PR = 1.32; 95% CI 1.29 to 1.36), age ≥50 years (PR = 1.21; 95% CI 1.15 to 1.26), the female gender (95% CI PR = 1.04; 95% CI 1.01 to 1.07), and cohabitation (living with somebody) (PR = 1.08; 95% CI 1.04 to 1.12). Good well-being was associated with high-intensity work (PR = 0.96; 95% CI 0.94 to 0.99), being the secondary earner in a household (PR = 0.82; 95% CI 0.79 to 0.85), and higher income (PR = 0.75; 95% CI 0.71 to 0.79). Conclusion: Work.life balance was associated with psychosocial well-being after adjusting for both work-related and individual characteristics.

Effectiveness of a Comprehensive Stress Management Program to Reduce Work-Related Stress in a Medium-Sized Enterprise

Shin-Ae Kim,Chunhui Suh,Mi-Hee Park,Kunhyung Kim,Chae-Kwan Lee,Byung-Chul Son,Jeong-Ho Kim,Jong-Tae Lee,Kuck-Hyun Woo,Kabsoon Kang,Hyunjin Jung 대한직업환경의학회 2014 대한직업환경의학회지 Vol.26 No.-

Objectives: To assess the effectiveness of a comprehensive workplace stress management program consisting of participatory action-oriented training (PAOT) and individual management. Methods: A comprehensive workplace stress management program was conducted in a medium-sized enterprise. The baseline survey was conducted in September 2011, using the Korean Occupational Stress Scale (KOSS) and Worker’s Stress Response Inventory (WSRI). After implementing both organizational and individual level interventions, the follow up evaluation was conducted in November 2011. Results: Most of the workers participated in the organizational level PAOT and made Team-based improvement plans. Based on the stress survey, 24 workers were interviewed by a researcher. After the organizational and individual level interventions, there was a reduction of several adverse psychosocial factors and stress responses. In the case of blue-collar workers, psychosocial factors such as the physical environment, job demands, organizational system, lack of rewards, and occupational climate were significantly improved; in the case of white-collar workers, the occupational climate was improved. Conclusions: In light of these results, we concluded that the comprehensive stress management program was effective in reducing work-related stress in a short-term period. A persistent long-term follow up is necessary to determine whether the observed effects are maintained over time. Both team-based improvement activities and individual interviews have to be sustainable and complementary to each other under the long-term plan.