일부 사업장의 작업환경측정 신뢰성평가 결과 = A Reliability Assessment for the Exposure Monitoring Results of some Workplaces

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

The purpose of this study was to improve the awareness of employers about worker`s exposure monitoring and to urge the exposure monitoring service institutes to produce good exposure monitoring results through a reliability assessment for the exposure monitoring results. Exposure monitoring results for harmful factors(harmful substances and physical agents) being exposed to workers provide employers and workers with very useful information in improving their poor working environment. But there have been some cases of occupational diseases due to underestimating or misestimating the concentration of harmful factors. Worker`s exposure monitoring is a basic tool in preventing occupational diseases. If the concentration of harmful factors being exposed to workers is underestimated or misestimated, control measures being needed to prevent occupational disease will not be taken due to absence of appropriate monitoring results. KOSHA conducted a reliability assessment for the exposure monitoring results of a hundred workplaces nationwide. According to the results of the reliability assessment, there were some cases of underestimating or misestimating the concentration of harmful factors. For example some workplaces have not been conducting the exposure monitoring for some of harmful factors being exposed to workers, some of workplaces have underestimated the concentration of harmful factors comparing to the real concentration of them. These results are because the highest exposed workers to harmful factors were not monitored or the exposure monitoring was conducted under abnormal working condition that concentration of harmful factors was lower than real concentration of them. In conclusion the deficit of awareness of employers and the exposure monitoring service institutes about a real meaning of the exposure monitoring was one of the reasons why the results of exposure monitoring conducted by some employers were so inappropriate. It seems that this reliability assessment for the exposure monitoring results is necessary for the time being to improve the awareness of employers and service institutes and to guide employers to produce the good results of exposure monitoring.