The Relationship between Alcohol Use and Job Stress among Firemen / 대한산업의학회지

OBJECTIVES: To establish the relationship between alcohol use and job stress among firemen, and to develop a comprehensive health promotion program including stress management and the prevention of problem drinking. METHODS: Data was collected from July to August, 2000. Study subjects included 97 rescue workers, 97 emergency medical personnel, 179 fire extinguishers, 116 administrators and 49 others. RESULTS: The firemen displayed higher scores of stress due to promotion-related pressures and salary. We found significant differences in job internal factors, job role, interpersonal relationship, organizational norm, work environment and stress outcome among the various jobs. Job internal factors, job stress factors, personal characteristics, coping skills, and stress outcome were higher in heavy drinkers compared with the light and moderate drinkers. Job internal factors and smoking habit showed a positive correlation with the amount of drinking, although coping skill, exercise frequency and monthly income showed a negative relation with the amount consumed. CONCLUSION: This study suggested that alcohol drinking is associated with job stress. This suggests that a comprehensive health promotion program including stress management and problem drinking prevention and control should be developed.

A Relationship between Cumulative Trauma Disorder and the Type of Workstations and Chairs in Workers with Repetitive Motion Tasks / 대한산업의학회지

OBJECTIVES: The main purpose of this study was to investigate relationship between cumulative trauma disorders(CTDs) and the types of workstation and chair in workers with repetitive motion tasks. METHODS: The study subjects were 77 repetitive motion tasks workers at small manufacturing industries in Seoul and Gyung-gi district area. A questionnaire was used to obtain about health practice for prevention and prevalence of CTDs by worker. The type of Workstations and chairs in workers were measured and analyzed with prevalence of CTDs by logistic regression. RESULTS: Eighty-six percent of workers recognized that work posture was related to workstation and chair. Most employers and employees didn't follow the work practice guidelines for workers with repetitive motion tasks. The prevalence of CTDs was 64% by questionnaire. The prevalence of pain in shoulder, neck, back, and arm were 38%, 15%, 6%, and 5%, respectively, and the pain started after working an average duration of 16.5 months. The CTDs symptoms were significantly related to thickness of workstation, height of workstation, length of knee depth under workstation, height of back rest, height of seat pan, depth of sitting surface, width of sitting surface, and length from workstation surface edge to shoulder. By multiple regression analysis of each risk factor, prevalence of CTDs was highly correlated with height of back rest, height of seat pan, and depth of sitting surface. CONCLUSIONS: This study suggests that workstations should be made adjustable for height and chairs should be equipped with seat pan height control, enough sitting surface for depth and width, back rest height and angle control. The workers should use the right working postures, exercise for health, occupational health education, and rest breaks and the manager of company should be educated for the preventing of CTDs.