ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: This study evaluated the relationship between injury occurrence and workplace organization in small-sized, manufacturing factories in Korea. METHODS: Using data from the 2004 Occupational Safety and Health Survey in Korea, this study compared workplace organizational factors (general characteristics, employee characteristics and health and safety characteristics) with injury occurrence of 1,866 small-sized, manufacturing factories (65,921 population factories after weighting). General characteristics of factories comprised location, type and classification of industry. Employee characteristics comprised proportion of manual workers and female workers, average working hours per week and shiftwork. Health and safety characteristics comprised type of safety and health manager, committee for occupational safety and health, labor union, health and safety regulation, monthly health and safety training time, score of health and safety activity and score of safety culture. RESULTS: The following characteristics of injury-occurrence in small-sized, manufacturing factories were determined by multivariate analysis. In terms of general characteristics, the risk of injury-occurrence was higher in Jeolla area than Gyeongin area in outside associate than other enterprises and in coke, refined petroleum products and nuclear fuel, wood and products of wood, food products and beverages and fabricated metal products, except machinery and furniture industries than television and communication equipment and apparatus industries. In terms of employee characteristics, injury-occurrence significantly increased in factories with greater proportion of manual worker and with a higher rate of working hours per week. But significantly decreased in factories with a higher proportion of female workers. In terms of health and safety characteristics, injury-occurrence significantly increased in factories with a self-appointed safety manager, with unorganized union, with a more active committee for occupational safety and health, with unimplemented health and safety regulations, with longer monthly safety and health training time, and with a lower score of safety culture. CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrated that several factors of workplace organization were significantly related with injury-occurrence in factories. These findings are supposed to raise the need for making efforts in workplace organization to improve injury prevention.
Subject(s)
Female , Humans , Beverages , Classification , Coke , Health Surveys , Interior Design and Furnishings , Korea , Labor Unions , Multivariate Analysis , Occupational Health , Petroleum , Social Control, Formal , Television , WoodABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: This study was performed to examine the relationship between community-based social support and psychosocial distress in workers. METHODS: The study subjects were 596 workers recruited from 11 companies in Chungju city. A structured questionnaire was used to assess sociodemographics, health-related behaviors, job characteristics, job stress, work-based social support, community-based social support and level of psychosocial distress. RESULTS: Hierarchical multiple regression analysis showed that workers with no chronic disease, exercise and sufficient sleep had a higher score of psychosocial distress than those with chronic disease, no exercise, and not enough sleep. Coworker's work-based social support and community-based social support were negatively associated with psychosocial distress. The R square value of total independent variables on psychosocial distress was 0.409, and that of community-based social support on psychosocial distress was 0.052. CONCLUSION: This study showed that community-based social support served as a protective factor against psychosocial distress in some workers. We recommend the establishment of a worksite stress reduction program in occupational level as well as community-based social support.