Background: The aims of this study are to examine how occupation-related data and information for health (ODH) are collected and managed from census-based surveys and potential occupational illness and injuries (POIS) statistics, and to propose a national strategy for the systematic collection, analysis, and management of ODH by building on the Korean Standard Classification of Occupation (KSCO) and using a job exposure matrix (JEM). Methods: The status of the collection and management of ODH registered as national statistics, drawn not only from the census-based general population and workforce, but also from POIS statistics was reviewed and evaluated. Results: ODH from the Republic of Korea's Census of Population and Labor Force are collected and classified according to the KSCO. In contrast, national statistics on POIS are not systematically collected for KSCO coding, reflecting the lack of an KSCO and related guidelines on how to collect ODH. Key frameworks for the construction of both an KSCO and a reference JEM for public health surveillance are proposed. Conclusions Further research is needed to develop a national system for collecting and managing ODH, which will ultimately contribute to the use of a national KSCO and the construction of JEM for public health surveillance.

Accurate occupation classification is essential in various fields, including policy development and epidemiological studies. This study aims to develop an occupation classification model based on DistilKoBERT.

Cooking oil fumes (COFs) from cooking with hot oil may contribute to the pathogenesis of lung cancer. Since 2021, occupational lung cancer for individual cafeteria workers has been recognized in South Korea. In this study, we aimed to identify the distribution of lung-imaging reporting and data system (Lung-RADS) among cafeteria workers and to determine factors related to Lung-RADS distribution.

Accurate occupation classification is essential in various fields, including policy development and epidemiological studies. This study aims to develop an occupation classification model based on DistilKoBERT.

Cooking oil fumes (COFs) from cooking with hot oil may contribute to the pathogenesis of lung cancer. Since 2021, occupational lung cancer for individual cafeteria workers has been recognized in South Korea. In this study, we aimed to identify the distribution of lung-imaging reporting and data system (Lung-RADS) among cafeteria workers and to determine factors related to Lung-RADS distribution.

Accurate occupation classification is essential in various fields, including policy development and epidemiological studies. This study aims to develop an occupation classification model based on DistilKoBERT.

Cooking oil fumes (COFs) from cooking with hot oil may contribute to the pathogenesis of lung cancer. Since 2021, occupational lung cancer for individual cafeteria workers has been recognized in South Korea. In this study, we aimed to identify the distribution of lung-imaging reporting and data system (Lung-RADS) among cafeteria workers and to determine factors related to Lung-RADS distribution.

Objectives: The present paper aimed to examine whether an aging workforce is associated with an increase in work-related fatal injuries and to explore the underlying reasons for this potential increase.Material and methodsAged workers were defined as those who were at least 55 years old. Work-related fatalities were assessed in aged and young workers who were registered with the workers' compensation system in 2021 in the Republic of Korea. Total waged workers, based on raw data from the Local Area Labor Force Survey in 2021, were used as the denominator to estimate the work-related fatality rates. Results: Most work-related fatalities in the aged workers occurred among individuals working in the “construction sector” (58.9%), those with “elementary occupations (unskilled workers)” (46.1%), and those with the employment status of “daily worker” (60.8%). The estimated incidence (0.973/10,000) of work-related fatalities among aged workers was about four times higher than that (0.239/10,000) among younger workers. “Falling,” “collision,” “struck by an object,” and “trip and slip” were more frequent types of work-related fatalities among aged workers relative to young workers. The category of “buildings, structures, and surfaces” was a more frequent cause of work-related fatalities among aged workers than among young workers. Conclusions Aged workers had a higher incidence of work-related fatalities than young workers. Frequent engagement in precarious employment and jobs, coupled with the greater physical vulnerability of aged workers, were likely causes of their higher level of work-related fatal injuries.

Background: The present study examined changes in the working hours of Korean workers from 2010 to 2020 according to employment status and industrial sector. Methods: This was a secondary analysis of data from the third (2010), fourth (2014), fifth (2017) and sixth (2020) Korean Working Conditions Surveys, which were conducted by the Korea Occupational Safety and Health Agency. Results: During the past 10 years, workers classified as employees, self-employed, or employers experienced clear declines in average weekly working hours and in the percentages of individuals who worked more than 48 hours per week. During 2020, the largest proportion of employees (52.8%) had 40-hour work weeks, whereas the largest proportions of selfemployed individuals (26.8%) and employers (25.1%) had very long work weeks (≥ 60 h/ week). Also during 2020, individuals who were self-employed or employers in the sectors of ‘Accommodation and food service’ had the longest weekly work hours, whereas employees in the sector of ‘Transportation’ had the longest weekly work hours. All three groups (employees, self-employed, and employers) in all 21 industrial sectors experienced declines in average weekly working hours from 2017 to 2020. Conclusion From 2010 to 2020, employees, self-employed individuals, and employers experienced clear declines in average weekly working hours, and in the percentages of individuals with long weekly working hours. However, there were also differences in the weekly working hours of those who had different employment status and who worked in different industrial sectors. The implementation of the 40-hour work-week and the 52-hour maximum work-week in Korea reduced excessive work hours by individuals who had different employment status and who worked in different industrial sectors, and probably improved worker quality-of-life. We recommend extension of these regulations to workplaces with fewer than 5 employees.

Background: Humidifier disinfectant-related lung injury (HDLI) is a severe form of toxic inhalational pulmonary parenchymal damage found in residents of South Korea previously exposed to specific guanidine-based compounds present in humidifier disinfectants (HD). HD-associated asthma (HDA), which is similar to irritant-induced asthma, has been recognized in victims with asthma-like symptoms and is probably caused by airway injury. In this study, diffusing capacity of the lung for carbon monoxide (DL CO ) in individuals with HDA was compared to that in individuals with pre-existing asthma without HD exposure. Methods: We retrospectively compared data, including DLCO values, of 70 patients with HDA with that of 79 patients having pre-existing asthma without any known exposure to HD (controls). Multiple linear regression analysis and logistic regression analysis were performed to confirm the association between HD exposure and DL CO after controlling for confounding factors. The correlation between DLCO and several indicators related to HD exposure was evaluated in patients with HDA.Result: The mean DLCO was significantly lower in the HDA group than in the control group (81.9% vs. 88.6%; P = 0.021). The mean DLCO of asthma patients with definite HD exposure was significantly lower than that of asthma patients with lesser exposure (P for trend = 0.002). In multivariable regression models, DLCO in the HDA group decreased by 5.8%, and patients with HDA were 2.1-fold more likely to have a lower DLCO than the controls. Pathway analysis showed that exposure to HD directly affected DLCO values and indirectly affected its measurement through a decrease in the forced vital capacity (FVC). Correlation analysis indicated a significant inverse correlation between DLCO % and cumulative HD exposure time. Conclusion DLCO was lower in patients with HDA than in asthma patients without HD exposure, and decreased FVC partially mediated this effect. Therefore, monitoring the DL CO may be useful for early diagnosis of HDA in patients with asthma symptoms and history of HD exposure.