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Background: 'Work related musculoskeletal disorders (WRMSDs)' have been mostly reported in the manufacturing industry but recently the occurrence of industrial injuries has been constantly increasing in the service industry. This research is going to analyze the data about workers' compensation for WRMSDs in five different service sectors and identify characteristics of occupations with the highest approved occupations. Methods: According to the data released from the Korea Worker's Compensation & Welfare Service, the overview of 12,730 cases of workers' compensation for WRMSDs in five service sectors from 2004 to 2013 is going to be analyzed and the source data is going to be classified by the Korean Standard Classification of Occupations to select the top five occupations that have the highest number of approval. Results: After selecting each five occupations from the service sector that have work related musculoskeletal disorders, the result showed that the occupation with the highest number of approval in the health and social care sector were the early childhood educators, cooks in the school canteens in education services sector, garbage collectors in the sanitation and similar services sector, deliverymen in wholesale and retail, consumer goods repair and building cleaners in general management businesses such as those in building maintenance. The major event observed in the top five occupations was the overexertion and reaction as a cause of WRMSDs. The day when the WRMSDs mostly occurred was on Monday and the most likely time was 10 am. The median days away from work and lost working days are 29–90 days and 0–50 days respectively. The difference in each occupation was observed in year of service, age, and gender. Conclusions: 83.21% of the approved cases of workers' compensation for WRMSDs occurred in the top 25 occupations in all of the five service sectors, which meant that the approval of workers' compensation is concentrated in specific occupations. This research is going to suggest preventive measures for work related musculoskeletal disorders in the service industry and to help prioritize the preventive measures. Trial registration: Not applicable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 2009, Korea banned the import, transport, and use of asbestos, and the Asbestos Injury Relief Act (AIRA) was promulgated in 2011. Two environmental health centers for asbestos (EHCA), including Pusan National University Yangsan Hospital (PNUYH) and SoonChunHyang University Cheonan Hospital (SCHUCH), were adapted to find environmental asbestos-related diseases (ARDs) and to support the purposes of AIRA. EHCA conducted a health impact survey (HIS) on persons who resided or reside near asbestos factories or mines. A total of 13,433 persons have taken screening examinations in PNUYH EHCA, and 623 persons (4.6%) have had secondary examinations. Of the 21,014 persons who had screening examinations in SCHUCH EHCA, 2490 persons (11.8%) had secondary examinations. Some of those who tested positive for ARDs through HISs filed applications for the asbestos victims' medical pocketbook (AVMP). Approximately 116 and 612 persons received AVMPs as a result of PNUYH and SCHUCH examinees, respectively. EHCAs have conducted HISs, public relations, and education for asbestos victims, ordinary citizens, and physicians. As HISs are based on voluntary participation, they does not monitor high-risk groups. Active surveillance focusing on high-risk groups has been blocked by the personal information protection act. Although important work has been performed in finding environmental asbestos victims and increasing public awareness on asbestos, it is necessary to improve the current system and registration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The International Agency for Research on Cancer classifies asbestos as belonging to Carcinogen Group 2A for gastric cancer. We herein report a case of gastric cancer associated with asbestosis and describe the work-related and risk assessments of asbestos exposure for gastric cancer. Case presentation: The 66-year-old male patient in our case worked in asbestos spinning factories. His level of cumulated asbestos fiber exposure was estimated to be 38.0-71.0 f-yr/cc. Thus, the Excess Life Cancer Risk for lung cancer associated with asbestos exposure was 9,648×10-5, almost 9,600 times the value recommended by the United States of America Environmental Protection Agency (1 × 10-5). The relative risk of developing lung cancer for this patient was more than 25 f-yr/cc, a well-known criterion for doubling the risk of lung cancer. Conclusion: The patient's exposure to high-dose asbestos was sufficient to increase his risk of gastric cancer because as the risk of lung cancer increased, the risk of gastric cancer was due to increase as well. Therefore, occupational asbestos fiber exposure might be associated with gastric cancer in this case. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Asbestos causes several asbestos related diseases (ARDs). Not only occupational asbestos exposure but also environmental asbestos exposure can cause ARDs. In Korea compensation for workers with ARDs has been provided by workers' compensation. Because the asbestos damage relief act (ADRA) was enacted in 2011, ARDs by environmental exposure can now be compensated. Korea is the sixth country in the world to compensate environmental asbestos victims. In the ADRA, the list of compensable diseases eligible for relief consists of lung cancer, malignant mesothelioma, and asbestosis. Because the back ground and criteria of each ARD for relief is different, physicians need to be familiar with all of them in order to deal with ARD patients. In this paper, the properties of asbestos, history of ARDs, and contents of the ADRA are discussed. Although the relationships between occupational asbestos exposure and ARDs have been well established, those for environmental exposure have not. More specifically, the relationship between lung cancer and environmental asbestos exposure is still not clear because of strong confounders. The first wave of asbestos problems arose from occupational exposure directly involving asbestos production, the second wave arose from usage of asbestos products, and the third wave would be related to asbestos ubiquitous in the environment. In Korea the second wave is just beginning to swell. Physicians must to prepare for these waves to crest in the near future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Majority of musculoskeletal diseases are degenerative and work related. Work-related musculoskeletal diseases (WRMSD) are one of the main causes of work-related illnesses in Korea. Risk factors of WRMSD are multifactorial and included in individual, ergonomic and psychological factors. The role of job stress as one of the psychological factors in the development of WRMSD is still poorly understood and there is still no consensus on the epidemiological data. However, it seems likely that the body responds to stress factors through four systems (central nervous, autonomic nervous, endocrine and immune) which are constantly interacting as a complex network. Models on occupational stress and WRMSD offer unique perspectives on the role of occupational stressors on WRMSD. So health care providers should recognize stress- WRMSD interactions through careful, directed inquiry. Because a few studies have shown that stress-related interventions have been associated with decreases in musculo-skeletal symptoms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study is to analyze what aspects of occupational stress predict depression among Korean workers, and determine which components of occupational stress or job characteristics is more strongly associated with depression. In this cross-sectional study, a total of 8,522 workers (21–65 years of age) from a nationwide sample were recruited. A self-administered questionnaire was used to assess socio-demographics, job characteristics, depressive symptoms measured by the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale, and occupational stress assessed by the Korean occupational stress scale (KOSS). Multivariate analyses show that inadequate social support (OR = 1.58, 95% CI = 1.52, 1.66) and discomfort in occupational climate (OR = 1.25, 95% CI = 1.18, 1.32) were more important risk factors for depression than organizational injustice, job demand and job control. Compared to the ‘business activities’ industries, ‘recreational, cultural and sporting activities’ (OR = 3.45, 95% CI = 1.80, 6.58), ‘hotel and restaurants’ (OR = 3.34, 95% CI = 1.92, 5.80), ‘real estate and renting and leasing’ (OR = 2.24, 95% CI = 1.13, 4.44), ‘wholesale and retail’ (OR = 1.85, 95% CI = 1.28, 2.67), ‘transportation’ (OR = 1.85, 95% CI = 1.11, 3.07), and ‘financial institute and insurance’ (OR = 1.60, 95% CI = 1.04, 2.48) industries had significantly greater risk of depression after controlling for gender, age, marital status, duration of employment and all subscale of KOSS. The finding that inadequate social support and discomfort in occupational climate is a better predictor of depressive symptoms than organizational injustice in Korea, indicates that the newly developed KOSS has cultural relevance for assessing occupational stress in Korea. Future studies need to understand factors such as “emotional labor” within certain industries where increased risk for depression is observed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]