Most of the school meal service workers in Korea are middle-aged individuals. They have high workload, which increases their incidence of musculoskeletal disorders. This study aimed to evaluate the prevalence and risk factors of subjective musculoskeletal symptoms, presumptive diagnosis, medical care use, and sick leave among female school meal workers.

We analyzed the results of musculoskeletal disease screening of 1581 female school meal workers. The screening consisted of self-administered questionnaire, history taking by occupational physicians, and physical examination. The prevalence of subjective musculoskeletal symptoms, presumptive diagnosis after initial examination by occupational physicians, use of medical care for more than 7 days, and sick leave due to musculoskeletal diseases during the past year were evaluated in this study. The relative risk of four outcome indicators of musculoskeletal disorders was compared with respect to potential factors, such as age, subjective physical loading, present illness, injury experience, and type of school, using log-binomial regression.

The prevalence of subjective musculoskeletal symptom was 79.6%; presumptive diagnosis, 47.6%; hospital visits over 7 days, 36.4%; and sick leave, 7.3%. The relative risk of musculoskeletal symptoms by age (≥50 years vs < 50 years) was 1.04 (95% confidence interval (CI): 1.00–1.09); presumptive diagnosis of musculoskeletal disease, 1.17 (95% CI: 1.06–1.30); hospital visits over 7 days, 1.26 (95% CI: 0.85–1.85); and sick leave, 1.17 (95% CI: 1.02–1.34). The relative risk of musculoskeletal symptoms due to subjective physical loading (very hard vs low) was 1.45 (95% CI: 1.33–1.58); presumptive diagnosis, 2.92 (95% CI: 2.25); hospital visits over 7 days, 1.91 (95% CI: 1.02–3.59); and sick leave, 2.11 (95% CI: 1.63–2.74).

Subjective physical loading was a more important factor in musculoskeletal disorders than the age of female school meal workers.

This study conducted to investigate work-related factors in relation to smoking among women working in call centers in Gwangju, South Korea.

From 56 call centers (7320 employees), we selected 10 and conducted a survey using a structured questionnaire by randomly selecting 10% of workers from each center. A total of 387 subjects participated in this survey We analyzed for 375 respondents, after excluding men and those with missing responses. We analyzed the relationships of work-related factors such as emotional labor, workplace violence, employment type, annual salary, working hours, employment period with smoking, using multiple logistic regression analysis. Emotional labor and workplace violence were measured using the Korean Emotional Labor Scale (K-ELS) and Korean Workplace Violence Scale (K-WVS).

The prevalence of current smoking among call center female workers was 13.6%. Univariate analysis showed that “Emotional disharmony and hurt”, “Experience of psychological and sexual violence from supervisors and co-workers” among items of K-ELS and K-WVS, working hours, annual salary correlated with smoking. After adjusting for emotional labor, workplace violence, employment type, annual salary, working hours, employment period, and age, only working hours show a significant association with smoking. Women who worked 40–49 h had 3.50 times (95% CI = 1.04–11.80) and worked more than 50 h had 8.68 times (95% CI = 1.89–39.78) greater odds of smoking as compared with women who worked less than 40 h.

Smoking was associated with working hours among female workers in call center. However, emotional labor and workplace violence did not show significant relationships with smoking.

Occupational exposure to crystalline silica is a potential risk factor for various systemic autoimmune diseases including systemic sclerosis. The etiology of systemic sclerosis is not conclusively known, but there are epidemiological studies that show the relationship between exposure to crystalline silica and risk of systemic sclerosis. Here we report, for the first time, two cases of crystalline silica-related systemic sclerosis in patients who worked in crystal processing in the jewelry-manufacturing field.

Case 1 is a 57-year-old man who had worked mainly in crystal processing for multiple jewelry-processing companies for 17 years, since the age of 15 years. He contracted tuberculosis at the age of 25 years and showed Raynaud’s phenomenon of both the hands and feet at age 32 years. Digital cyanosis and sclerosis developed at approximately age 41 years. The patient was diagnosed with systemic sclerosis at age 48 years.

Case 2 is a 52-year-old man who worked in crystal processing for various jewelry-processing companies for 7 years, since the age of 23 years. He first showed signs of cyanosis in the third and fourth digits of both hands at age 32 years, was diagnosed with Raynaud’s syndrome at age 37 years, and was diagnosed with systemic sclerosis at age 38 years.

Crystal processing is a detailed process that involves slabbing and trimming the selected amethyst and quartz crystals, which requires close proximity of the worker’s face with the target area. In the 1980s and 1990s, the working hours were 12 h per day, and the working environment involved 15 workers crowded into a small, 70-m² space with poor ventilation.

Two workers who processed crystals with a maximum crystalline silica content of 56.66% developed systemic sclerosis. Considering the epidemiological and experimental evidence, exposure to crystalline silica dust was an important risk factor for systemic sclerosis. An active intervention is necessary to reduce exposure in similar exposure groups in the field of jewelry processing.

In 2015, workers dismantling a fluorescent lamp factory in Korea were affected by mercury poisoning from exposure to mercury vapor.

Eighteen out of the 21 workers who participated in the demolition project presented with symptoms of poisoning and, of these, 10 had persistent symptoms even at 18 months after the initial exposure to mercury vapor. Early symptoms of 18 workers included a general skin rash, pruritus, myalgia, sleep disturbance, and cough and sputum production. Following alleviation of these initial symptoms, late symptoms, such as easy fatigue, insomnia, bad dreams, and anxiety disorder, began to manifest in 10 out of 18 patients. Seven workers underwent psychiatric care owing to sleep disturbance, anxiety disorder, and depression, and three workers underwent dermatologic treatment for hyperpigmentation, erythematous skin eruption, and chloracne-like skin lesions. Furthermore, three workers developed a coarse jerky movement, two had swan neck deformity of the fingers, and two received care at an anesthesiology clinic for paresthesia, such as burning sensation, cold sensation, and pain. Two workers underwent urologic treatment for dysfunction of the urologic system and impotence. However, symptomatic treatment did not result in satisfactory relief of these symptoms.

Awareness of the perils of mercury and prevention of mercury exposure are critical for preventing health hazards caused by mercury vapor. Chelation therapy should be performed promptly following mercury poisoning to minimize damage.