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The Classification of Manufacturing Work Processes to Develop Functional Work Clothes+ - with a Reference to the Automobile, Machine and Shipbuilding Industries

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The Classification of Manufacturing Work Processes to Develop Functional Work Clothes+ - with a Reference to the Automobile, Machine and Shipbuilding Industries Journal of Fashion Business Vol. 16, No. 6, pp.21~35(2012) The Classification of Manufacturing Work Processes to Develop Functional Work Clothes+ - With a Reference to the Automobile, Machine and Shipbuilding Industries - Park Ginah* ‧ Park Hyewon ‧ Bae Hyunsook Associate Professor, Dept. of Clothing & Textiles, Changwon National University*, Professor, Dept. of Clothing & Textiles, Changwon National University Abstract In consideration of the injuries and deaths occurring at manufacturing sites due to the use of inappropriate work clothes or safety devices, this study aims to categorize manufacturing work processes to develop functional work clothes for heavy industries including the automobile, machine and shipbuilding industries in South Korea. Defining the features of the work environments and work postures of these industries provided for a categorization of the work processes which would enable the development of suitable work clothes for each work process' category. The results of the study based on a questionnaire survey are as follows: Work process category 1, including steel panel pressing and auto body assembly, final inspection (in automobile) and inspection (in machine), requires work clothes with upper body and arm mobility and performance to protect from the toxic fume factor. Work process category 2, consisting of welding (in automobile), cutting-and-forming (in machine) and attachment-and-construction (in shipbuilding), requires clothing elasticity, durability and heat and fire resistance. Work process category 3 comprising welding and grinding in the machine and shipbuilding industries, requires work clothes' tear resistance and elasticity, particularly for lateral bending mobility, and work clothes' sleeves' and pants' hemlines with sealed designs to defend against iron filing penetration, as well as incombustible and heat-resistant material performance. Finally, work process category 4, including painting in machine and shipbuilding, requires work clothes with waterproofing, air permeability, thermal performance, elasticity, durability and abrasion resistance. Key Words : work clothes, work environment, work postures, wearer mobility, manufacturing work processes in the automobile, machine and shipbuilding industries + This work has been supported by Changwon National University 2011~2012 Research Grant Fund. Corresponding author: Park Ginah, Tel. +82-55-213-3496, Fax. +82-55-213-3490 E-mail: [email protected] 21 Journal of Fashion Business Vol.16, No.6 I. Introduction substances accumulation in the body, respiratory diseases, etc. have been reported by the Korea In South Korea, heavy industries such as Occupational Safety and Health Agency3). automobile, machine, and shipbuilding Up until now, the research about work manufacturers produced about 23.5% of the clothes4~5) in the automobile, machine and total national annual production in the year shipbuilding industries in South Korea has 1) 2008 . However, every year tens of thousands indicated that all the employees of the subject of workers receive injuries while performing their heavy industry companies in the research wore jobs at the manufacturing sites and thousands the same kind of work clothes, since the of them die. It is reported that there have been manufacturing workers asked for the very same injuries and illnesses due to muscle, joint and work clothes, in order to make themselves look bone disorders from physical jobs, as well as equal to other employees6). However, even within skin ailments or respiratory diseases caused by a single industry, as the features of work contacting or inhaling toxic substances emitted environments and work postures of various work from the work environment, which consequently processes differ, the workers at the caused negative effects on workers' health, and manufacturing sites need to wear specialized even loss of life. In addition to this there is a work clothes which account for the cost to employers in terms workers' characteristics of each work process. At the compensation charges. moment, manufacturing workers have come to a To improve manufacturing work environments, compromise, i.e. they wear non-specialized work employers should keep reducing the hazardous clothes with various types of safety gear (e.g. work environment factors in their work places. wristlets, gaiters, aprons, overalls for painting, The workers, in turn, ought to follow industrial safety vests, fire-proof jackets/pants/overalls, safety regulations during work time, including safety helmets, gas masks, eye protecting wearing appropriate work clothes or safety gear goggles, ear caps, safety gloves, safety shoes, according to the features of the work processes. etc.) to protect against certain hazardous In terms of work safety, work clothes fall under environmental factors7). Although these safety the category of functional garments to protect accessories can offer a certain amount of the human body from hazardous environmental protection for the workers, if the work clothes factors and assist workers in performing their they wear under the protective garments or jobs. The work clothes for the manufacturing devices fail to afford the wearer the mobility industries must have wearing comfort and wearer required, or the properties of materials used for mobility, in addition to having the neat and the work clothes are unsuitable for the features 2) smooth appearance of daily clothing . Moreover, of work environments, these safety accessories if a worker wears inappropriate work clothes to can no longer suitably perform the functions of his work station, it may cause various types of protecting the body. Therefore, the work clothes injuries. Examples of these injuries in the heavy for manufacturing workers should offer wearer industries, such as musculoskeletal disorders, mobility according to work posture features and slip and fall accidents, crush injuries, functionality against hazardous work lacerations, burns, skin ailments, toxic environments. In order to deal with this kind of 22 Park Ginah ‧ Park Hyewon ‧ Bae Hyunsook / The Classification of Manufacturing Work Processes to Develop Functional Work Clothes problem occurring at manufacturing sites, this 2. Questionnaires to Determine the Impact study aims to propose guidelines to develop Levels of Work Environment Factors functional work clothes for heavy industries through the classification of manufacturing work The study analyzed the investigation of the processes taking account of the features of the twelve work processes of the automobile (i.e. work environment and work postures of the steel panel press, car frame welding, car body automobile, machine and shipbuilding industries assembly and final inspection processes of G in South Korea. company), machine (cutting-and-forming, welding, painting and inspection processes of D company) and shipbuilding (attachment-and- II. Methods construction, welding, grinding and painting processes of C company) industries based on 8) 1. Subject Companies in Heavy Industry the previous research . The impact levels of work environment factors were determined To determine the impact levels of work according to the statistics derived from a environment factors by the work processes questionnaire survey conducted between May within the automobile, machine and shipbuilding and June 2009, which consisted of questions industries, a major company from each of these about the assessment of physical work three types of industry was selected for the environment factors9). All questions were study: i.e. G company in automobile, D designed to survey the manufacturing workers' company in machine and C company in subjective assessment of the physical work shipbuilding; the initial standing for the company environment factors. They were answered on a names. The subject companies are located in five-point scale in a range from 1 ('very low' the national industrial complex in the southern impact level), through 3 ('moderate' impact level) province of Gyeongsangnam-do, South Korea. to 5 ('very high' impact level). The physical work Given that they were the leading companies in environment factors considered in the the relevant industries, it was assumed that the questionnaire were: fume, organic solvents, UV conditions of their manufacturing work ray, superheat, toxic gas, metal fragment, environment might be representative of workplace temperature, oxygen deficiency companies of the same kind. The face-to-face (except the noise factor since it was not structured interview surveyed managerial staff of considered as in direct relation with the the subject companies to define their development of work clothes). The respondents manufacturing work processes. The interview for of the questionnaire were 199, 129 and 336 the study consisted of questions about work workers of G, D and C companies respectively, processes carried out at manufacturing sites, for a total of 664 respondents. types of work clothes and safety clothing/devices that they provided, etc. Three 3. Observational Technique to Determine sets of interviews were conducted during the the Impact Levels of Work Posture period of February 2009. Factors To identify the work posture factors and to 23 Journal of Fashion Business Vol.16, No.6 determine the impact levels of the ergonomic work processes' characteristics. factors of the relevant work processes in these three companies' manufacturing sites, an observational technique was implemented in the III. Results and Discussion study. The observational technique
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