Earticle

The elevated occupational injury risk among migrant construction workers has been documented internationally; however, previous research has treated migrant workers as a single homogeneous group, overlooking heterogeneity across nationalities. In this study, 5,501 accident records of migrant workers from 12 nationalities in South Korea's construction industry (2014–2023) were analyzed to examine whether countries of origin can be meaningfully classified according to accident patterns. A 14-variable profile comprising accident type, causative agent, and occupation was constructed for each country, and Ward's hierarchical clustering was applied. Cluster 1 (China, Vietnam, Cambodia, and Pakistan) exhibited a higher proportion of skilled workers and diverse accident types, whereas Cluster 2 (Uzbekistan and five other countries) was concentrated in elementary labor with elevated fall rates. Cluster 3 (Thailand and Myanmar) showed an extreme concentration of caught-in/machinery accidents. Fatality rates showed a statistically significant stepwise increase: Cluster 1 (2.0%), Cluster 2 (3.7%), and Cluster 3 (10.7%). These results demonstrate systematic differences in accident patterns by nationality and suggest the need for nationality-specific safety interventions.

This study identifies the causes of safety regulation failures and proposes systemic improvements. It establishes an analytical framework based on two dimensions: economic rationality (costs vs. benefits) and regulatory quality (legitimacy and social norms). Case studies of the Sealand fire and the Sewol ferry sinking reveal that both disasters occurred because operators perceived safety compliance as a high-cost, low-benefit activity, making non-compliance a "rational" economic choice. Specific violations in the Sealand case included illegal container stacking and staffing shortages for cost-cutting, while the Sewol involved unauthorized structural alterations and ballast water reduction. These were exacerbated by low-quality regulatory systems characterized by formalistic supervision, tolerance of falsified documentation, fragmented agency responsibilities, and regulatory capture. To address these failures, this study proposes three measures: 1) Implementing a semi-public operation system for coastal routes to cover essential safety costs; 2) Redesigning economic incentives by increasing penalties for non-compliance while providing tax benefits and insurance discounts for safety investments; 3) Enhancing supervisory independence by legislating the mandatory rotation of safety operation managers.

As large-scale disasters increase in frequency and scale, temporary residential facilities (TRF) have become key starting points for disaster recovery, extending well beyond emergency shelter functions. Existing policies have focused primarily on physical infrastructure, limiting their capacity to explain victims' residential satisfaction. This study examines the hierarchical effects of social capital and institutional factors on TRF satisfaction. Using data from the '2024 Survey on Disaster Damage Recovery' conducted by the National Disaster Management Research Institute, hierarchical regression analysis was applied to 532 disaster victims with TRF experience. Results indicate that perceived deficiencies in physical facilities are associated with lower satisfaction, while the inclusion of social capital and institutional factors substantially increases explanatory power. In the final model, community resilience, trust in government, social support, and service quality all show significant positive effects, whereas income exhibits a negative effect after controlling for social capital. These findings suggest that residential satisfaction is shaped not only by physical conditions but also by social and institutional factors, underscoring the need for a resilience-oriented policy approach beyond infrastructure provision.

This study examines the institutional causes of the 2023 Osong underpass disaster in South Korea and identifies structural bottlenecks in disaster prevention budgeting. While disasters may be triggered by natural hazards, catastrophes are often shaped by institutional arrangements and policy structures, particularly when preventable risks are not adequately managed. From this perspective, disasters originate from natural phenomena, but catastrophes emerge when structural constraints and governance failures transform manageable events into uncontrollable outcomes. Using a case study and institutional analysis, the study finds three key bottlenecks: the deprioritization of prevention budgets, the fragmentation caused by single-year budgeting, and delays from centralized approval procedures. The Osong case illustrates how these constraints can accumulate and transform natural hazards into large-scale catastrophes. Based on these findings, the study proposes strengthening the prioritization of prevention budgets, adopting multi-year budgeting, and establishing expedited approval processes. This research highlights the role of fiscal institutions in shaping effective disaster prevention systems.

This study analyzes the association between prehospital advanced intervention strategies and survival outcomes in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) patients witnessed by emergency medical services (EMS) providers using nationwide data. A retrospective analysis was conducted on 13,036 adult patients between 2017 and 2021. The findings show that intravenous (IV)-only intervention was consistently associated with better survival outcomes compared to other strategies. In the shockable rhythm group, the IV-only group demonstrated higher neurological recovery, return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC), and survival to discharge. In the non-shockable rhythm group, IV-only intervention was also associated with increased ROSC. These effects were more evident in cases with shorter CPR duration and in events witnessed at the scene. In contrast, advanced airway management or combined interventions did not show consistent benefits. These findings suggest that optimizing prehospital intervention strategies based on clinical context may improve survival outcomes in OHCA patients.

Highway rest areas do not directly handle hazardous chemicals; however, they are locations where vehicles transporting such substances frequently stop. In the event of an accident, a large number of users may be exposed to potential risks. Despite this, rest areas are not subject to safety management planning or regulatory oversight under chemical safety laws, making them more vulnerable in terms of impact assessment and emergency response systems compared to facilities that directly handle hazardous chemicals. Given that many people gather and remain in these areas, it is necessary to establish appropriate chemical safety management plans. This study estimated the impact range in the event of a leakage accident involving a chemical transport vehicle while stopped at a rest area. The results indicated that the affected area includes both the rest area and its surrounding regions. Based on these findings, scientifically grounded emergency response measures are proposed to minimize potential damage.

Recently, training for fire safety managers has increasingly shifted from a focus on simple qualification acquisition to emphasizing the nature of adult education aimed at strengthening practical competencies. This study aims to analyze the impact of instructor leadership types on training satisfaction in fire safety manager training. To this end, Bass's (1985) transformational and transactional leadership theories and Liden, et al.'s (2014) concept of servant leadership were established as the theoretical basis. The study subjects were primarily trainees of the fire safety manager training course, and the level of perception of instructor leadership and training satisfaction were measured through a survey. The collected data was analyzed using statistical analysis software to examine the influence of each leadership type. The results showed that instructor transformational leadership, transactional leadership, and servant leadership all had a statistically significant positive (+) effect on training satisfaction. These findings are expected to serve as foundational data for developing instructor competencies and formulating educational policies to improve the quality of future fire safety manager training.

This study aimed to explore factors associated with anxiety among South Korean adolescents using data from the 2023 Korean Youth Health Behavior Panel Survey (KYHPS). Based on the total scores of Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7) in Korean, particpants were categorized into two groups: low-risk (0-9) and high-risk (10-21). Complex-sample logistic regression analyses were performed to identify significant predictors of high-risk anxiety. The prevalence of high-risk anxiety was 7.7%. Multivariable logistic regression analysis revealed that poor subjective health status (AOR: 2.410), stress related to friendships (AOR: 2.643), family relationships (AOR: 2.304), concerns about the future (AOR: 1.981), physical appearance (AOR: 1.738) and low academic achievement (AOR: 1.505) were the strongest predictors of high-risk anxiety. The overall model explained 22.2% of the variance in high-risk anxiety. Anxiety among South Korean adolescents is strongly influenced by subjective health perception and interpersonal stress. Interventions targeting stress management, social support, and health perception may help reduce anxiety and promote mental well-being in this population.

Nursing students frequently experience substantial academic stress while developing professional competencies during undergraduate education. Although spirituality-based education has been suggested to support psychological well-being and promote holistic nursing care, randomized controlled evidence examining multiple outcomes remains limited. This randomized controlled pretest–post test study evaluated the effects of a spirituality-based education program on academic stress, spiritual health, and spiritual care competence. Fifty-four nursing students were randomly assigned to an experimental (n = 27) or control group (n = 27). The experimental group participated in a six-session program based on the ASSET framework, and data were analyzed using independent and paired t-tests (p < .05). Post-test academic stress and spiritual health did not differ significantly between groups; however, significant within-group improvements were observed in the experimental group. Spiritual care competence was significantly higher in the experimental group at post-test, with pre–post improvement observed only in that group. These findings indicate that spirituality-based education enhances nursing students’ spiritual care competence and improves academic stress and spiritual health, supporting its integration into undergraduate nursing curricula.

Incivility in clinical practice is a pervasive organizational issue that can undermine nursing students’ psychological well-being and professional development. This study developed a simulation-based education program to improve nursing students’ recognition of and coping with incivility during clinical practice and evaluated its effects on stress coping, academic burnout, and communication skills. Grounded in students’ experiences, the program was developed using the Analysis, Design, and Development phases of the ADDIE instructional design model and then implemented and evaluated. A quasi-experimental non-equivalent control group pretest–posttest design was used with 53 fourth-year nursing students (experimental group = 27; control group = 26). Program effects were examined using repeated measures ANCOVA controlling for age. A significant Group × Time interaction was found for academic burnout (F = 4.254, p = .044), indicating a greater reduction in the experimental group than in the control group. No significant interaction effects were found for stress coping or communication skills. These findings suggest that simulation-based incivility coping education may help reduce academic burnout in clinical training environments.