Network Analysis of the Disaster Response Systems in the Waste of Electrical and Electronic Equipment Recycling Center in South Korea

Abstract

Since dust and flammable gas are generated during the waste recycling process, there is always a risk of a fire accident. However, research on disaster management at recycling facilities deals only with the problem of processing systems from a technical standpoint and does not suggest concrete alternatives from a management aspect. Therefore, this study analyzed the influence of the disaster response network of a Waste of Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) recycling center at the organizational level based on the concept of the cognitive accuracy of a network considering administrative aspects. Accordingly, a survey was conducted using a structured questionnaire targeting 47 employees at the WEEE recycling center in South Korea and by applying the two-mode network analysis method using UCINET software, the centrality of the actor and the density of the network were quantitatively analyzed. Through this analysis, we confirmed that factors affecting the influence of the network exist, such that the entire network and the networks of different levels of position are different. We suggest that this can be improved by deploying safety and health management managers who perform formal tasks at the center of the network so that everyone can agree on the political approach and by empowering the safety and health management manager to conduct active education and training. Furthermore, we suggest that the network structure should be reorganized, centering on the person in charge of safety and health management to have a network system that matches each position.