10.3 Reading Safety Signs, Workplace Notices, Forms, and Visual Charts

10.3 Reading Safety Signs, Workplace Notices, Forms, and Visual Charts

Exam Skill: Official Reading categories include practical data and traffic, directional, and occupational signs, together with job advertisements, machinery instructions, safety descriptions, and other short texts. A test may use notices, forms, medicine packets, tickets, receipts, or charts, but the blueprint does not reserve fixed item numbers for each. Scan the title, units, dates, conditions, and question polarity before reading every detail.

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1. Category 1: Industrial Safety Signs (안전 표지판 분석)

Under Korean Occupational Safety and Health Agency (KOSHA) regulations, standard industrial signs are categorized into four color-coded and geometric shapes. Questions ask: 이 표지판은 무슨 뜻입니까? (What does this sign mean?).

KOSHA Industrial Safety Sign Classification

Authentic Question Demonstration (Safety Sign):

문항 예시: 다음 표지판은 무슨 뜻입니까?

┌─────────────────────────┐
│      [⚡ 번개 기호]      │
│     고압전기 경고       │
└─────────────────────────┘

① 물을 마실 수 있는 곳입니다. ② 높은 곳에 올라가도 됩니다. ③ 전기에 감전될 수 있으니 조심하십시오. ④ 불이 났을 때 대피하는 비상구입니다.

Strategic Analysis: The sign displays a high-voltage lightning bolt inside a yellow hazard triangle marked 고압전기 경고. This warns of severe electrocution and electrical shock hazard (감전될 수 있으니 조심하십시오). Choice ① refers to drinking water, Choice ② permits climbing to high places, and Choice ④ describes a fire evacuation emergency exit. Choice ③ is the uniquely correct interpretation.

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2. Category 2: Workplace Notices & Bulletin Memos (공고문 및 안내문)

Workplace notices are posted on company bulletin boards, factory canteen doors, or shared dormitory message boards. Questions typically ask: 이 글의 내용과 맞는/다른 것은 무엇입니까? (What matches/does not match the content of this text?).

Standard Notice Rhetorical Framework

[1. Title / Event Name]       ──> 공장 식당 설날 연휴 휴무 안내 (Cafeteria Lunar New Year Notice)
[2. Operational Period]       ──> 2월 9일(금) ~ 2월 12일(월), 4일간 (Duration & Dates)
[3. Key Directives / Shift]   ──> 기숙사 조식은 간편식(빵, 우유)으로 대체 제공 (Meal Substitution)
[4. Resume Date & Time]       ──> 2월 13일(화) 아침부터 정상 운영 (Return to Normal Schedule)
[5. Inquiries & Contact]      ──> 총무과 내선 번호 104 (Inquiry Telephone Extension)

Tactical Scanning Checklist for Workplace Notices:

1. Verify the Question Polar Constraint: Check whether the stem asks for what is 맞는 것 (True / Matching) or 다른 것 (False / Not Matching). Circling this word on the test screen prevents careless reversals.
2. Isolate Dates and Day Markers: Track calendar dates and days of the week (월, 화, 수, 목, 금, 토, 일). Test distractors frequently pair a Friday date with a Sunday event.
3. Scan Numbers, Times, and Fees: Check exact hours (오전 9시 vs 오후 9시, 24시간), fee structures (무료 [free] vs 유료 [paid]), and monetary amounts.
4. Identify Exceptions and Prerequisites: Look for limiting phrases such as 단 (however), ~에 한하여 (restricted only to), and ~을 제외하고 (excluding).

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3. Category 3: Forms, Medicine Packets, Receipts, and Transit Tickets

Questions in this category present practical real-world documents that foreign workers interact with outside the factory walls.

1. The Pharmacy Medicine Packet (약 봉투) — High Frequency

Medicine envelope questions test whether candidates can safely administer prescription drugs:

┌───────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│               희망약국 복약 안내서              │
│ 환자명: 투안 님               일수: 3일분     │
│                                               │
│ [용법 및 용량]                                │
│  - 하루: 3 회 (아침, 점심, 저녁)               │
│  - 1회 복용량: 1 포 (식후 30분)                │
│                                               │
│ [주의사항]                                    │
│  - 약을 드신 후 졸릴 수 있으므로              │
│    기계 조작 및 운전을 금합니다.              │
│  - 직사광선을 피해 서늘한 곳에 보관하십시오.    │
└───────────────────────────────────────────────┘

2. Purchase Receipts (영수증) & Train Tickets (기차표 / 승차권)

• Receipts: Scrutinize 품명 (item name), 수량 (quantity purchased), 단가 (unit price), 합계 / 총액 (total price paid), and 결제 수단 (payment mode: 현금 [cash] vs 신용카드 [credit card]).
• Train Tickets: Scrutinize 출발역 (departure station), 도착역 (destination station), 출발시간 (departure time), 도착시간 (arrival time), 열차 번호 (train number, e.g., KTX 102), and 호차 및 좌석 (train car number and seat number, e.g., 3호차 12A).

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4. Category 4: Statistical Charts and Bar Graphs (도표 및 그래프 해석)

A practical-data item may feature a horizontal or vertical bar chart, pie chart, or line graph depicting workplace survey data. Candidates must match the correct statistical statement to the displayed values.

Essential Mathematical and Comparative Vocabulary

Graph Solving Protocol:

1. Look at the title of the graph to understand the subject (e.g., 외국인 근로자가 주말에 하는 일 - Activities Foreign Workers Do on Weekends).
2. Rank the categories mentally from highest to lowest.
3. Compare each written option against the numbers:
   • Trap 1: Rank Inversion. An option says category X is the second most popular, but the graph shows it is third.
   • Trap 2: The 50% Threshold Trap. An option claims an item is 절반 이상 (over half) when the chart displays 48%.