Semiconductors are turning up just about every place you look. From the everyday to the extraordinary, semiconductor technologies and products are everywhere. And that's just one reason we're so committed to the safety and health of our workers and our world.
The U.S. semiconductor industry ranks in the top 5 percent of durable goods manufacturers for safety, with only 1.5 reportable injuries and illnesses per 100 employees, based on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for 2007. SIA member companies participate in an internal injury and illness reporting system, the Occupation Health System (OHS). OHS data for 2007 identified only 0.84 injuries and illnesses per 100 employees. This outstanding safety record is due in large part to the SIA's long and close involvement in matters related to environment, safety, and health:
- Studying potential health risks to cleanroom workers,
- Working to reduce emissions of global warming gases,
- Evaluating the impact of environmental regulations, domestically and globally, and
- Adressing the use of PFOS and PFAS in leading-edge processes by working with member companies, suppliers and the EPA allowing the continued controlled use of these critical substances until effective alternatives can be developed and implemented.
Ensuring the Health of Workers
Please visit the SIA Worker Health Project Page for more details on SIA's efforts to ensure the satefy and health of workers.
Good For Our Workers, Good For Our Industry
SIA has a long history of involvement with health and safety issues. In 1981, SIA created a forum for US chip companies to develop a consensus on priorities and share information about state-of-the-art programs. We also established the Occupational Health System (OHS) in 1983 to track health and safety trends and document injuries and illnesses in the industry.
In 1989, in response to conflicting reports about potential cleanroom hazards to reproductive health, SIA funded and implemented one of the largest epidemiological studies ever performed by private industry. The study's findings and recommendations led the industry to voluntarily agree to eliminate certain solvents that had been used in photolithography formulations.
Working Together To Address Environmental Issues
The US semiconductor industry leads the way in developing alternatives to hazardous chemicals and pollutant emissions, and shares information about best practices with companies from other nations.
By eliminating the use of ozone-depleting substances and substituting environmentally benign solvents in manufacturing, the industry has reduced reportable emissions by nearly 75 percent in the United States since 1987
Government Agencies
In 1995, SIA members voluntarily committed to significantly reduce atmospheric emissions of perfluorocarbons (PFCs), identified as global warming gases, by signing a Memorandum of Understanding with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). This voluntary agreement has served as a model for voluntary agreements between industries and governments worldwide.
In 1999, the global semiconductor industry agreed to reduce absolute PFC emissions to 10 percent below their respective baselines by 2010. In 2000, SIA members and the EPA signed a new Memorandum of Understanding for reducing PFC emissions based on the global agreement and inventory methods determined by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). This new agreement is expected to carry the industry through to the next decade.
In 2003, the SIA assisted the EPA in developing a generic photolithography scenario. Used internally by the EPA and other worldwide environmental regulatory bodies through the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), this document will serve as a guide for evaluating new chemicals introduced into photolithographic formulations.
World Semiconductor Council
SIA also seeks to reduce global warming gases worldwide through the Environment, Safety, and Health Task Force of the World Semiconductor Council (WSC), comprised of representatives from the United States, Europe, Japan, Korea, and Taiwan. Agreement to work toward reducing emissions of global warming gases is a prerequisite for membership on the task force. In recognition of this effort, in 1998 the EPA granted WSC one of its first Climate Protection Awards.
That same task force also created a chemical management program focused on understanding risks associated with new processing chemicals and ways to promote pollution prevention. An energy savings program is also underway. The WSC has also adopted a series of guiding principles for environment, health, and safety. In support of these principles, the task force is developing quantitative targets to monitor and judge environmental performance on a global basis.
Equitable Regulations and Standards
SIA's environment subcommittee represents the semiconductor industry in negotiations with regulatory bodies. By supplying agencies such as the EPA with relevant data and industry perspective, these committees have negotiated equitable and beneficial changes.
Maximum Achievable Control Technology
SIA subcommittees have assisted the EPA in defining the Maximum Achievable Control Technology standard (MACT) for the industry, which is a technology-based air emission standard authorized by the Clean Air Act. While the effort to secure a semiconductor industry exemption from MACT requirements was unsuccessful, the standard is not expected to pose an undue burden on association members.
Perfluorooctyl and Perfluoroalkyl Sulfonates
During 2000, based on new toxicity and environmental data, EPA proposed to phase out PFOS and PFAS through the Significant New Use Rule (SNUR) process under the US EPA’s Toxic Substances Control Act. Working together, SIA and SEMI photoresist suppliers undertook a comprehensive review of all uses of small amounts of perfluorooctyl sulfonates (PFOS) and perfluoroalkyl sulfonates (PFAS) in semiconductor manufacturing. Very small amounts of these compounds are critical ingredients in leading edge photoresists and antireflective coatings, materials used in the photolithographic process for imprinting circuitry on silicon wafers.
SIA and SEMI agreed to phase out all non-critical uses. The coalition successfully demonstrated that the small and highly controlled quantities in the remaining critical applications are soundly managed and pose no risk to worker health or the environment. As a result of the cooperative effort among SIA, SEMI, and USEPA, a photolithography exemption was granted in the PFAS SNUR published in the Federal Register in 2002. Additionally the mass balance model and the industry cooperative model developed for use in evaluating the potential environmental impact has been adopted by the EPA for use with other chemicals and US EPA is championing the use of this approach in international forums with regulatory agencies worldwide.
Subsequent to this regulatory action in the U.S., the World Semiconductor Council (WSC) also committed to end non-critical uses of PFOS and to work to identify substitutes for PFOS in all critical uses for which no other materials are presently available. The WSC is made up of the semiconductor industry associations in China, Chinese Taipei, Europe, Japan, Korea and the US. The WSC provided the first biennial report of progress to the voluntary commitments in May, 2008. The voluntary commitments and the report can be found at the WSC website: http://www.semiconductorcouncil.org/.
NanoESH
The semiconductor industry is rapidly entering into the era of nanotechnology. From the perspective of circuit dimensions and materials, there is a clear shift towards nanotechnology. While most semiconductor nanotechnology relates to the line and feature sizes, there is a clear indication that the use of nanomaterials is close at hand. SIA member companies and their suppliers are working together to make sure that new nanotechnologies and new nanomaterials are introduced in a way that does not adversely affect our workforce or our environment.
Fire and Building Codes
The SIA Fire and Building Safety (FABS) Committee works closely with authorities to ensure that industry needs are represented without sacrificing the integrity of fire and building codes. This is critical since semiconductor production facilities require precision construction at considerable expense.
To better oversee important changes in the building code development process, FABS reorganized as a national committee a few years ago. Two principal code developers, NFPA (the National Fire Protection Association) and ICC (the International Code Council), have taken the lead on these issues and represent broad geographic constituencies.
Committed to a Safe and Healthy Future
All of SIA's environment, safety, and health committees are working to develop and incorporate environmental, safety, and health solutions early in the design of future processes, equipment, and clean rooms. Toward this end, SIA member companies are key contributors to International SEMATECH and the NSF/SRC Engineering Research Center for Benign Semiconductor Manufacturing.
