SIA Worker Health Project
President's Update
There have been a number of major developments since my last update on the semiconductor industry's efforts to assure the safest possible workplace for the more than 200,000 workers employed in the industry in the United States.
Worker Health Study
The Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA) is currently seeking proposals from independent investigators for the conduct of a very large occupational epidemiology study. We are soliciting proposals from public and private research institutions to conduct a study to assess cancer risk among workers employed in U.S. semiconductor wafer fabrication facilities over a period of more than three decades.
The study will review data on thousands of present and past employees who worked in U.S. semiconductor manufacturing facilities in an effort to determine whether there is an increased risk of cancer related to working in such facilities. The commencement of this study is the culmination of a long effort by the industry to ensure a reliable, scientifically valid study of potential cancer risks in our industry.
In 1999, the SIA created an independent panel of workplace health experts, known as the Scientific Advisory Committee (SAC), to review available records and determine if there is any evidence of increased cancer risk among wafer fabrication workers in the U.S. semiconductor industry. After an 18-month study, the SAC reported that it found no affirmative evidence of increased cancer risk among semiconductor workers but that there is insufficient evidence at the present time to conclude that exposures to chemicals and other hazards in wafer fabrication have not or could not result in measurably increased risk of one or more cancer types. The SAC recommended that the SIA conduct a retrospective epidemiology study, if feasible, to evaluate potential cancer risk to semiconductor workers.
In 2002, the SIA contracted with the Johns Hopkins University (JHU) Bloomberg School of Public Health to conduct the feasibility study recommended by the SAC. The JHU researchers recently completed a comprehensive 11-month review of historical records, including employment records, job descriptions, industrial hygiene, manufacturing processes and equipment, and employee health. In March of this year, the JHU researchers submitted their preliminary report that sufficient records do exist to conduct a scientifically valid epidemiology study. The SIA board agreed to proceed with the recommended study at its March meeting, and development of a Request for Proposals was initiated.
The request for proposals (RFP) asks potential investigators to submit proposals informed by the JHU report. We hope to complete the selection of a research team in the first quarter of 2005. The JHU research team estimated that the proposed study will take from three to five years to complete. The study will be funded by SIA member companies.
The complete Johns Hopkins University report and the RFP are now available on our website.
Health Surveillance Initiative
The Science Advisory Committee endorsed the development and support of ongoing health surveillance activities that could serve as early warning systems for occupational disease. They recommended that the SIA survey large corporations known to be leaders in medical surveillance programs to inform member organizations regarding these approaches. The SIA contracted with veteran occupational health and safety consultant Donald V. Lassiter to conduct a survey of non-semiconductor manufacturing companies and to collect information on the range of practices used in employee health surveillance programs. Dr. Lassiter surveyed 13 leading companies outside the semiconductor industry. The survey information, collected under non-disclosure agreements with the surveyed companies, has been communicated to SIA member companies to inform their company-specific approaches.
Primary Prevention Initiative
The SIA recently completed two key projects designed to further strengthen ongoing efforts to ensure a safe workplace. These projects went beyond the SAC's recommendations and provide member companies with a broader base of knowledge to help enhance their existing worker safety programs. The first is a report prepared by Environmental and Occupational Risk Management that addresses opportunities for further minimization of potential employee exposure to chemicals during preventive maintenance of production equipment. The second report, prepared by Weston Solutions, surveys how various companies outside the semiconductor industry manage the evaluation, selection and introduction of new chemicals into the workplace. These reports are now available on our website.
The semiconductor industry places the highest priority on providing a safe working environment for our employees. We are working with the World Semiconductor Council and industry associations from all regions of the world to develop and share information that will help us to do an even better job in the future.
Sincerely,
George Scalise
President
