Strengthen Chemical Management
The new generation of process technology requires the use of a variety of chemicals. TSMC continuously looks to optimize the process to reduce the use of hazardous chemicals, using the priority and principles of "no use" and "use less". But if the chemicals are needed, the chemical supply system should meet intrinsic safe designs to prevent workers' chemical exposure risk and TSMC will choose the best available control technology to prevent any environmental pollutant. In 2016, the three major chemicals management strengthening items are listed below.
1.Enhance the Intrinsic Safety Design for High Hazardous Chemicals Supplied System
In 2016, re-check hazardous chemical supplied system and enhance the intrinsic safe design to reduce fire risk. Assigned specific person to operate hazardous chemical supplied system, and ensure these kind of tools are intrinsically equipped with safe designs such as double safety interlock to prevent chemical leakage, and one of these interlock is linked to earthquake's signal to stop the supplied system immediately when an earthquake occurs.
2.Evaluation of Hazardous Chemicals Exposure Risk
TSMC evaluated potential hazardous chemicals' exposure risk through measurement and simulation to prevent occupational disease. In 2016, all sites completed 8,000 evaluation items of hazardous chemicals to clarify exposure risks and the results showed that no exposure risk in working areas, and all hazardous chemicals were confined into tools or gas lines and we have clear operation and maintenance procedures to reduce exposure risk effectively.
3.Controlling and Management of High Health Risk Chemicals
TSMC's chemical selectivity priority is to prefer non-high health risk chemicals for developing new technology. From 2016, if a new technology still has to use high health risk chemicals for essential process developing, R&D users should get the approval agreement by related vice presidents on behalf of R&D, ESH and operation department. The basic chemical selection principle for new technology development is to reduce the use of high health risk chemicals. In 2016, TSMC introduce 268 new chemicals which are all low health risk.
3 Steps to illustrate the management of chemicals as follows: 1. Review of the hazard and exposure risks of new chemicals before introductions at the R&D stage. 2. Risk control in the workplace. 3. Evaluation of the risk toward surroundings.