Establishing and Implementing an Environmental, Safety, and Health Program for a New III-V Compound Semiconductor Company

Olexia*, Daniel C. ; Williams, Jeffrey
(Quantum Photonics, Jessup, MD and Department of Defense, Ft. Meade, MD)

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Starting up any manufacturing enterprise involves coordination and establishment of numerous issues. One obviously important item is the program for addressing environmental compliance, employee safety, emergency response, and occupational health. This presentation will present a ES&H engineer’s view on establishing an environmental, safety, and health program for a new company, in this case a compound semiconductor manufacturer, and the sequence and priority for the programs. Issues start early in the effort. Constructing a new facility, or retrofitting an existing structure, involves numerous issues dealing with fire and building code construction regulations and best management practices for facility layout and design. Another area that will be discussed are the environmental permits that are required. These permits include coordinating air, wastewater, hazardous waste, solid waste, radiation and water permits with the state and county. Combining these areas, are the challenges of implementing the appropriate environmental control technology for your specific processes i.e., acid waste neutralization, acid wet scrubbers, dry-bed scrubbers, bag-in/bag-out filters, and continuous gas monitoring. Industrial hygiene and occupational health programs. Issues of maintenance will be examined, along with documentation and training. Finally, emergency response issues that you may encounter when working with III-V compound semiconductors will be discussed.

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