SEMI’s PV EHS Initiative – Engaging EHS and Facilities Professionals

Zude, Aaron
(SEMI, San Jose, CA)

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The PV industry has experienced tremendous growth over the past five years, placing enormous pressures on EHS needs and practices in the industry. Operating in dozens of countries, hundreds of new production facilities have recently come on line and thousands of new workers are interfacing with complex and potentially dangerous production processes. Unlike semiconductor fabs, which have experienced EHS staffs and robust EHS hazard controls in place, many PV facilities are currently in the learning mode. One of the challenges to ensuring that effective hazard controls are in place at PV manufacturing facilities, wherever they may be located, is that the PV industry has not yet developed an effective means for sharing knowledge on an industry-wide scale. Many of the process hazards in PV manufacturing are similar to those encountered and already solved by the semiconductor industry as the result of decades of cooperative effort and information sharing. There is a critical need to transfer the lessons learned and hazard controls developed by the semiconductor industry to the PV industry. This can occur in the form of education and training at EHS workshops, and through the application of safety and facility standards. This presentation will discuss SEMI’s PV standards development and EHS initiatives. Attendees will be provided an overview of SEMI’s current PV activities, including information on opportunities to participate. SEMI’s PV EHS initiatives are a first step towards satisfying the need for developing experienced PV EHS professionals and for fostering development of proven EHS procedures and practices within the PV industry.

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