The work of the SEMI Environment, Health and Safety (EHS) COVID-19 working group to address industry EHS issues and share best practices has morphed as rapidly as COVID-19 itself as the vaccine rollout continues, inspiring new hope for a return to normal.
The group has evolved from mounting crisis responses to urgent issues such as the shortage of masks and sanitization wipes and sprays to helping companies prepare for their employees’ return to the workplace and developing on-site health-screening procedures for employees and visitors to help ensure their safety.
Hot SEMI EHS COVID-19 working group topics have included the following as the team continues to meet every other week to stay abreast of COVID-19 developments and their industry impacts.
Vaccinations
SEMI members have been monitoring the progress of U.S. states and counties in delivering vaccines. So far, no essential workers in the electronics industry have been eligible to be vaccinated. To help gauge the availability of vaccines to essential industry workers, some companies have hired external consultants to monitor the phase-in. The SEMI EHS COVID-19 working group will collect and centralize the information to help members plan for their employees’ return to the workplace.
Policy Enforcement
At manufacturing sites, some employees reportedly are becoming complacent in following masking and distancing policies, prompting reminder communications from top management for workers to comply until the pandemic is brought to heel. The higher-ups are also encouraging staff to get vaccinated once they are eligible, with some member companies offering workers time off or other incentives for their employees and families to get vaccinated.
Contact Tracing
Despite the intense focus on contact tracing since the initial COVID-19 outbreak last year and early efforts to track people movement using smartphone applications or wearables, no tracking technology has emerged as the standard for helping to curb the virus’s spread. SEMI members have been testing various technologies ranging from Bluetooth to wearables with wide-band radio waves to track employees while on site. Tracing by wearables has proven inaccurate. Left with no better alternative, the vast majority of SEMI members are performing time-consuming manual contact tracing.
OSHA Compliance
While OSHA has picked up the pace in issuing new regulations related COVID-19, pandemic-related site inspections have lagged, some SEMI working group members report. In California, CAL/OSHA recently passed a COVID-19 Preparedness Plan that defines the responsibility of employers in preventing workplace outbreaks, offering PPE to workers and conducting frequent testing. The California plan mirrors the CDC recommendations implemented at the onset of the pandemic.
To join the SEMI EHS COVID-19 working group, contact our EHS team at EHS@semi.org.
Olivier Corvez is senior manager of Environment, Health, Safety and Sustainability at SEMI.