Safety

Safety through continuous improvement, an OHSAS 18001-certified company

Soitec’s Grenoble, Singapore and Paris Sud plants earned OHSAS 18001 safety certification. Launched in 2007, our Safe occupational risk prevention program has led to significant reductions in workplace accidents. The site of Freiburg (Germany) will also be part of the scope of the safety management system when it will get OHSAS 18001 certification, expected in July 2012.

At end-2011 the number of lost-time accidents was well below the French microelectronics industry’s average accident rate.

Eliminating occupational injuries: a constant battle

Emergency response teams are ready to provide assistance 24 hours a day at our plants. Under the EU Seveso directive, our Grenoble plant must draft an emergency response plan, which includes regular accident drills. The plant also has a firefighting team on site at all times.

Keeping occupational injuries to a minimum is a top priority at Soitec. We have managers carry out regular field safety inspections; we systematically analyze dangerous situations; and we run awareness-raising and communication campaigns targeting our employees. Employees are also assessed on safety at their annual performance appraisals.

Guarding against chemical hazards: a top priority

In addition to our general industrial safety policies, we have also implemented specific measures to address chemical hazards. Our efforts in this area, which date back to 2009, include identifying substitutes for CMRs (carcinogens, mutagens and substances toxic to reproduction). For instance, we have completely eliminated substances containing chromium from our production sites. We are working to apply European REACH regulations and have partnered with the CEA (under the French national Nano’Innov research program) to study the potential risks of exposure to nanoparticles.