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Semiconductor plant is safe, Samsung says

June 22, 2012 - 20:22 By Korea Herald
Samsung Electronics released Friday the results of research jointly conducted with U.S.-based Environ on the working environment safety of its semiconductor assembly lines at an international conference in Indianapolis.

At the event called “AIHce 2012,” Environ, a U.S. consultancy specializing in environmental and health issues, announced the occupational exposure in the Korean firm’s manufacturing areas evaluated was below levels developed by the scientific community to protect worker’s health, according to Samsung.

The event, organized by the American Industrial Hygiene Association, was held from June 16-21 and attended by about 5,000 people in the sectors of government, academia and business.

“The conference presented results that indicated problems with the safety of the working environment at the semiconductor lines did not occur and that the company is systematically evaluating and managing the level of chemical substance exposure at the workplaces,” said a Samsung official.

Last July, Samsung and Environ unveiled the content of such a report to the Korean media, claiming that four of the six cases ― filed by six former Samsung employees ― had not worked with carcinogens that could have caused their type of cancer.

It also said the remaining two cases were seen to have had exposure to carcinogens but the accumulated amount was “substantially below levels associated with increased risks.”

However, the state-run Korea Workers’ Compensation and Welfare Service acknowledged an industrial accident case for a female worker at Samsung’s semiconductor plant for the first time in April this year.

Another study by the state-run Occupational Safety and Health Research Institute also said earlier in February that cancer-inducting elements were detected at the semiconductor manufacturing lines operated by three firms, including Samsung and SK Hynix.

By Cho Ji-hyun (sharon@heraldcorp.com)