Report to the People
The Safety of the Semiconductor Industry
Working is, in the main, good for your health.
A job equals more money, which equals better diet, a warmer house, less stress, better mental health and more.
But as we in Greenock know only too well, there are a number of notable exceptions to this rule. We all know someone who lost a finger, the use of a limb or their hearing in heavy industries such as shipbuilding. And, far more seriously, we do not need to be told about the plight of asbestos victims.
Making the right to work safely a reality is something on which I, together with many trade unions and local campaign groups, have been working for decades.
And while the old cavalier attitude towards health and safety is, if not a thing of the past, certainly on its way out, issues around the wider aspects of occupational health remain. The causes of work related illnesses are not immediately apparent. It can take decades before the harmful effects of some products are discovered.
Because we have seen first hand the effects of these hidden dangers, we understandably become worried when questions are asked about the safety of our new high tech industries.
It was understandable, then, that concern was generated by last week’s report into cancer rates among current and former employees at the National Semiconductor plant which found that rates of some specific cancers were above the national average, but failed to find a link with the workplace. Nevertheless the findings must be taken seriously.
What is important now is to get to the bottom of this and give the employees and ex-employees of National Semiconductor piece of mind. To do this we urgently need further investigation. I am glad that the Health and Safety Executive is carrying out a further study into the wider issues at the plant and it is good to see the company co-operating with this.
We also need to know if there is a problem with the actual semiconductor manufacturing process. I therefore fully back the HSE’s call for similar research to be carried out across the industry as a whole. Semiconductor companies throughout the UK would do well to follow National Semiconductor’s lead and work with the HSE in this.
Getting to the truth is vital for the current and former workforce, their families and the long term future of the industry.
If you are worried about the issues raised by this report, you have a right to all the facts and can contact your GP, National Semiconductor or the Phase 2 support group.
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