Approach to Chemical Health Risk Assessment for Maintenance Workers at Electronics Manufacturing Facilities

Abstract

Background: Maintenance workers in the electronics manufacturing industry are exposed to a diverse combination of gaseous and particulate substances, yet specific guidance for assessing their chemical health risks remains limited. The aims of this study are to develop a stepwise framework approach for qualitatively assessing hazard severity, exposure probability, and chemical health risks for maintenance workers at electronic manufacturing facilities, and to propose a method for categorizing these factors through occupational health risk assessment (OHRA). Methods: We developed a stepwise framework for qualitatively assessing the health risks posed by chemicals to maintenance workers in electronics facilities. This framework employs a semiquantitative approach using ordinal scores to evaluate the severity of chemical hazards and the likelihood of exposure, particularly in situations where representative measurement data for multiple chemicals are unavailable. Results: The framework assesses hazard severity qualitatively by considering the number of chemicals and the presence of carcinogenic, mutagenic, or reprotoxic substances or sensitizing hazards. A qualitative approach to estimating the likelihood of exposure is recommended, focusing on the effectiveness of engineering controls, the frequency and duration of maintenance works and tasks (MW), and the use of air jets. Two examples of a qualitative chemical OHRA for maintenance workers are given, one for a moderate hazard chemical integrating several exposure factors, and the second for MW on an ion implanter. Conclusion: Further research is needed to validate this method and to develop additional practical guidance for the assessment of chemical health risks associated with MW. (c) 2025 Occupational Safety and Health Research Institute. Published by Elsevier B.V. on behalf of Institute, Occupational Safety and Health Research Institute, Korea Occupational Safety and Health Agency. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/ licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).