April 29, 2002 - This week, National Semiconductor Corporation's (NYSE:NSM) workforce in South Portland, Maine is celebrating the attainment of a significant milestone for a semiconductor manufacturing facility: one million hours without a single lost work time injury. That translates into over 275 days of continuous operation with an average employment of over 600 people on site.
Paul Edmonds, Site Manager and National Semiconductor Vice President of Operations, attributes the achievement to every employee at the site. "Management's number one priority, as we consistently stress to the workforce, is and always will be safety. We work hard to create a culture in which employees take ownership of their work areas. Our investment in fostering a safe working environment has really paid off."
The site also has an aggressive ergonomics program. Rena Dunn RN, the site Occupational Health Nurse, summarized the program. "National's focus is on a properly adjusted work station, whether employees work in an office or on the factory floor. Adjusting an office worker's PC workstation is standard practice, but the equipment on our factory floor is far more varied. New manufacturing equipment must go through an 'equipment sign-off process,' in which the safety department plays a major role. Each tool is evaluated to ensure it meets our safety and ergonomic standards. Sometimes we'll have to retrofit or adjust a tool before it goes into the factory, so our workers can have a proper ergonomic environment."
National's Site Services and Environmental Health and Safety Manager John Dunn (no relation) credits both employee training and a program known as Total Productive Manufacturing for reaching the safety milestone. "Our new-hire orientation really stresses safety. In addition to simply working safely, our employees are taught the importance of reporting any possible hazards they observe, whether in their immediate work area or anywhere on site."
Groundbreaking for National's South Portland plant began in November 1995, and the first production run through was completed in April 1997, which is best-in-class performance. During the 1.8 million work hours spent constructing the facility, there were no serious accidents or injuries. In June 1997, Liberty Mutual Group presented its "Liberty Mutual Silver Award" to National acknowledging the company's commitment to safety.
About National Semiconductor in Maine:
National Semiconductor's South Portland Maine manufacturing facility processes
eight-inch silicon wafers using .35, .25, and .18 micron CMOS and BiCMOS technologies. The Maine-made integrated circuits ("chips") are found in consumer products including information appliances, computers, flat panel displays, scanners, DVDs, digital cameras and wireless communications. The factory operates seven days a week, 24 hours a day and employs 625 employees in South Portland including engineers, technicians and support personnel. National has been in Maine since 1987. The factory started operations in 1997.
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