DS 7-7R 17-12R Semiconductor Fabrication Facilities ... - FM Global

7-7R
4.4 International Codes
There are no specific codes in use which control the semiconductor industry outside of the U.S. Each country
has its own Building Regulations (U.K.) or similar, but these do not specifically address semiconductor loss
prevention or firesafety issues. As a result, it is possible that although the UBC and UFC may be used in
the initial designs for many fabs, the standards may be compromised during construction to the lower local
codes.
In all cases, the international building codes are lifesafety based, typically geared to enable safe evacuation
of occupants in a short period of time. In the U.K., the use of British standards for installations such as
electrical installations (BS7671, 16th Edition Wiring Regulations) is not mandatory, however a designer applying
them is ‘‘deemed to satisfy’’ the building regulations if they are used. If an alternative standard is used, the
designer has to justify that deviation showing that it is at least as good as the equivalent British standard.
1. Sprinkler installations in the United Kingdom are often specified to meet LPC (Loss Prevention Council
‘‘Rules for Automatic Sprinkler Installations’’ adopted by British Standards Institution as BS 5305 Part 2). However
the use of FM Global standards for sprinkler installation is usually acceptable. These are also often
the basis of sprinkler codes in commonwealth countries.
2. European CE Union Mark
On 1 January 1995 a set of European Union (EU) directives became effective. They require a wide range
of products to have the ‘‘CE’’ mark. The intent is to ensure that products entering the EU countries comply
with general safety and environmental regulations.
Each product with a CE mark will have a technical file which contains the following information:
a. Overall drawing of the equipment together with control circuit drawings.
b. Full detailed documentation to show that the equipment conforms to Environmental Health and Safety
(EHS) requirements, which include:
i. Principles of safety integration.
ii. Safety and reliability of control systems.
iii. Control devices.
iv. Protection against other hazards.
v. Fire and explosion.
vi. Emissions of dust, gases etc. (maintenance, indicators, warning devices, warning or residual risks)
c. A list of the EHS regulations, standards and other technical specifications used in the design of the
equipment.
d. Methods adopted to eliminate hazards.
e. Relevant technical reports or certificates issued by a competent body or laboratory.
f. A list of the harmonized standards and a technical report giving results of tests.
g. Equipment operation instructions.
3. There are three main directives:
a. The Machinery Directive,
b. The Electrical Directive
c. The Low Voltage Directive (73/23/EEC): Mandatory from 1/1/97
Conformance Requirements (Article 2)
i. Equipment must be ‘‘safe’’
REFERENCE DOCUMENT
17-12R SEMICONDUCTOR FABRICATION FACILITIES
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ii. Equipment must be constructed in accordance with good engineering practice.
iii. Equipment must conform with the principle elements of the safety objective (annex I)
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