Intel is committed to caring for our people and the planet by integrating design for the environment and safety principles into all aspects of our business; from the development of our products, through our supply chain and manufacturing.
The Intel campus in Leixlip is home to facilities where we manufacture computer chips. The process of making computer chips is called fabrication and the factories where chips are made are called fabrication facilities, or ‘fabs’. Intel’s fabs are amongst the most technically advanced manufacturing facilities in the world. We use a photolithographic “printing” process to build a chip layer by layer on circular discs or ‘wafers’ made of silicon. Many layers are deposited across the wafer and then removed in small areas to create transistors and interconnects. The stages involved in creating these layers rely largely on chemical and electronic processes. Our manufacturing operations are underpinned by rigorous environmental management systems to protect the environment.
Central to these systems is our Environmental Health and Safety (EHS) team who oversee all aspects of safety and environmental management at our campus here in Leixlip. From compliance with licences and regulations to innovative programs that provide safeguards for the workplace and the wider community, the team have an uncompromising commitment to safety and environmental excellence.
The EHS team incorporates a number of different roles that cover a variety of responsibilities at the campus. In the latest part of this series we caught up with Edel Fogarty who is part of the Occupational Health (OH) team at the Intel Leixlip Campus.
Edel explains what her role involves;
“I trained as a general nurse in Beaumont Hospital in Dublin and have worked in Australia and the UK and went on to complete a Higher Diploma in Occupational Health and Safety. I have worked at the Intel campus since 2004 and previously worked in Dublin City University (DCU), a drug treatment centre and various OH practices. I am originally from Galway and have been living in Lucan for many years. I am currently completing my MSc in Occupational Health and Safety at the National University of Ireland Galway (NUIG).
I work as an occupational health nurse in the Occupational Health (OH) team which is part of the wider EHS team. The OH team works closely together under the guidance of Intel’s medical case manager – Marian Whyte.
We work as part of a multi-disciplinary team consisting of 5 occupational health nurses plus a part time physician/doctor onsite for a certain number of hours each week as well as 2 physiotherapists and a part-time administrator. There are also locum resources in place to ensure that backup cover is available as needed.
Intel has a very strong culture of health and safety. The OH team provide a number of different services and facilities to support this ethos. For example, we provide health monitoring for certain groups of employees onsite who may require it, such as members of our Emergency Response Team (ERT) who receive medicals every year. We also provide the likes of audiometry and eye testing for anyone who may require it to comply with health and safety legislation.
Our team would also work on specific health promotion campaigns and initiatives on topics relevant to employees such as providing guidance on the likes of sun safety or having regular opportunities for employees to donate blood by bringing the blood transfusion service onsite. In the last 5 years, Intel employees have made 547 blood donations.
Day to day, the OH team works closely on work and non-work-related medical issues. We also work closely with the rest of the EHS team and with ERT on any incidents that might arise onsite.
Working in a campus environment that has both a factory aspect and office-based workers means that we support a variety of different needs. We work closely with the team of ergonomists and physiotherapist in the management of musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs). The role of the ergonomists and physiotherapists is of great benefit to managing MSD injuries to a successful outcome. MSDs and stress related conditions continue to be the main causes of work absenteeism in any modern workplace. Intel has an Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) which is available on site to provide a wide range of support to employees.
We also work closely with Human Resources (HR) and line managers to support people who are returning to the workplace after an extended absence. In these cases, we meet regularly with doctors, consultants, nurses, physiotherapists and ergonomists to aid the person returning to work. Sometimes we engage with external consultants and agencies for more support and advice to aid the employee’s return to work.
We are proud that we have been able to provide an uninterrupted level of service during the era of COVID-19. A particular challenge is how to engage with people while providing a service which has traditionally depended upon a lot of interpersonal contact. We are minimising face-to-face contact with employees and are doing a lot more follow-up and referral over the phone and linking in with people in their homes using Skype and other technologies.
We see ourselves as an advocate of the employee and health advisor to the company. We are a department with confidentially at its core – if anyone needs help, we can be an impartial, trusted advisor and refer to an appropriate specialist for assistance onsite or offsite
The OH department continues to be a vital resource to employees for any occupational health issues whether they are on site or working from home during this unprecedented pandemic”.
Check out the other installments of our Environmental Health and Safety series;
Part 1 – Michael Cullen explains the role of the Environmental Health and Safety team
Part 2 – Kevin Moloney explains the management of water systems at Intel
Part 3 – Ronan Kearney on the management of air emissions at the Intel campus
Part 4 – Alessandro Guerriero on the management of noise at the Intel campus
Additional information about Intel is available at:
Web – intel.ie | Twitter – @Intel_IRL | Facebook – Intel Ireland
Media contact: Sarah Sexton | sarah.sexton@intel.com | + 353 1 606 8537