Simulation Technologies of Hazard Prevention for

High Technology Factories

Chihchiang Zhang, Leekuo Lin and Shuyu Lin

Taipei University of Technology, Taipei 10608, Taiwan, China

Abstract: Based on the statistic information, the outcome of high technology industry is strongly relative with
economic growth. Therefore, it is an important issue of hazard prevention at each high technology factory,
including design, construction and maintenance phases.
There are lots of potential hazards at any high-tech factory due to its specific characteristics. To reduce the
damage of those hazards, an effective management system of hazard prevention will be an important issue.
This paper introduces the following topics related with high technology factory: the specific and initial condi-
tion of high technology industry in Taiwan, China, the characteristics of high technology factory, introduction
of hazard simulation techniques, potential hazards discussion and prevention strategy. The purpose of this
papers presentation is trying to supply reference information to the factory management domain of high
technology. Also hope can reach the knowledge sharing of hazard prevention with knowledge manage-
ment system.
Key words: High technology factory, hazard simulation techniques, hazard prevention.

Introduction
In Taiwan, information technology (IT) is an impor-
tant issue for economic growth. The professional
knowledge of IT and construction is key factor to de-
velop high-tech industry. Without such knowledge for
sharing between high-tech project practitioners, con-
struction management techniques may not be appropri-
ately applied to future projects.
For more than three decades, the rapid expansion of Tai-
wans economy has been accompanied by the develop-
ment of high-tech industry since 1970. The facilitation
of factory establishment, creation of job opportunities, ba-
lancing of regional development, efficient utilization of
land, advancement of local development, increase in gov-
ernment tax revenues, and accelerated economic expan-
sion provided by the development of high-tech industries
have made indelible contributions to the development of
Taiwan over the past decades.
In Taiwan, for the shortage of land, the plants of high-
tech were almost designed to put two or three FAB in one
building. New plants also will be designed being located
next to further plants still manufacturing, and the distance
between each building is always very close. The total
schedule of each project is tight, about 12 months, includ-
ing the installation of machines and equipments for proc-
ess. The period of structure construction is done within 6
months, and sometimes for marketing consideration, the
clients will request to reduce to 4 months. As a new 12
wafer manufacture factory project, the total amount of in-
vestment is about 90 billions NT dollars. The total floor
area should be over 250,000 m2, and the weight of steel
used in structure is more than 25,000 ton. In such narrow
and crowded space, how to complete the construction and
installation in a very short period with such high quantity
of steel structure? That is the reason why we study how to
combine the concept of life cycle management and use
the tools of life cycle engineering to solve those problems
as mentioned.
2

The purpose of this papers presentation is trying to
supply reference information to the factory manage-
ment domain of high technology. Also hope can
reach the knowledge sharing of hazard prevention with
knowledge management system.
1 The current defects of disaster pre-
vention in high-tech industry
According to relative surveys, in nowadays, the general
managing defects in Taiwan technology industry are
described as followings [1]:
(1)Cognitive deficit: In general, the managers would
attach more importance to the performance of operation
rather than disaster prevention. Therefore, the efficiency
of safe is descended.
(2)Workers lack of knowledge on disaster prevention:
Due to workers lack of knowledge on hazard
management, they cant meet the need practically which
results the conflict of hazard management between
realities and concepts.
(3)The lack of evaluating tool: An ideal and appropriate
tool for risk evaluation would help company to pursue the
higher security on risk management. If high-tech industry
cant distinguish the potential risk within a company, it
usually cant identify the purpose of analysis and of
course cant reduce the risk of hazard prevention.
(4)The disconnection among organizations: Due to the
structures of risk management are incomplete and the
disconnection between the administration and factory, its
hard for company to go through the concept of risk
management.
2 The discussion of hazard manage-
ment in high-tech factory disasters
2.1 The record of damage in high-tech factory dis-
asters
The range of disaster management in factory building is
extensive in which includes staffs safety, the loss of
property, the environmental pollution and the unexpected
affair such as the break down during operation. If a
business doesnt have a suitable mechanism of risk
management, it will influence the safety of factory
building during operations.
(1)Fire: In recent years, once the fire occurred in high-
tech industries in Taiwan, it definitely would cause a great
deal of loss which reminds people the importance of
disaster prevention in factory building.
(2)Earthquake: From the historical earthquake record in
Taiwan, there is almost happened a great earthquake in
every 10 years. These intensively earthquake always
caused seriously damages [2] Meanwhile, there are lots of
another hazards happened in high-tech industries from
time to tim, for example, occupational accidents (table 1),
blackout without alarm, lack of water, and convulsion. If
companies dont have appropriate prevention plans, it will
cause a lot of loss on property loss.
Table 1 The list of occupational accident in high-tech factories in Taiwan [3]
Time City/County Death Injuries Disaster media Companies Kind of works
2004/06/04
Xinzhu
County
0 19
Contact
with haz-
ards
Haz-
ards
Electric
technology
Co.
Because the leakage of chlorine during
the process of waste water in factory, 19
workers got inhale choke.
2005/01/26
Hsinchu Sci-
ence Park
0 21
Contact
with haz-
ards
Haz-
ards(As
H
3
)
Wafer foun-
dry Co.
Because the leakage of toxic gas during
the torn down of piping, 21 workers
were influenced.
2006/07/28
Hsinchu Sci-
ence Park
0 1
Contact
with haz-
ards
CLF3
Tec and Dis-
play Co. Ltd
While set up the equipment of platform,
workers contact with CLF
3
due to the
departure of channels. Workers were
send to the hospital immediately.

2007/02/16
Kaoshiung
County
2 0
Contact
with haz-
ards
Haz-
ards
Electrical
Science Ma-
terial Co.
Two workers were blasted by TMAH and
dead.

2.2 The skill of hazard management in high-tech
factories building
Because there are a lot of specialties in high-tech factorys,
comparatively, therefore there are varieties of potential
hazards. This research divides into three stages according
to the practical procedure: the plan of hazard prevention,
the build up of factory building and operation.
(1)The plan of hazard prevention: The study focuses on
the following analytical skills and disaster simulators
5

which can be applied in high-tech factory buildings.
A. Fire dynamics simulator (FDS): FDS is fire simulation
software based on Large Eddy Simulation (LES). It can
be used to simulate 3D fire circumstances. Smokeview is
data processing software that is combined into the FDS.
Figure 1 shows the structure of FDS and Smokeview. It
can display the result calculating by FDS through the
animation of 2D and 3D (Figure 2 and Figure 3).


Fig. 1 Structure between FDS and Smokeview [7]

(a) Case 1
(b) Case 2
Fig. 2 Simulation examples of fire disaster [4]

Fig. 3 An example of fire simulation [2]
B. The analytical model of smoke control in fire hazard
C. The inspective formula of safety evaluation on
evacuation in J apan: In 2000, the Ministry of
Construction in J apan announced the safe units in the
house that have to be inspected. It includes living room,
the safe evaluation of evacuation of storey and the safe
evaluation of evacuation of whole building.
(2)The stage of the construction of factory building:
There are two kinds of situations in constructing high-
tech factory building: the new construction and the
extension of factory buildings. The hazard of the new
construction of factory buildings may be similar with the
ordinary construction (Figure 4). There are a variety of
construction disaster among them, falling down electric
shock and settlement subsidence are the most common
three. It happens a lot but also causes serious damage and
influences. Therefore, this paragraph will focus on the
three disasters.

Fig. 4 A real high-tech construction project
A. Falling down
(A) The analysis of potential hazard: According to figure
3, the highest place of the construction site is also the
most dangerous place. They are scaffolding, the opening
on the ground, worktable, the opening of the elevator
channel, the wall, the open edge of floor, the steel girder
and the stairs (Figure 5 and Figure 6).


6
Fig. 5 Potential hazards of falling down

Fig. 6. Wafer manufacture factory under construc-
tion
This research selects a high-tech project located in Hsin-
Chu Science Park. To follow the specification of basic de-
sign and criteria of clients, this study did the simulation
for two different structural modules. The first module is
typical type using huge steel truss structure and RC waf-
fle slab system, and the second module is designed to use
Catenary-arch system. For typical designing with huge
steel truss structure and RC waffle slab system (Figure 7),
the floor height of level 20 is 5,400mm. The height be-
tween the top of slab of level 20 and the bottom of waffle
slab is 4,050mm. The depth of beam is 900mm, and the
dimension of column is 600mm*600mm. The dimension
of one single circle-shaped opening of waffle slab for air-
through is 320mm, and the area is about 804cm
2
. The
span between each column of level 20 is 4,800mm as well
as level 10. For construction consideration, building the
structure of new system is easier and faster than RC waf-
fle slab system. Piping work during the hook-up period is
also much easier. For operation and maintenance con-
sideration, new system creates more working space for
manufacturing and equipments. For design change of
market requirement, renewal, and renovation considera-
tion, new system could be adjusted and rebuilt more flex-
ibly, easily, simply, and quickly than RC waffle slab sys-
tem.

Fig. 7 Traditional RC structure for waffle slab
(B)Prevention policy: In general, the prevention of
construction disaster can apply the 3E policy in industrial
safety which includes Engineering, Education and
Enforcement. Why the disaster happens can be explained
into three reasons are basic reason, indirect reason and
direct reasons. Therefore, by applying the 3E policy on
the safe prevention policy we can eliminate the disaster
elements and reach the goal of safe precaution.
B. Electrical shock
(A)Prevention strategy: In nowadays, there are several
kinds of prevention methods for the electrical shock [5]:
Separation, Insulation, Shelter, Double insulation, Ground
connection, Low voltage, Non ground connection system,
The safe protection device, Direct current or high
frequency.
C. Ground settlement
(A)Prevention policy: Engineers can conclude strategies
from the five geology elements described above.
a.Piping: In order to prevent the hole or interval,
engineers have to control the vertical exactness and
maintain the completeness of the retaining wall, to record
the construction situation of the surface of retaining wall
and find out what wrong with it, to stop the water by
grouting before excavation, observe the surface of
retaining wall during excavation.
b. Heaving: To inspect the depth of the retaining wall, to
improve part of the exterior of the retaining wall, to abate
the overweight of the exterior of the retaining wall, in
construction divide the part into a lot of zones.
c.Quick sand: To inspect the depth of excavating, to
improve the quality of soil of the excavating face.
d. The overlarge alteration of retaining wall, to inspect the
retaining wall and support system, to improve the quality
of construction of retaining wall, to set up the safe
observation system to management and give feed back,
strictly forbid the over excavation, to reinforce the
5

construction management and to ensure or lift the
preloading number.
e.The safe support is bad or the destruction: To inspect
the design of the support, to inspect the detail of the
support and the system, to set up the safe observation
system, to reinforce the management of the support
construction, to avoid overweight or vibration.
(3)The operation of the factory
After the construction is finished and the factory start to
operate, from the concept of hazard prevention, this
research discusses the hazard prevention management or
to diagnose the disaster and develop the best strategy.
Theer is one special simulation program of debris flow,
which can be used to predict the potential hazard risk
with high-tech region (Figure 7 and Figure 8). This
program is developed by Dr. Luang who is a professor in
Taiwan University [7].

(a) Debris flow start

(b) Debris flow happened after 4 minutes
Fig. 7 2D simulation of debris flow
3 Conclusions
Construction projects contain aspects such as economy,
society, culture and education, medical treatment, and etc..
In general, the whole process of a high-tech factory
construction project will be done as a life cycle for more
than 50 years. Prevention is better than cure, the most
effective policy of disaster prevention is not let the
disaster happen. From the concept of the management of
hazard prevention engineers, not only should improve the
management of hazard prevention system, but also
improve the staffs abilities of hazards prevention.

Fig. 8 Real application of debris flow simulation

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