Position Summary
The Safety Manager is responsible for leading the Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) function of a semiconductor manufacturing facility, ensuring full compliance with Malaysia legislation, corporate EHS requirements, and international standards. The role is accountable for protecting employees, contractors, visitors, and company assets by implementing effective safety management systems, promoting a strong safety culture, and driving continuous improvement in workplace safety performance.
The Safety Manager partners closely with Manufacturing, Facilities, Engineering, Quality, Human Resources, Security, and contractors to ensure safe operations across cleanrooms, laboratories, central utilities, chemical storage, construction projects, and office facilities. This position is based at ASE Semiconductor Penang, formerly known as Analog Devices (ADI).
Key Responsibilities
1. Safety Leadership
- Lead the site's Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) programme.
- Develop and execute the annual EHS strategy and objectives.
- Foster a proactive safety culture through leadership engagement and employee participation.
- Serve as the site's technical authority on occupational safety matters.
- Chair or support Safety and Health Committee meetings.
2. Regulatory Compliance
Ensure full compliance with all applicable Malaysia legislation, including but not limited to:
- Occupational Safety and Health Act 2022 (Act 514)
- ISO 14001, ISO 45001, ISO 5001, ISO 46001
- Factories and Machinery Act 1967 (where applicable)
- Occupational Safety and Health (Use and Standards of Exposure of Chemicals Hazardous to Health) Regulations 2000 (USECHH)
- Occupational Safety and Health (Classification, Labelling and Safety Data Sheet of Hazardous Chemicals) Regulations 2013 (CLASS)
- Occupational Safety and Health (Safety and Health Committee) Regulations
- Occupational Safety and Health (Notification of Accident, Dangerous Occurrence, Occupational Poisoning and Occupational Disease) Regulations (NADOPOD)
- Fire Services Act 1988
- Environmental Quality Act 1974 (where safety interfaces with environmental protection)
- RBA Code of Conduct
Responsibilities include:
- Liaise with the Department of Occupational Safety and Health (DOSH), Fire and Rescue Department Malaysia (Bomba), local authorities, and regulatory agencies.
- Manage statutory inspections and compliance audits.
- Prepare statutory reports and submissions.
3. Safety Management System
- Maintain and continually improve the site's ISO 45001 Occupational Health & Safety Management System.
- Develop safety policies, procedures, and work instructions.
- Conduct management reviews.
- Manage document control for safety-related systems.
- Coordinate certification and surveillance audits.
4. Risk Assessment
Lead comprehensive workplace risk assessments including:
- HIRARC
- Job Safety Analysis (JSA)
- Process Hazard Analysis (PHA)
- Machine Risk Assessment
- Chemical Risk Assessment (CHRA)
- Ergonomic Risk Assessment
Ensure effective implementation of risk control measures following the hierarchy of controls.
5. Semiconductor Process Safety
Provide technical oversight for safety involving:
- Cleanroom operations
- Hazardous chemicals
- Specialty gas systems
- Bulk gas distribution
- Chemical Distribution System (CDS)
- Waste chemical systems
- RODI
- Wastewater treatment systems
- HVAC systems
- Chillers
- Air compressors
- Electrical substations
- Emergency generators
Support engineering teams during installation, commissioning, maintenance, and modification of production equipment.
6. Contractor Safety Management
- Develop contractor safety management programmes.
- Review contractor risk assessments and method statements.
- Conduct contractor safety induction.
- Monitor Permit-to-Work (PTW) compliance.
- Conduct contractor safety inspections.
- Evaluate contractor EHS performance.
7. Permit-to-Work (PTW) Management
Administer and monitor permits including:
- Hot Work
- Confined Space Entry
- Lockout Tagout (LOTO)
- Electrical Isolation
- Work at Height
- Excavation
- Crane Lifting Operations
- Roof Access
8. Incident Management
- Lead investigations into accidents, near misses, dangerous occurrences, and occupational illnesses.
- Apply root cause analysis methodologies (e.g. 5 Why, Fishbone Diagram).
- Develop corrective and preventive actions.
- Ensure timely reporting to DOSH under NADOPOD requirements.
- Track closure of corrective actions.
9. Emergency Response
Develop and maintain:
- Emergency Response Plan
- Business Continuity support
- Fire evacuation procedures
- Chemical spill response
- Hazardous gas leak response
- Medical emergency procedures
Coordinate emergency drills with:
- Emergency Response Team (ERT)
- Bomba
- Hospitals
- Local authorities
10. Occupational Health & Industrial Hygiene
Coordinate programmes for:
- Chemical exposure monitoring
- Noise exposure monitoring
- Heat stress assessment
- Indoor Air Quality
- Occupational health surveillance
- Respiratory protection
- Ergonomic improvement programmes
- Managing an in-house clinic
11. Safety Training
Develop and deliver training programmes covering:
- New employee orientation
- Contractor induction
- Chemical safety
- Emergency response
- LOTO
- Confined Space
- Working at Height
- Fire safety
- Behaviour-Based Safety (BBS)
- Electrical safety
- PPE management
12. Safety Audits & Inspections
- Conduct routine inspections.
- Lead internal EHS audits.
- Support customer EHS audits.
- Support corporate EHS assessments.
- Monitor corrective action closure.
13. Safety Reporting
Prepare monthly reports covering:
- TRIR
- LTIR
- Near Misses
- Safety Observations
- Audit Findings
- CAPA Status
- Training Compliance
- Contractor Performance
- Regulatory Compliance Status
Present reports during Management Review Meetings.
Qualifications
Education
- Bachelor's Degree in Occupational Safety & Health, Engineering, Environmental Science, Industrial Safety, Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or equivalent.
Professional Certifications
Mandatory:
- Registered Safety and Health Officer (Green Book) recognised by DOSH Malaysia or eligible for registration.
Preferred:
- ISO 45001 Lead Auditor
- Certified Industrial Hygienist
- NEBOSH International Diploma or General Certificate
- Certified Emergency Response Team Leader
- First Aid, CPR & AED Certification
Experience
- Minimum 8 years of EHS experience in manufacturing.
- Minimum 5 years in semiconductor or high-technology manufacturing.
- Minimum 3 years managing EHS teams.
- Experience working with multinational corporations is preferred.
- Experience managing construction projects within operating manufacturing facilities.
Technical Competencies
- Malaysia OSH legislation
- ISO 45001 Management Systems
- Semiconductor manufacturing processes
- Cleanroom safety
- Hazardous chemical management
- Specialty gas safety
- Industrial hygiene
- Machine safety
- LOTO
- Permit-to-Work systems
- Fire safety
- Electrical safety
- Risk assessment methodologies
- Incident investigation
- Emergency response management
- Contractor safety management
- Safety data analysis
- Root cause analysis
Behavioural Competencies
- Leadership
- Integrity
- Accountability
- Effective communication
- Stakeholder management
- Coaching and mentoring
- Decision making
- Conflict resolution
- Strategic thinking
- Continuous improvement mindset
Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
- Zero fatalities.
- Zero major regulatory non-compliance.
- Lost Time Injury Frequency Rate (LTIFR).
- Total Recordable Incident Rate (TRIR).
- Near Miss reporting rate.
- Corrective Action Closure (>95% on time).
- Contractor safety performance.
- 100% statutory compliance.
- 100% mandatory training completion.
- Audit score ≥95%.
- Emergency drill effectiveness.
- Behaviour-Based Safety participation rate.
- Safety observation reporting.
- Permit-to-Work compliance >98%.
Working Environment
- Semiconductor fabrication and assembly cleanrooms.
- Chemical storage and distribution facilities.
- Utility plants.
- Central plant operations.
- Laboratories.
- Construction and renovation projects.
- Office environments.
The position requires periodic after-hours support during emergency incidents, shutdowns, equipment installation, and regulatory inspections.
Primary Interfaces
- Manufacturing Operations
- Facilities Engineering
- Maintenance
- Process Engineering
- Quality Assurance
- Human Resources
- Security
- Corporate EHS
- Contractors and Vendors
- DOSH Malaysia
- Bomba
- Department of Environment (DOE)
- Local Authorities
