Improve chemical safety and emergency response using the 2018 edition of NFPA 318: Standard for the Protection of Semiconductor Fabrication Facilities.

The semiconductor industry continues to advance, requiring new safeguards to address evolving hazards. Reorganized and with major revisions to the requirements for both gas-detection systems as well as smoke detection systems, NFPA 318: Standard for the Protection of Semiconductor Fabrication Facilities applies to semiconductor fabrication facilities and comparable R&D areas in which hazardous chemicals are used, stored, and handled -- containing a cleanroom or clean zone or both.

Chapters address every aspect of safety, from general safety precautions and fire protection to construction, chemical storage and handling, hazardous gas cylinder storage and distribution, bulk silane systems, production and support equipment, emergency control station, and means of egress.

The 2018 edition of NFPA 318 assists all stakeholders involved in fire protection: engineers, AHJs, facility personnel, and contractors.

• Requirements for gas-detection systems as well as smoke detection systems are technically modified and also revised for clarity.
• Gas detection criteria are revised to clarify when detection is needed and where it is required to be physically provided.
• Requirements for detection are revised to include not just minimum capabilities of detectors but also coverage areas, alert and alarm sensitivities, and maximum transport times taken from NFPA 76: Standard for the Fire Protection of Telecommunications Facilities, which were based on research conducted by the Fire Protection Research Foundation.