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ESD flooring and footwear: limits and testing

Where people walk about and cannot wear a wrist strap, shoes and flooring ground them. The two must work together as a system.

The limits

ANSI/ESD S20.20 and IEC 61340-5-1 both accept one of two results for the flooring and footwear system.

TestLimit
System resistance, person to groundBelow 1 x 10^9 ohm
Body voltage, person walkingBelow 100 V

Test methods

  • ANSI/ESD STM97.1 measures system resistance, person in shoes on the floor.
  • ANSI/ESD STM97.2 measures the voltage a person generates when walking.
  • ANSI/ESD STM7.1 measures the resistance of the flooring material itself.
  • The IEC standards call up their own matching methods.

What goes wrong

  • Dirt, wax or sealer on the floor raises resistance.
  • Worn soles or heel straps stop making contact.
  • Wearing a shoe on one foot only. Wear a grounder on both feet where required.
  • Socks, spray or coatings that block the path.

How often to test

Many sites test each person at entry, with a footwear tester. The floor is checked on a schedule set in the ESD programme plan.

Typical figures. Confirm against the current edition of your standard and your programme plan.

Keep reading

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