EcoTile ESD Presentation &

Training Handbook
Index 11. Why Should I Be Concerned About ESD / Static Discharge
1. The ESD Gospel – What are you trying to achieve? 12. Problems / Damage That Can Be Caused By Static
2. The requirements for an ESD floor system Discharge/ESD
3. What should I have – Static Dissipative or Static 13. Examples Of ESD Sensitive Devices
Conductive Flooring 14. What Are The Main Generators Of Static
4. Static Dissipative & Static Conductive Flooring 15. How Can You Prevent ESD Damage
Comparison Chart 16. How Do You Prevent Your People From Creating A Static
5. How should you test your floor & The System Risk
1. Surface Resistance 17. Setting Up An Esd Control System & What Are The Key
2. Resistance to Ground of the floor
Components
3. Resistance to Ground of the system
4. Walking Test / Human Body Model 18. ESD – The International Industry Standards
6. Interpreting your test results – Scientific Notation 19. The Requirements For An ESD Floor System
7. Summary 20. How To Test Your Esd Floor
8. What Is Electrostatic Discharge (ESD) 21. Interpreting Your Test Results – Scientific Notation
9. Definitions & Examples 22. Myths Regarding ESD
10. What Are The Main Generators Or Static & How Static
Discharge Can Damage Components
 The ESD Gospel: IEC / BS EN 61340-5-1:2007
WHAT ARE YOU TRYING TO ACHIEVE?
IEC / BS EN 61340-5-1:2007 applies to activities that involve manufacture, process, assemble, install, package, label, service,
test, inspect, transport or otherwise handling off electrical or electronic parts, assemblies and equipment susceptible to
damage by electrostatic discharges greater than or equal to 100 V human body model (HBM).

IEC / BS EN 61340-5-1 provides the requirements for an ESD control program. The user should refer to IEC 61340-5-2 for
guidance on the implementation of this standard. This standard does not apply to electrically initiated explosive devices,
flammable liquids, gases and powders. The purpose of BS EN 61340-5-1 is to provide the administrative and technical
requirements for establishing, implementing and maintaining an ESD control program.

• The fundamental ESD control principles that form the basis of this Standard are as follows:
– Avoid a discharge from any charged, conductive object (personnel and especially automated handling equipment)
into the ESDS.
– Avoid a discharge from any charged ESD sensitive device. Charging can result from direct contact and separation or
it can be field induced.
– Once outside of an electrostatic discharge protected area (hereinafter referred to as an EPA) it is often not possible
to control the above items, therefore, ESD protective packaging may be required. ESD protection can be achieved by
enclosing ESD sensitive products in static protective materials, although the type of material depends on the
situation and destination.

Each company has different processes, and so will require a different blend of ESD prevention measures for an optimum ESD
control program. It is vital that these measures are selected, based on technical necessity and carefully documented in an ESD
control program plan, so that all concerned can be sure of the program requirements.
 The Requirements For An ESD Flooring System

The International standards details the requirements for an ESD floor system: IEC/ BS
EN / DIN 61340-5-1 standard Protection of electronic devices from electrostatic
phenomena – General Requirements.
In order to be able to undertake the measurements in accordance with the standards
and the Human Body Model (HMB) the flooring must be tested:

1. For Resistance to ground of the floor by itself - Rgp of the flooring to earth if floor
surface to be used as your primary grounding point
2. For Resistance to ground of the SYSTEM – i.e. in combination with the person, shoes
and flooring - Rgsystem of the system “person/shoes/flooring” against protective
earth or function earth
3. For Surface Resistance of the floor surface
4. To measure the level of charge generated whilst walking on the floor - Walking test
– Measurement of the body voltage U
 The Requirements For An ESD Flooring System

The sections Specific to Flooring & More Importantly the combination of the Individual, Footwear & Flooring
are detailed within:

• IEC / BS EN 61340-4-1 ed2.0 - Electrostatics - Part 4-1: Standard test methods for specific applications -
Electrical resistance of floor coverings and installed floors (New Version expected 04/2015)
• IEC / BS EN 61340-4-5 ed1.0 - Electrostatics - Part 4-5: Standard test methods for specific applications -
Methods for characterizing the electrostatic protection of footwear and flooring in combination with a
person

These standards can also be cross referenced with: IEC 60364, IEC/TS 60479-1, IEC/TS 60479-2,IEC 60749-
26, IEC 61010-1, IEC 61140, IEC 61340-2-3, IEC 61340-4-1, IEC 61340-4-3, IEC 61340-4-5, IEC/TR 61340-5-
2, ANSI/ESD S1.1,ANSI/ESD STM2.1, ANSI/ESD STM3.1,ANSI/ESD STM11.31, CENELEC HD 384,CENELEC HD
60364, EN 60749-26:2006, EN 61010-1:2001, EN 61010-1:2001/Corrigendum:2002, EN 61140:2002, EN 61340-
2-3:2000, EN 61340-4-1:2004, EN 61340-4-3:2001, EN 61340-4-5:2004, IEC 60749-27,IEC 61340-1-2, EN 60749-
27:2006
 The Requirements For An ESD Flooring System

Limit according to IEC/BS/DIN EN 61340-5-1 Norm Comment

The Floor Only
Resistance to ground Product Limits IEC/BS/DIN Conditioning and test climate have to be
EN 61340- agreed between the contract parties. If not
Rgp of the flooring to earth if floor Rgp <1x107Ω
4-1 (2004- agreed or specified differently, the following is
surface to be used as your primary
12) valid according to the norm IEC / BS/ DIN EN
grounding point
61340-5-1 (2008-07)
Rgp <1x109Ω (corresponds <1GΩ)
Or If used as a secondary ground
Temperature: 23 ± 2 °C / Relative Humidity:12
(i.e. in combination with wrist
±3%
straps etc.)
The System – The Person, Footwear & Floor In Combination
Resistance to ground Product Limits IEC/BS/DIN Conditioning and test climate have to be
EN 61340- agreed between the contract parties. If not
Rgsystem of the system Rgsystem <3.5 x 107Ω (corresponds < 35MΩ)
4-5 (2005- agreed or specified differently, the following
“person/shoes/flooring” against OR
03) is valid according to the norm DIN EN 61340-4-
protective earth or function earth Rgsystem <1 X 109Ω
5:
(corresponds<1 GΩ)
Walking test – Measurement of
And Temperature: 23 ± 2 °C
the body voltage U
Body voltage<100 Volt (mean value of the 5
Relative humidity: 12 ± 3 %
highest readings)
 WHAT SHOULD I HAVE - STATIC DISSIPATIVE OR STATIC CONDUCTIVE FLOORING?
The answer is something that overlaps both dissipative & conductive with the ideal range being
between 5 x 10 E4 and 3.5 x E7

Target Zone for a safe and compliant ESD Floor - See BELOW for Specific
Application Guidance

Recommended Zone for Areas with High

Resistance To Low - Minimum Voltage / Energized Equipment (i.e. Server
Resistance should be Rooms / Data Centres / Flight Control Centres
* Resistance to Low - See Note Resistance to High - Maximum Level of
25000ohms tested at 500V / etc.) Target Zone - 1.0 x 10 E6 to 3.5 x 10 E7 -
2 Below Resistance = 35 million ohm
We recommend 50000ohms at Protection from Lower Resistance should be
100V provided by using footwear with a resistance
no lower that 10 x E6)
Recommended Zone for Manufacturing
Facilities - Target Zone - 5 x 10 E4 to 1 x 10 E6 -
* Resistance to High - See Note
Protection of devices susceptible to static
1 Below
damage by lower resistance / Safety achieved
by 1 MegW Resistor in grounding cord)
Conductive Range Static Dissipative Range
>35 millions
< 10k Resistance 1 million (1 10 million (10 x 35 Million (3.5 x 100 million (10 x 1 Billion (10 x
1k (10 x E3) 50K (5 x 10 x E4) 100k (10 x E5) Ohms (3.51 x
(10 x E4) megW/ 10 x E6) E7) E7) E8) E9)
E7)
Note 1. For Manufacturing Facilities, areas where Electronic Components & Handled & DOD Explosive Handling Requirements: Most experts believe
that floors measuring below 10 million ohms (1.0 X 10 E7) offer the best static-control performance for electronic manufacturing and handling.
Floors measuring above 10 million ohms drain static more slowly (circa 20 x slower) than floors measuring in the conductive or lower end of the
static-dissipative range (< 1.0 X 10 E7).
Note 2. Non Manufacturing Facilities with High Voltage / Energised Equipment: In the event of an electrical short circuit individuals could be
exposed to high electrical currents if the floor has a surface resistance of below 1.0 x 10 E6 AND they are either not wearing ESD footwear with a
built in resistance greater than 1.0 x 10 E6 OR they are wearing non ESD footwear that has low surface resistance. This is an unlikely event BUT,
for example, if an individual is wearing leather soled shows and the floor is wet their is a potential risk. At 10,000 (10 E4) Ohms, people could be
exposed to 12 milliamps of current, enough to cause them to not let go of the voltage source. At 1 million (10 E6) Ohms, people would
experience 1/100th of this current.
Static Dissipative & Static Conductive Flooring Comparison Chart Static Dissipative Static Conductive

What flooring should I use for what application? 1 x 10 E6 to 1 x 10 E9 2.5 x 10 E4 to 1 x 10 E6

Meets Standard for use as Primary Ground in Electronics Manufacturing & Handling
NO YES
Facilities according to BS EN 61340-5-1 / ANSI20:20 / IEC BS EN 61340-5-1

Meets Standard for use as Secondary Ground in Electronics Manufacturing & Handling
YES YES
Facilities according to BS EN 61340-5-1 / ANSI20:20 / IEC BS EN 61340-5-1

Meets Motorola R56 / ATIS-0600321 / FAA STD 019e for Calls Centres, Telecommunication
YES YES
Facilities, Flight Control Centres etc.

Meets NFPA 99 for Healthcare Installations YES NO

Meets IBM recommendations for Data Centres YES NO

Lifetime Static Control Properties YES YES

Meets DOD Explosives Handling Requirements NO YES

 HOW SHOULD YOU TEST YOUR FLOOR
& THE SYSTEM.
• Surface Resistance – Using the appropriate test equipment test the floor across two or
more tiles and take a minimum of 9 readings across random points. Calculate the
average reading from your tests to get an accurate surface resistance reading.

•Measuring the resistance

between two points on the
tiles = Surface Resistance.

•In this example the surface

resistance is 0.59megW = 5.9 x
10 E5

 Wrong test method – Do not use prong contacts to test the floor, insufficient surface contact.
 Correct Test Method – Use weights or suitable test plate to ensure good surface contact.
 HOW SHOULD YOU TEST YOUR FLOOR
& THE SYSTEM.
• Resistance to Ground of the FLOOR– To measure the resistance to ground of the floor
tiles in isolation test from the tile to either the grounding stud or the grounding tape
(not via the grounding cord because the cord includes a 1 megW resistor). To test the
resistance to ground of the entire floor system test place one probe on the floor and
connect the other connection to the end of the grounding cord.

 Correct Test Method 1 - Test from the floor first to your grounding point to test the resistance to
ground of the floor – Target Resistance to be less than 1 x 10 E6. i.e. Suitable for use within an EPA zone /
electronics manufacturing facility
 HOW SHOULD YOU TEST YOUR FLOOR
& THE SYSTEM.
• Resistance to Ground of the SYSTEM– To measure the resistance to ground of the
system (the combination of the person, footwear and floor) hold one probe in the palm
of your hand, connect the other probe to your grounding point and test. The results
should be from 1 x 106 or 1 MegW and not exceed 3.5 x 107 or 35MegW.

Test the resistance via the grounding cord with Test the resistance of the system, the individual,
the 1megW the footwear and the floor.
 Correct Test Method 2 - Test from the floor next to your grounding point to test the resistance to
ground of the floor via the grounding cord with the 1megW resistor – Target Resistance to be between 1 x
10 E6 and 3.5 x 10 x E7. i.e. The safety zone in the event of an electrical short circuit.
 HOW SHOULD YOU TEST YOUR FLOOR
& THE SYSTEM.
• Walking Test / Human Body Model – Test for tribo-electric charging, to see the
approximate body voltage electrical charges generated on the human body while
walking or moving across floor use a static field meter whilst wearing the appropriate
footwear & test what body voltage is created. The voltage should not exceed 100V

• Cradle the field meter in the palm of your hand. Once the Meter is
grounded and you are standing on the floor to be tested, walk around,
shuffle your feet, raise a foot or use the random walking pattern to
determine if the combination of footwear and substrate produces an
electrical charge. If an electrical charge is generated and induced onto
the human body, the amount of the charge will be registered on the
meter.
• This test can be done regardless of the type of footwear or substrate
combination.
• Target – The individual should not generate a charge in excess of 100V

Using the Personal HBM Test Fixture to measure charges on the body

•The amount (or size) of the charge generated will vary from one human body to another. Other factors such as
humidity, contamination between the foot and flooring surface, as well as human body capacitance will also affect the
amount of charge generated.
Interpreting your Test Results - Scientific Notation

How to interpret your reading

Example:

0.429mW = 4.29 x 105 - Explanation: 0.429 is between 0.1 and 1 is in the range for 105 and the 0.429 represents where in the range it is located
5.9Meg = 5900kW = 5.9 x 106 - Explanation: 5.9 between 1 and 10 is in the range for 106 and the 5.9 represents where in the range it is located

Ohms (W) Notation / KW MW GW Description Guidelines

Integer
100 102 0.1 0.0001 = CONDUCTIVE but below recommended safety
1000 103 1 0.001 guidelines, resistance above 104
recommended
10000 104 10 0.01 = CONDUCTIVE Range for an ESD floor if it is to be used
100000 105 100 0.1 as a primary ground
1000000 106 1000 1 0.001Gig
10000000 107 10000 10 0.01Gig = DISSIPATIVE Range for an ESD floor if it is to be used
100000000 108 100000 100 0.1 Gig in addition to a secondary ground (i.e.
Bench top mats and wrist straps)

1000000000 109 1000000 1000 I Gig 109 to 1011 = Anti-static

SUMMARY

There are multiple factors that can impact on the results that you will get, humidity, temperature, cleaning
methods, dust and dirt on the floor, how well hydrated the individual undertaking the test is!!! To achieve both
a floor that is safe for the manufacture of components that are susceptible to damage from electro-static
discharge and that is also safe for the individual to work on you MUST view the system as an entirety:

• The floor should have a resistance ideally between 5 x 104 or 50,000W and not exceed 1 x 106 or 1MegW.
This allows a margin for error in the event of low humidity or dirt build up on the floor. This will ensure
that individual working on the floor will safely discharge any electrical charge that they may build up
whilst working within the area covered by your ESD floor.
• The floor should be grounded using a grounding cord with a 1Meg, in the event of an electrical short
circuit the resistor will blow and the route to ground will be cut ensuring the safety of the individual
• The floor must be viewed as part of an ESD system, the floor, the footwear and the individual have to be
tested in conjunction with the objective that the overall resistance of the system does not exceed 3.5 x
107 or 35MegW.

Remember that an ESD floor will only work if used in conjunction with ESD shoes or ESD heel straps, without
the appropriate footwear the floor will ensure that the individual will not generate more than 100V whilst
working on the floor but it will not discharge any electrical charge that the individual has built up via other
activities (i.e. handling packaging materials, walking across carpet etc.)
A Brief Explanation Of What ESD Is And The
Effects It Can Have On Your Industry
What is Electrostatic discharge (ESD)

Electrostatic discharge is the sudden flow of electricity between two electrically charged objects
caused by contact, an electrical short, or dielectric breakdown. A build-up of static electricity can
be caused by tribocharging or by electrostatic induction. The ESD occurs when differently-charged
objects are brought close together or when the dielectric between them breaks down.

ESD can cause a range of harmful effects of importance in industry, including gas, fuel vapour and
coal dust explosions, as well as failure of solid state electronics components such as integrated
circuits. These can suffer permanent damage when subjected to high voltages. Electronics
manufacturers therefore establish electrostatic protective areas free of static, using measures to
prevent charging, such as avoiding highly charging materials and measures to remove static such as
grounding human workers, providing antistatic devices, and controlling humidity.

What Causes Static Electricity? - Static Electricity is caused by friction between and separation of
two materials. This phenomenon is also called Triboelectric Charging
Definitions
• Insulator: A material with high resistance (> 1012 Ohm)
• Electrostatic Conductor: A material with low resistance (< 106 Ohm)
• Static Dissipative: A material with an electrical resistance between the electrostatic conductive
and anti-static range (106 Ohm < dissipative > 109 Ohm)
• Antistatic / Low Tribocharging: Material that minimizes the generation of electrostatic charge
range (109 Ohm <anti-static> 1011 Ohm)
Examples of Levels of static discharge?
• Approx. 3 000 V - You Can Feel It
• Approx. 5 000 V - You Can Hear It
• Approx. 10 000 V - You Can See It
• Electronic devices can be damaged by static discharge of 100 V or less
Some Examples Of Electrostatic Charging (Values are subject to humidity levels & temperature)
• Working Behind A Desk (Approx. 2,000v )
• Walking On A Vinyl Floor (Approx. 8,000v )
• Walking On A Carpet (Approx. 20,000v )
What Are The Main Generators Of Static ?
The Primary Cause of Static is People
• Walking across Floor Surfaces
• Moving and creating Friction between their Chairs Work
Benches
• Handling Packaging Materials?
• Handling & Contact With Containers, Tools, Machinery?

How Can Static Discharge Damage Components?

• By direct contact, handling, assembling or
moving static sensitive components
• By Electrostatic Induction between an individual
and a component
Example Of An Electrostatic Field Around A
Charged Person
 Why Should I Be Concerned about ESD
/ Static Discharge?

ESD precautions are often treated with cynicism but without doubt with ESD it is a fact that even when it doesn't seem to
affect anything, every small discharge does cause some damage, whether it's pitting of the silicon, vaporizing a little bit of the
bonding wire, removing some of the metalisation on one of the semiconductor layers, or some other effect, it will physically
alter the product. ESD damage cannot be detected without removing the silicon from the package and inspecting it, or, in
cases where the damage is hidden in-between layers, by slicing the silicon into very thin sheets where the damage is likely to
have occurred.

In most cases, most uses of a given part won't be measurably altered by the change. Most people over engineer their designs
so they aren't using them anywhere near their limit, so there's a huge margin where a pitted part will work just fine. However
over time repeated use of the component or subsequent discharges will potentially change the part enough that it will behave
slightly out of spec. If you are fortunate the one small discharge will cause enough damage that when you do use it or test it to
full capacity, it will fail prior to shipping or installing the component. If the damage / failure happens once you've deployed it
in the field the cost of repair / replacement is increased significantly or subject to the components use / application the risk
could be more than just cost!

Taking appropriate ESD precautions will:

• Save You Money by reducing your failure rates / Warranty Claims etc.
• Show that you are an Ethical & Responsible Manufacturer
• Win you Orders & Help Retain Customers
Problems That Can Be Caused By Static Electricity
• Machinery Breakdown
• Explosions & Fires
• Staff Discomfort / Irritation From Static Shocks
• Contamination On Products - Contamination Arises Because Electrostatically Charged Products
Do Attract Dust And Micro-organisms
• Damage to Electrostatic Sensitive Devices !!!!!

Damage That Can Be Caused By ESD

• CATASTROPHIC DEFECT – Product / Component Failure At Point Of Manufacture - Not All
Catastrophic Defects Can Be Detected Prior To Shipping
Or Potentially Of Greater Risk and Expense
• LATENT DEFECTS - Latent defects such as reduced operational lifespan, product failure etc.
Latent defects can occur arbitrarily at any time, in many cases latent defects are not identified
as ESD damage: for example the device is damaged by ESD during manufacture but works
when tested but the life span of the product is reduced dramatically.
Damage caused by ESD Events
• Damage due to electrostatic discharge is one of the most common causes of failures,
malfunctioning or degradation of micro- electronic devices
• 50% - 60% of electronic defects are caused by an ESD event

Catastrophic Defect Latent Defect

Latent defects are almost impossible to spot and usually far more
expensive to rectify.
The Consequences Of ESD Failures
• Higher (Direct) Failure Rate
• Interruption Of Production
• Compromised Product Quality
• Higher Service Costs
• Dissatisfied Customers

The Cost of ESD Failures!

• Damage to Component During Production: Replacement Cost = Factor 1
• Damage to Component In The Field (latent Defect):
• Replacement Costs = Increase With A Factor Of 10 Per Process Level; E.G:
• Factor 10 - Replacement Of Component On Component In House
• Factor 100 - Replacement Of Component On Customer’s Site
• Factor 100,000 - Replacement Of A Satellite In Space
Examples of ESD sensitivity of Typical Electronic components

• VMOS 30-1 800v

• MOSFET 100-20v
• GaAsFET 100-300v
• EPROM 100v
• JFET 140-7000v
• OP-AMP 190-500v
• CMOS 250-3000v
• SCR 680-1000v
• ECL 500v
• Schottky TTL 1000-2500v
What Are The Main Generators Of Static ?
The Primary Cause of Static is People! When they walking across the floor, move an object, shuffle on their seat, use
equipment etc. they will potentially generate static.

How Can You Prevent Esd Damage?

• Minimise the generation of static electricity in areas where sensitive devices are handled - For example: do not
establish an EPA close to a conveyer belt or other electrostatic generating activities
• If charge generation can not be avoided, ensure a defined path to ground is in place allowing electrostatic charge to
be drained in a controlled manner.
• Make sure that materials which acquire charges are not placed close to sensitive devices - Stay away from a monitor
screen and do not move your devices close to a keyboard

How do you Prevent Your People from Creating A Static Risk?

• Primary Grounding Via A Suitable CONDUCTIVE Floor Surface Combined With Heel Grounders / ESD Footwear And
ESD Protective Garments
Or
• Secondary Grounding Via A Dissipative Floor Surface AND Heel Grounders / ESD Footwear, ESD Protective Garments,
Wrist Straps And Bench Top Matting Connected To A Suitable Ground Point.
Setting Up An ESD Control System
• The level of ESD protection depends on the most sensitive parts used in the production process. Check the sensitivity of the
components from the parts’ lists and define the maximum electrical charge allowed to be generated in the EPA
• Define the boundaries of the ESD protected Area (EPA= ESD Protected Area)
• Develop an ESD Control programme
• Carry out ESD audits regularly
• Prevent contamination from plastic cups, rubbish sacks, packing tape etc. in the EPA

What are the Key Components of an ESD Control System

• Flooring (ESD protective flooring)
• Workbenches (frames and table tops)
• Chairs
• Shelves and trolleys
• EPA - boundary tape, signs
• Desk accessories (document holders/bins, ring binders, waste bins, etc.)
• Ionisation equipment
 ESD – The International
Industry Standards
• The International Electrotechnical Commission(IEC) is the world’s leading organization that prepares
and publishes International Standards for all electrical, electronic and related technologies.
• The IEC 61340-5-1:2007 standard Protection of electronic devices from electrostatic phenomena –
General Requirements was developed from earlier Standards including EN100015 and ESD S20:20. It is
accompanied by a User Guide IEC61340-5-2, which gives a lot of additional information to help the
non-specialist implement 61340-5-1. As a IEC documents, they have world-wide applicability in IEC
member countries where they have been adopted. An unofficial harmonisation with ESD S20:20:2007
has occurred, and so the requirements current versions of 61340-5-1 and 20:20 are nearly the same.
• In Europe, the 61340-5-1&2 documents have been adopted by CENELEC (European Committee for
Electrotechnical Standardization) to replace EN 61340-5-1:2001. The 61340-5-1 General Requirements
document contains requirements for compliance which are considered mandatory, while the contents
of 61340-5-2 User Guide only has the status of guidance or recommendations.
• Each individual countries Standards authority has replicated the standards laid down in IEC 61340 and
are listed as
• British Standard / European Norm - BS EN 61340-5-1:2007 / BS EN 61340-5-2, German Standard - DIN
61340-5-1:2007 / BS EN 61340-5-2: Edition 2 for example.
Myths Regarding ESD & The Protection of
Static Sensitive Devices

• “Touching a grounded object gives enough ESD -protection” - When you touch a grounded conductive
object you will be discharged but electrostatic charging is an ongoing / continuous process
• “When a component is assembled on a PCB, nothing can happen” - Partly true: components on a PCB are
less sensitive but they can still be damaged by direct ESD or induction fields.
• “Only some PCB’s should be handled with care” - Some PCB’s may be, but how do you know which ones?
There are usually a large number of different components on a PCB with different levels of sensitivity.
• “Components can only be damaged by direct contact” – Not true, Induction can cause ESD damages
without the need for physical contact
• “PCB’s not handled with care during the production process, but tested successfully are ok” – Not True, it is
impossible to test for most latent defects.
• Low Tribocharging / Antistatic flooring / bags / bench top matting will give all the ESD protection I need –
Not True anti-static surfaces do not protect the components from induction (No Faraday – cage) and will
not conduct or discharge any static build up already present in the individual.
• ESD is not a problem in an environment with a high relative humidity - In a high relative humidity, some
charge will be drained via the surface but not a sufficient charge and not usually fast enough. Secondly,
humidity in the air varies per day while most buildings are conditioned at lower relative humidity due to
risk of corrosion and contamination to components.