When a person walks across a floor, a triboelectric charge builds up on the body due to the contact and separation between the shoe and the floor material. This static charge on the person, and potentially what they are handling, will eventually result in Electrostatic Discharge (ESD) when they encounter an object at a different electrical potential.

Conductive or Dissipative flooring, known as ESD Flooring, is used to thwart this generator of static charge and ESD. However, the flooring alone will not solve the issue, it needs to be used as part of a system known in ANSI/ESD S20.20 as the “Footwear/Flooring System”. Below you will find examples of what is needed effectively ground operators via an ESD Floor. You’ll notice that is not a one-and-done process, both parts of the Footwear/Flooring System and the system together need to be tested regularly to ensure continued compliance.