• Skip to main content
  • Skip to footer
East Coast: 617-923-2000 • West Coast: 949-933-0177 • info@staticworx.com • Contact us View staticworx’s profile on Facebook View Staticworx's profile on LinkedInView staticworx’s profile on Twitter View staticworx’s profile on Instagram View staticworx’s profile on Pinterest Visit Staticworx's YouTube channel Subscribe to the Staticworx feed

Staticworx Knowledge Base

Your trusted source for ESD flooring advice. All your static-control flooring questions answered.

MENUMENU
  • ESD Flooring Products
    • Rubber
    • Carpet
    • Vinyl Tile
    • Epoxy Coatings
    • Snap-together, adhesive-free tiles
    • Conductive Adhesives
    • Adhesive-free Underlayments
    • Static-control Maintenance Supplies
    • Test Equipment
  • Blog
  • +Podcasts
    • Static Bursts Podcast
    • Static Talks Podcast
  • +Info
    • Architects' Hub
    • Contractors' Hub
    • Owners and Property Managers' Hub
    • ESD Flooring: The Basics
    • What Is ESD Flooring, How Does It Work, And How Do I Choose One?
    • Selecting and Specifying an ESD Floor
    • Installing and Maintaining ESD Floors
    • Technical Information
  • Resources
    • Article Hub
    • FAQs
    • Glossary
    • Standards and Test Methods
    • Video library
    • Archive
  • Lunch & Learn
  • Our Story
    • Our History
    • The Staticworx Green Story
    • Why Choose Staticworx?
  • Search

Static Bursts (Ep #6): ESD Chairs: A Bridge Between Two Perfect Methods of Grounding

November 5, 2019 by Staticworx, Inc

Against a dark blue background, the podcast title 'Static Bursts' appears in white at the top of the image, with an orange and white stopwatch icon between the two words. A lightning spark appears at the right hand side of the image with a cascade of sparks radiating out across the rest of the image. The podcast title Episode 6: A Bridge Between Two Perfect Methods of Grounding.jpg is overlaid in white and a dark blue semi-opaque square covering the middle of the image. The company name and logo Staticworx appears in orange (first half) and white (second half) at the bottom.

THE GIST:
ESD Chairs: A Bridge Between Two Perfect Methods of Grounding

  • The ESD floor prevents static only when shoes are in contact with the floor
  • When person is seated with his/her feet lifted, if they are not wearing a wrist strap, they are not grounded.
  • An ESD chair acts as a bridge between the ESD floor and conductive wrist strap.
    • ESD chairs are electrically bonded to the ESD floor.
    • ESD chairs also prevent charge generation on the person seated in the chair.
  • ESD chairs provide “belt and suspenders” protection against a random ESD event
  • ESD chairs eliminate the risk of compromised protection (from the time the person sits until he or she puts on a wrist strap).

In this episode, Dave and Rick explain how ESD chairs work and why they act as a bridge between two perfect methods of grounding (an ESD floor and wrist strap). The ESD floor grounds and prevents charge generation while people walk. Once the person sits and lifts his or her feet, they are no longer grounded. There may be a wrist strap at the work station, but until the person puts it on they’re a live wire. If they touch a component – or expensive prototype, for example – before putting on the wrist strap, any charge on their body will transfer to the component. ESD chairs ground the person in the chair, prevent charge generation and protecting against random ESD events.

“Any good process always takes into consideration the possibility of a compromise in the process. The ESD chair eliminates that possibility.”

Against a dark blue background, the podcast title 'Static Bursts' appears in white at the top of the image, with an orange and white stopwatch icon between the two words. A lightning spark appears at the right hand side of the image with a cascade of sparks radiating out across the rest of the image. The podcast title Episode 6: A Bridge Between Two Perfect Methods of Grounding.jpg is overlaid in white and a dark blue semi-opaque square covering the middle of the image. The company name and logo Staticworx appears in orange (first half) and white (second half) at the bottom.

THE GIST:
ESD Chairs: A Bridge Between Two Perfect Methods of Grounding

  • The ESD floor prevents static only when shoes are in contact with the floor
  • When person is seated with his/her feet lifted, if they are not wearing a wrist strap, they are not grounded.
  • An ESD chair acts as a bridge between the ESD floor and conductive wrist strap.
    • ESD chairs are electrically bonded to the ESD floor.
    • ESD chairs also prevent charge generation on the person seated in the chair.
  • ESD chairs provide “belt and suspenders” protection against a random ESD event
  • ESD chairs eliminate the risk of compromised protection (from the time the person sits until he or she puts on a wrist strap).

In this episode, Dave and Rick explain how ESD chairs work and why they act as a bridge between two perfect methods of grounding (an ESD floor and wrist strap). The ESD floor grounds and prevents charge generation while people walk. Once the person sits and lifts his or her feet, they are no longer grounded. There may be a wrist strap at the work station, but until the person puts it on they’re a live wire. If they touch a component – or expensive prototype, for example – before putting on the wrist strap, any charge on their body will transfer to the component. ESD chairs ground the person in the chair, prevent charge generation and protecting against random ESD events.

“Any good process always takes into consideration the possibility of a compromise in the process. The ESD chair eliminates that possibility.”

We’ve made it easy to subscribe on your favorite platform!
Subscribe
  • Apple Podcasts
  • SoundCloud
  • Spotify
  • Stitcher
  • TuneIn
  • RSS
Click to read EPISODE 6: Transcript

Static Bursts Episode 6: ESD Chairs: A Bridge Between Two Perfect Methods of Grounding

Rick: Welcome to Static Bursts – the info packed three-minute podcast from Staticworx designed for a quick listen.

Rick: Dave, could you explain to our listeners why ESD chairs play an important role in ESD-protected areas, even where a qualified ESD flooring system is already in place?

Dave: I walk into a lab, I have the right ESD footwear, I’ve qualified it, I know it works. Then I hop in a chair, which means my bench height might be almost like a bar height, which means my feet are going to come up off the floor. Now all of a sudden the ESD floor has nothing to do with me being grounded or not grounded. And maybe I have a wrist strap in front of me, but I haven’t put it on yet. And maybe in front of me on the lab bench is a circuit board. Maybe it’s a prototype. The minute I touch it, if I’m sitting in a regular chair, and my feet are no longer on the floor, I’m not grounded. That means that before I put that wrist strap on, I’m a live wire. I need the chair to make up for the fact that I’m no longer grounded on the floor and I have not put my wrist strap on yet.

That’s why people need ESD chairs. You have no charge while you’re walking on the floor with ESD footwear if you’ve qualified the floor properly. When you get in the chair, if the chair is electrically bonded to the floor, and it’s designed properly, and the chair we use will be designed to the ultimate standards that are required, you still won’t generate a charge. And even though you don’t have a wrist strap on if you make the mistake of reaching across onto the bench and touching a circuit board, or touching a prototype part that could be worth thousands of dollars, you in all likelihood will have very little charge on you. So the ESD chair, you could think of it as another form of being bonded to an electrically grounded floor.

Rick: ESD chairs are made of special materials that prevent charge generation and they are also electrically grounded through contact with the ESD floor so that any charge generation on a person’s body will be safely dissipated. Is it fair to say that ESD chairs provide redundant protection, somewhat akin to wearing a belt and suspenders?

Dave: They certainly are a belt and suspenders from the perspective that when I hop in the chair, I am sitting in an enclosure that is not going to charge up. And because that chair is grounded through the floor, the chances of me generating voltage is pretty close to zero.

Rick: And of course, it is always better to err on the side of caution when working with highly sensitive materials. Murphy’s Law is a good reminder that we can never be too safe.

Dave: Any good process always takes into consideration the possibility of a compromise in the process. And the ESD chair eliminates that possibility. Because you go from being totally grounded to being grounded through your clothing to the chair, to putting on the wrist strap. So the ESD chair is a bridge between two perfect methods of grounding.

We hope you learned something today. If you have questions about the podcast, give us a call at 617-923-2000 Thanks for listening.

Further reading/viewing

Selecting and Specifying an ESD Floor

A Guide to ESD Flooring Selection

Is it possible for a conductive floor not to meet ANSI/ESD S20.20-2014

7 Common Mistakes in Selecting ESD Flooring

What does it mean when someone says a floor meets ANSI/ESD S20.20

FAQ: Does it do any good to have ESD chairs if the floor is not ESD?

With Staticworx ESD flooring, you never have to choose between performance and aesthetics. Our beautiful, high quality ESD carpet tile, vinyl, EC rubber tile and sheet goods, and ESD epoxy floors are as beautiful as they are functional.

Tell Us About Your Project
Call us: 617-923-2000

Filed Under: ESD Basics, Static in the Workplace Tagged With: charge generation, ESD chairs, ESD flooring, grounding

Footer

Vermont Collection/ESD Planx

Staticworx Vermont Collection

Staticworx Vermont Collection

Visit our main site to learn more

Share This

Get in touch

East Coast: 617-923-2000
West Coast: 949-933-0177
Email: info@staticworx.com
Contact Us

Connect with us

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • YouTube
  • SoundCloud

Subscribe for news/updates

Sign up for our newsletter and occasional updates.
Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Why Choose Staticworx?

Find out why our clients trust us.
Learn more

Do you have an ESD flooring project you’d like to discuss?
Share Your Project

Flooring Products

•Rubber •Carpet •Vinyl Tile •Epoxy Coatings •Snap-together, adhesive-free tiles •Conductive adhesives •Adhesive-free underlayments •Static-control maintenance supplies •Test equipment

Request a sample

The FAA has updated its standard for facilities and electronic equipment. Staticworx meets all requirements for ESD flooring.

This site is protected by copyright and trademark laws under both United States and International law.
All rights reserved. © 2008 - 2019, Staticworx® Grounded Solutions™ · Privacy Policy

Our site uses cookies. By continuing to use this site you are agreeing to our cookie policy. OKPrivacy policy