Controlling and avoiding ESD.

1. Only allow trained or escorted people in electrostatic discharge (ESD)-protected areas. Access to a protected area should be limited to personnel who have completed appropriate ESD training. Training should be given to new employees and periodically to those who handle or come into contact with any ESD-sensitive items. Tests or other means can ensure trainee comprehension and training adequacy.

2. Use continuous monitors or test wrist straps at least daily. Because wrist straps have a limited life, develop a test frequency that will guarantee integrity. Typical test programs recommend that wrist straps used daily should be tested daily. If the products are of such value that knowledge of a continuous, reliable ground is needed, continuous monitoring should be considered or required. A significant benefit of continuous monitoring is that daily wrist strap testing is no longer necessary.

3. Visually check all grounding cords to make sure they are connected. The first step to ensuring that everything at an ESD-protected workstation is at the same voltage is to ground all conductive components of the work area--including worksurfaces, people and equipment--to the same ground point, called the common point ground. Then, connect the common point ground to the third wire, green equipment ground. Displaced ground wires are a frequent problem.

4. Neutralize essential insulators with ionizers with airflow. A complete static control program must also deal with essential insulators and isolated conductors. Ionizers create a multitude of positively and negatively charged ions that can neutralize charges, but, to work effectively, the airflow should be directed to the ESD-sensitive products.

5. Use packaging that includes a shielding property to store or transport ESD-sensitive items outside the protected area. ESD-sensitive products moving outside of a protected area should be in packaging that provides low charge generation, dissipative or conductive surfaces and shielding. For example, a metal-in shielding bag, when closed, protects the contents, restricting electrostatic charges or discharges to the exterior surface.

--Dave Bernami, Desco,

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6. Antistatic topical chemicals are one effective way to control static charges on surfaces. Anti-static sprays help render the surface free of charge, allowing product yield to rise with less defects. A topical anti-stat reduces the static- generating capability of the insulative material by increasing the lubricity and surface conductivity.

--Stuart Blankstein, ACL Staticide,

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7. The ESD system you finally choose should not be operator-dependent. In general you should work to reduce the generation of static electricity; dissipate an electrostatic discharge; and provide shielding from electrostatic discharges or fields.

8. One definitive solution is to paint the workshop floor surface with a special static-dissipative paint. The surface resistivity should be at least 1 x [10.sup.5] ohms/sq., but less than 1 x [10.sup.12] ohms/sq.

9. Provide operators with antistatic shoes to be put on in the dressing room before gaining access to the workshop. A multitude of other gadgets also protect against ESD, such as wrist/ankle straps, table covers and carpets.

--Miguel Castilla, Fujitsu Manufacturing Espana,

S.A.U., [e-mail]

10. A successful ESD program must be fully and consistently supported from the top level of management. This means that even a machine operator or supply clerk can challenge anyone, including a vice president or a customer, who is not following ESD policies. When employees see that their bosses take ESD seriously, they are more likely to do the same.

--Glen Robertson, Process Sciences,

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