Static damaging parts at an assembly position

The dangerous confusion, first

ESD anti-static matting is designed to conduct. Its job is to carry static charge away in a controlled manner so it never builds up in the person or the surface.

Electrical insulating matting to BS EN 61111 is designed to do the opposite. Its job is to resist current, and it is used in front of live switchgear so that a person standing on it is not part of a path to earth.

They look similar, they are both black rubber on a floor, and they are sold by the same kind of company. If you are standing in front of an energised panel, an ESD deck is not the product and getting this wrong is not a purchasing mistake, it is a safety one. If there is any doubt about which one a position needs, ring us before ordering.

The other confusion: floor or bench

ESD bench matting is a thin sheet that lies on the bench surface, under the work. It protects the components on the bench.

An ESD floor deck lies on the floor, under the person. It is part of the grounded system that keeps the operator at the same potential as everything else in the EPA.

Sites that need proper static control usually run both, and they are specified separately. Buying a floor deck because somebody said you needed ESD matting, when what the process actually needed was a bench surface, is a common and expensive mistake.

What a floor deck is actually for

Charge generation at a work position mostly comes from movement. A person shifting their weight, turning, or walking to a rack and back generates charge through contact and separation with whatever they are standing on. An insulating floor lets that charge sit on the person until they touch something that will take it, which is frequently the assembly.

A conductive floor deck gives the charge somewhere to go continuously, so it never accumulates to a level that matters. That only works if there is a path to earth, which means the installation matters as much as the product.

It also has to be a floor somebody can stand on for a shift, which is why a 25mm deck rather than a thin conductive sheet is the right thing at a static-sensitive position that is also a standing position.

What we will not tell you over a web page

• A surface resistance figure with no test method attached. If your specification or auditor requires a number, ring us and tell us which standard and which method, and we will send what has actually been measured.
• That a floor deck alone makes a compliant EPA. It does not. Grounding, wrist straps, footwear and procedure all matter, and the floor is one element.
• That it will work on a wet or washed-down floor. We do not make an ESD drainage deck, and where a position needs both we will say so and spec it with you rather than sell you the nearest thing.

Questions people ask

Is ESD matting the same as electrical insulating matting?

No, and the difference matters. ESD matting conducts static away in a controlled manner. Electrical insulating matting to BS EN 61111 resists current and is used in front of live switchgear. They do opposite jobs and one will not substitute for the other.

Does it need to be earthed?

An ESD floor is part of a grounded system, so it needs a path to earth to do its job. A conductive deck sitting on an insulating floor with nothing bonded to it is decoration. Tell us what the position looks like and we will tell you what it needs alongside the kit.

Do I need floor matting if we already use wrist straps?

That depends on the process and on whether operators are seated or moving. Wrist straps handle a seated operator well. A person who steps away from the bench and comes back is generating charge every time they move, and that is the case a floor deck is aimed at.