We’ve been protecting many of the greatest companies on the globe from
static electricity discharge (ESD) for over 30 years, and we can do it for you
with our static control flooring and maintenance products.
What is ESD Flooring?
Let’s start with the definition of ESD: ESD is an abbreviation for electrostatic discharge: the pulse of static electricity that occurs when a charged person contacts another object. Anything from sliding out of a car seat or walking across a static generating floor can build up a dangerous charge. Most associate a static discharge with that sensory “ouch” that we feel and see; the zap, the mini bolt of blue lightening. However, the majority of static discharges, anything below 3500 volts, are totally undetectable to humans. Like common cold germs, ESD events are occurring around us constantly, causing damage to sensitive microelectronics inside computers and electronic devices.
The best way to avoid ESD events is to prevent static generation in the first place. In the case of ESD, an ounce of prevention is truly worth a pound of cure. If the environment prevents static generation, it’s impossible for an ESD event to occur. A static free environment is created by eliminating normal static generating surfaces like carpet, rubber and tile. We loosely define those surfaces as ESD flooring. Other common names are anti static flooring, static flooring, conductive tile, static resistant flooring, non-static flooring, and grounded floors.
Visit our Static Control Knowledge Center to learn how to more accurately describe these floors so you don’t mistakenly specify a material that will increase static. Also, read more about grounding an esd floor.
What is Anti Static Flooring?
Define: anti static flooring: The term anti static refers to a condition where static generation is inhibited during contact and separation with a different material. Anti static flooring can either be static dissipative or static conductive. (See also, Dissipative Tile)
Our ESD Services
Have you been asked to specify static free, conductive or anti static flooring? Are you confused about jargon like mission critical, low static generating, N+1, ANSI/ESD S20.20 or the difference between static dissipative floors and conductive floors?
Staticworx can help you identify the right static resistant rating, select the correct static flooring option, and get it installed by a local professional who understands grounding, conductive flooring adhesives, ESD floor testing. We can even supply your building service contractor with maintenance recommendations and the necessary static free floor care products –no matter what floor you own.
We have installation experts in all 50 States (Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming), Mexico, and Canada. Call our east coast information center at 617-923-2000 or our west coast flooring installation center at 949-933-0177 for more information.
You Are Safe With Staticworx!
All Staticworx products are shipped in Staticworx packaging. Find out why product identification is important.
Featured Articles
Static flooring Solutions for E-9-1-1 Dispatch Centers
Originally published in Emergency Number Professional Magazine
Static electricity discharge can cause multiple problems in call centers. Dropped calls, staticy reception, damaged headsets are just the tip of the iceberg. In a 9-1-1 call center, static electricity becomes a safety concern because state of the art telephone systems are highly susceptible to as little as several hundred volts of static electricity. Since the accumulation of static electricity is most often the result of a static generating floor or carpet, it makes sense to eliminate the problem by installing the right floor in the first place.
Staticworx produces several different conductive and anti static flooring options for E9-1-1 applications. Call us to let us help you determine which product would best meet your needs at 617-923-2000.
- Modular Conductors ESD Carpet tile – for installation over concrete, old flooring or over raised access floor panels. Can be installed permanent or temporary. Utilizes a releasable adhesive for easy pick-up on raised floors. Consider using in conjunction with Staticworx GridLock Tile for easy rolling of chairs. Most expensive to maintain. Material Cost: $$$
- Modular EC Rubber- for installation over concrete, old flooring or raised access floors: available in tile or rolls and runners. Can be installed as a permanent or temporary floor. Least expensive to maintain. Material Cost: $$$$
- Modular Staticworx Vinyl- for installation over concrete, old flooring or raised access floors. Average cost for maintenance. Material Cost: $$
- Modular Staticworx GridLock Tile – A free lay super thick tile. At half the cost of interlocking flooring, it can be installed with or without adhesives. An ideal solution for easy rolling of chairs with roller castors. Can be used in tandem with any carpet tile. Average cost for maintenance. Material Cost: $$
Some considerations when choosing a floor for a dispatch center
- Will the floor prevent static regardless of the type of footwear?
- Are the anti static/conductive properties permanent?
- What kind of maintenance is required? Staining, odor retention, dust generation
- Ergonomics: Sound absorption qualities, slip resistance, anti-fatigue
- Durability: Can the floor withstand traffic, roller castors and normal spills?
- Appearance: Shiny, matte or non-reflective surface
Things to avoid when choosing a floor for a dispatch center
- Never use chair mats on top of an anti-static or ESD carpet.
All chair mats are static generators. They do not conduct static electricity so they prevent your floor from doing its job. If you require easy rolling under chairs but want to use carpet in your space, consider using our Staticworx GridLock hard surface conductive squares in tandem with our Conductors carpet squares - Don’t use strategically located mats.
The entire floor needs to be covered with the anti static solution. A major function of a static control floor is preventing static in the first place. - Never use anti static waxes or static-free sprays as the primary means of eliminating static electricity.
Anti static sprays are temporary. Their anti static properties last for a short time and it is difficult know when they have lost their ability to prevent static generation.
Static Control Flooring Checklist
- Only conductive floors can be grounded. Standard flooring installed with ground strips or conductive adhesive will not offer any static protection.
- Any effective conductive floor can be verified with an ohm meter to determine the electrical resistance of the material. If the material does not pass the ohm meter test than it cannot be grounded.
- Conductive floors should never require any antistatic sprays or waxes to enhance or maintain performance. The conductivity should be achieved by the actual permanent physical composition of the material.
- The floor should reduce static electricity regardless of relative humidity. Ask the supplier specifically about performance in very dry conditions.
- The floor must prevent static buildup in real world conditions without special conductive shoes or shoe straps. When in doubt, ask for independent test data verifying this property. It should be available.
- Never assume that a shock-free environment means a static-free environment. A shock-free environment only means that static charges are below 3500 Volts.
- Do the homework up front. It is much more costly to remove an ineffective floor and replace it than it is to do it right the first time. Any mission-critical space is only as secure as its Achilles’ heel.
- Even if your present electronics are immune to static, if at some point in the future they will be upgraded or replaced with state-of- the-art equipment, then static will be a problem. As with any potential security breach, it is always best to plan ahead.
Call us to let us help you determine which product would best meet your needs at 617-923-2000.
Staticworx Manufactures Resilient, Static Control Flooring that satisfies
CSI Specification 09660.
In addition, Staticworx Manufactures Seamless Static
Resistant Epoxy Flooring, which satisfies CSI Specification 096136.
Recently in the News
Gas Pump Fire Blamed on Static Electricity: 10-Year-Old Critical After Filling Gas Tank
WASHINGTON, DC (WUSA, Feb. 26, 2009) by Bruce Leshan-- A ten-year-old Virginia boy is in critical condition -- burned over much of his body doing something most of us do once a week: filling up with gas.
It happened in Chesterfield County near Richmond.
And investigators suspect the fire was sparked by static electricity.
Sixteen to eighteen billion times a year, Americans stick a pump in their car and blow out flammable vapors -- most never aware of the dangers -- or the very simple precaution. "Never heard of it," says Tanya Keller, filling up in Falls Church. "Never ground yourself before pumping?" "No." Read more >
Additional Commentary
We also provide expert commentary on choosing the right static control flooring for emergency dispatch centers as well as any critical environment spaces. If you would like to have a full understanding of how static might pose a threat in your call center start by reading :
Managing Static, The Invisible Threat To Call Centers
Curing Static Electricity Damage In a Communications Center
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