Glossary: Static Electricity
Literally static at rest, or stored energy. When this stored energy discharges to flammable materials or electronic equipment, the sudden burst of electricity can ignite fires, damage the circuitry inside sensitive electronics, or cause equipment to malfunction and disrupt or lose important data. This is called an ESD event.
Static electricity results from the exchange of electrons that occurs when two objects with different electrical potentials come into frictional contact. When people walk across a floor, the friction between the soles of their shoes and the surface of the floor generates static—also called walking body voltage.
The static that accumulates on the human body is the cause of most static events in spaces like call or data centers, 9-1-1 dispatch operations, laboratories, flight towers, and other spaces where operations rely on sensitive electronic equipment.
Learning Center Articles
- 7 Common Mistakes Selecting an ESD floor
- A Guide to ESD Flooring Selection
- Avoid Costly Failures: What You Need to Know When Specifying ESD Flooring
- Choosing ESD Flooring for:
- ESD Footwear: What Is It and When Is It Necessary?
- ESD Footwear for Electronics Manufacturing and Handling Applications
- Facility Managers’ Guide to Selecting ESD Flooring
- The Need for Due Diligence in Specifying Static-Free Flooring
- Standard of Care for Specifying Floors in Mission-Critical Spaces
- Understanding the Hidden Costs of ESD Flooring
- The Case Against Overly Conductive Flooring
- Conductive vs Dissipative
- Electrical Resistance
- Electrical Resistance in Mission-Critical Spaces
- Ensuring Accuracy: Why It’s Critical to Clean Floors and Probes Before ESD Testing
- ESD Standards and Test Methods
- Resistance, Resistivity, and Real World Application
- Walking Body Voltage
Why It’s Critical to Clean Floors and Probes Before ESD Testing
StaticWorx high-performance static-control floors protect electronic components, explosives, and high-speed computers from damage caused by static electricity. ESD flooring is part of a system. Choices should always be based on objective, researched evidence. When you partner with us, we look at all possible items that may need to integrate with the floor, and, focusing on your goals and objectives, help you find the right floor for your application.
