Questions And Answers

You do not have to have ESD flooring as part of your ESD protected area. However, if you do select an ESD floor as part of your ESD control program, the required limit per ANSI/ESD S20.20 is < 1 x 10E9 ohms.

Statguard Dissipative Floor Finish is an easy and effective way to convert most any regular floor into an ESD floor.  Since Statguard Dissipative Floor Finish is very low Tribocharging, personnel and equipment, such as carts, when moved will not generate large charges.  Personnel wearing ESD footwear can be grounded standing or walking on the ESD floor.

If the relative humidity was controlled to a high enough level, it might be possible that an ESD protected area could use a regular sealed concrete floor as an ESD Floor reliably measuring < 1 x 10E9 ohms.  Concrete is hygroscopic (readily absorbing moisture), and it would be the moisture, not the concrete that would be providing the resistance path.  This certainly would not be a best practice.

If the relative humidity was not controlled, the concrete floor would predictably measure high during dry periods, and therefore is not an acceptable ESD control practice.

The ESD Handbook ESD TR20.20 Table 1 lists concrete as a problem not a solution under section 2.4 “Sources of Static Electricity”. Table 1-Typical Static Electricity Sources includes “Floors – Sealed Concrete”.