ESD Systems - Questions And Answers

For the safety of the employees, my company's ESD policy is over-ridden when employees are subjected to energized equipment i.e., Hipot testing. My contention is that a dissipative or a conductive floor mat attached via a ground cord w/ a 1 megohm resistor will prevent injury to the employee (footwear also contains a 1 megohm resistor). Question: Will OSHA accept this premise? Do you have literature to support? - Anonymous, Leland, NC

The safety of the operator always comes first (before any ESD practices). A 1 megohm resistance to ground is satisfactory for a person subjected to less than 250 VAC. Anything higher than 250 VAC requires special design and safety precautions.If in doubt, always favor the safety of the person when working with live power greater than 250 VAC. The DOD-HDBK-263 refers the MIL-STD-454 which states that the maximum current an operator should receive is less than 1 milliamp AC or 4 milliamp DC.

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