The Need For ESD Socks

The combination of ESD flooring and footwear can be an effective way to ground personnel to control electrostatic discharges when using a wrist strap is not practical. For this system to be effective, the ESD flooring and footwear must have a low enough resistance to allow the voltage from the operator to flow to ground. There also must be a good contact between the person and the ESD footwear.

While ESD shoes may be made with conductive materials, they require a layer of perspiration in the sock to provide a path-to-ground. This is a concern because there are many variables between people. Per ESD Handbook TR20.20 section 5.3.3.5 Common Testing Problems “Occasionally, footwear may indicate a high resistance… [A contributor being] heavy or insulative socks, or the absence of a sweat layer due to differences in temperature between the inner surfaces of the shoes and the wearer’s feet.”

You may see inconsistent resistance measurements from person to person, especially during colder months when employees wear heavier socks and sweat less. One person may fail a test at the start of a shift, and pass ten minutes later after a sweat layer is formed.

How much time is wasted waiting for shoes to pass a test?
Or worse, how many sensitive items does a person come into contact with before their ESD shoes are truly acting as a path-to-ground?

Eliminate these variables and ensure a consistent path-to-ground with conductive ESD socks from Transforming Technologies. ESD socks are made with conductive yarn which provides a reliable electrical path from the start and rely less on the wearer’s skin resistance for repeatable performance regardless of the environment.