Start with the risk and the operating area

In electronics assembly, an electrostatic discharge can damage susceptible parts without a visible spark. The facility’s ESD control programme must identify the parts being handled, protected areas, personnel grounding method and verification arrangements. The EOS/ESD Association explains that a flooring and footwear combination can provide a grounding path where staff need to move around an ESD protected area. Workstations, chairs and mobile equipment still need their own appropriate controls.

Write down whether the specification concerns a floor’s resistance, personnel grounding, walking body voltage, or several of these. “Conductive,” “dissipative” and “anti-static” are insufficient acceptance criteria on their own. Resistance measured between two points on a floor differs from resistance between floor and ground; neither alone proves how a particular shoe behaves during walking. The EOS/ESD Association’s flooring discussion explains why the footwear and floor interaction can matter more than the descriptive category assigned to a flooring material.

Separate hazardous-area design. Where vapours, gases or combustible powders may be present, commission a site-specific ignition and electrostatic hazard assessment. An electronics ESD flooring specification does not by itself make a room safe for flammable substances. IEC 61340-5-1:2024, the electronics control-programme standard, expressly excludes flammable liquids, gases and powders; IEC TS 60079-32-1 addresses electrostatic ignition hazards. Floor selection must sit within the broader hazardous-area and bonding design.

Design the complete build, from concrete to footwear

A typical resin concept begins with assessed concrete, mechanical preparation and an approved primer, then a conductive or static-control layer, designed earth connections and a suitable wearing finish. The sequence is a project design, not a universal recipe. Existing coatings, cracks, joints, moisture, cleaning chemistry, point loads, traffic and required texture may change it. Grounding connections must be designed, installed and checked by the responsible competent specialist before they are concealed.

ALKA-915 is ALKA’s current published conductive/static dissipative system page. It describes an ALKA-108 conductive base/body layer and ALKA 118 finish integrated with project grounding. This is a useful starting concept for an enquiry, but the ALKA 118 Revision 4 TDS says that no validated electrical resistance range, method or report has been supplied and calls for confirmation of the complete build and primer identity. Ask ALKA to issue a project-specific layer schedule, current matching product documentation and electrical test plan before specifying thickness, coverage or an ohm range.

Do not add a conventional clear coat, wax, repair resin or decorative layer over an ESD finish on the assumption that the electrical path will survive. The proposed combination and any finish change should be approved and tested as a system. Preserve movement joints, define grounding across separate floor zones and include any ramps, coves or repaired patches in the inspection scope. A small representative trial area is particularly useful when the slab carries an old coating or has variable condition.

Decide acceptance tests before installation

Agree the controlling standard and edition with the facility’s ESD coordinator. ANSI/ESD STM7.1-2020 provides floor resistance characterization for qualification and installed-floor acceptance. IEC 61340-4-1:2003+A1:2015 covers resistance measurement of floor coverings and installed floors. These are measurement methods; a project’s required performance must be specified separately.

For a footwear/flooring system used to ground personnel under the EOS/ESD Association’s explanation of ANSI/ESD S20.20, both the person-to-ground resistance of less than 1 × 10⁹ Ω and walking body voltage of less than 100 V are required. Those figures are not claimed performance values for ALKA-915 or ALKA 118; qualification of the actual installed combination remains necessary. Consult the facility’s applicable standard and ESD programme for any tighter limit, particularly for more sensitive devices. See the EOS/ESD Association’s personnel-grounding guidance.

Plan hold points: approve the substrate and layout before coating; inspect the conductive layer and grounding connections before covering them; test the finished floor after the agreed cure; then test the footwear/flooring combination. Record locations, failures, repairs and retests. Ambient temperature and humidity can affect results, so note test conditions. The association distinguishes floor resistance, system resistance and walking-voltage methods; substituting one measurement for another leaves a gap in the evidence.

Maintain the tested condition

Handover should identify approved footwear, cleaning products and equipment, the grounding connection locations, test records and the programme for periodic checks. Dirt, residues, different shoes, replacement casters, an added coating or local floor repair can change the system that was qualified. Reassess changed areas and record verification under the facility’s ESD control programme. For carts and chairs, conductive or dissipative wheels and a suitable electrical path through the equipment may be necessary; an ESD floor alone cannot ground an insulated wheel or object.

To request a suitable ALKA proposal, send the floor area and plan, substrate and existing coating details, traffic and cleaning duties, ESD programme or client specification, footwear choices, proposed grounding arrangement and the test/acceptance schedule. Ask ALKA for a project-specific system recommendation and the current TDS and SDS for every nominated component.

Frequently asked questions

Does an “anti-static epoxy” automatically comply with ANSI/ESD S20.20?

No. ANSI/ESD S20.20 concerns the facility’s ESD control programme. Floor resistance and, where the floor and footwear ground personnel, their combined resistance and walking voltage need to be qualified against the programme’s requirements.

Should I choose conductive or dissipative flooring?

Choose a system that meets the specified installed-floor and footwear performance in the actual operating conditions. The descriptive category alone does not predict walking charge generation. Establish the test method and limit before deciding the layer build.

Can staff wear ordinary shoes on an ESD floor?

Do not assume so. Ordinary footwear can interrupt the grounding path. Qualify each footwear style used for personnel grounding on the proposed floor and include it in routine controls.

Can a conductive floor replace bonding controls around flammable liquids?

No. Flammable-atmosphere risks need their own competent assessment, bonding, grounding and operational controls. An electronics ESD test report is not a hazardous-area approval.