The Four Rules Of ESD Control
Follow these simple rules of ESD control and you will never be shocked (yes, we went there) by static damage.
1st Rule of ESD: Ground everything you can.
If you can attached a ground cord to it, do it. Grounding conductive materials sends any charge buildup to ground where it is neutralized.
2nd Rule of ESD: Avoid Insulators whenever you possibly can!
Insulators cannot be grounded and a potentially dangerous charge can build up fast. Remove everything you can made out of insulating materials, like plastics and Styrofoam.
3rd Rule of ESD: Use Dissipative materials whenever possible and ground them.
Get yourself a dissipative ESD Mat! Dissipative materials allow a charge to flow slowly and controlled to ground. Anything more conductive or more insulative is a problem.
4th Rule of ESD: Use an ionizer on any insulators and ungrounded conductors that can’t be remove.
Ionizers blow air full of positively and negatively charged ions that neutralize static on contact. They are the only way to control static on insulative materials.