The ESD Workbench Checklist: What Belongs at a Static-Safe Station

Short answer: A static-safe workbench grounds everything it can: the work surface, the person and the tools. Insulators that can’t be grounded are removed or treated, and liquids go in ESD-safe containers. ANSI/ESD S20.20 is the program standard most companies follow.

The checklist

1. Work surface. A dissipative mat grounded to a common point ground. Clean it with an ESD-safe cleaner, not household spray, which can leave a film that insulates the mat.
2. People. A wrist strap tested every day, ESD footwear or heel straps on dissipative flooring, and ESD smocks. Dry skin makes a poorer wrist-strap contact; a lotion made for ESD areas keeps skin hydrated for a better connection.
3. Tools. ESD-safe soldering irons and tips. Keep tips tinned (see how to keep a soldering tip clean).
4. Liquids. Static-dissipative wash bottles, solvent dispensers, spray bottles and drinking bottles. Ordinary plastic bottles charge up when they’re squeezed or handled.
5. Insulators you can’t remove. Keep them at least 12 inches from sensitive parts, or treat them with a topical antistat.
6. Storage and transport. Shielding bags and conductive or dissipative bins.
7. Verify. Check mats, wrist straps and footwear on the schedule your program sets.

What R&R makes for the bench

• I.C. Hand Lotion, fragrance-free/cleanroom and blue: no silicones, lanolin, mineral oil or glycerin.
• ESD wash bottles, water bottles, spray bottles and solvent and flux dispensers.
• I.C. Topical Anti-Stat for insulators you can’t ground.
• I.C. Workstation Cleaner and the I.C. Microfiber Cloth for mats and screens.
• I.C. Tip Tinner.

These products support an ANSI/ESD S20.20 program. No single product certifies a workstation.