PS Magazine - TB 43-PS-719
PS, The Preventative Maintenance Monthly
ISSUE 719
OCTOBER 2012
52
PS 719
OCT 12
Clean Means Safe
Dirt and dust on the table and foor
mats act as insulators, making it harder
For the mats to carry electrical charges to
ground. Clean the mats with a soFt cloth,
or brush them with a whisk broom.
Use only brushes made with natural
bristles, such as horse hair. Brushes made
with nylon or other synthetic bristles will
generate static electricity.
Never wax or polish the table or foor
mats. That leaves a residue that insulates
the mats.
• Keep clutter away.
• When you leave your workstation, keep
the circuit card protected, even if you’re
coming right back. Put it in an ESD-free
pouch or wrap it in static-shielding
barrier material.
• If you must have technical manuals and
paperwork at the workstation, store
them in anti-static bags. Put an ESD-
safe rubber band or conductive ESD-
safe tape around the bag. Never use
ordinary tape or ordinary rubber bands
to fasten it. The tape and rubber hold
static electricity.
• Magnets, radios and telephones can
create an electromagnetic field. Keep
them clear of the workstation.
• If you must package an item in
stretchwrap or shrinkwrap, do it away
from your workstation. Packaging an
item with these materials generates
static electricity.
Replace
grounding
cords if
they’re
badly worn
or cut.
Connect table and
floor mat grounding
cords directly to
shop ground. Ground
each workstation
individually.
Never
connect
workstations
in a series to
ground them.
Make sure your
grounding cords
are firmly
attached to bare
metal,
not
paint.
Wear the
wrist strap
on your
skin,…
…not over
your sleeve,
whEre it
won’t work.
Grounding
my doctor
told me to
stay away
from
coffee CUps!
A few
precautions
and regular PM
around your
workstation will
keep high static
electricity
under control…
Here’s how
these highly
charged items
can
damage
circuit cards…
• Direct contact between the circuit
card and the charged item triggers a
discharge. A sudden flow of electric
current rushes from the charged item
and through the card’s circuitry.
• A circuit card is placed
near
a charged
item—a foam cup, for example. The
cup could have a static charge of up to
20,000 volts. And that charge creates
an electrostatic field. If the circuit
card lies within the field, it takes on a
charge. The damage comes later, when
an unsuspecting technician reconnects
(grounds) the card. BAM! The card is
zapped by its own discharge as surely
as if it were touched directly by the
charged foam cup.
719 52-53.indd
1-2
8/27/12
4:45 PM
Back to TopBack to Top
