Posted By ian mcnally I gave up trying to think of humorous title to generate (no pun) a response to a problem reported to me. I have had complaints that staff in our “IT” department have been suffering from static shocks. The problem is localised to one department, the earthing of equipment has been checked and is fine. I am aware of possible causes, such as equipment / body generated / humidity and ionised air issues. My main problem is working out the best way forward to tackle the problem and not a knee jerk short term fix, such as anti-static carpet treatment, although views of how effective this may have been for anyone having used it would be useful too. I would really appreciate some advice from anyone out there that has experienced and managed a similar problem. I would also welcome a contact from any company that can provide products such as anti-static carpet treatment – ionisers – humidifiers or any other solutions. Thanks Ian

Posted By Robin B Grounding mats?

Posted By Ron Hunter You say earthing is OK, but has installation been checked by competent electrician? It is conceivable that there is some low level earth leakage being generated by equipment. The more items you bond to earth,the greater the potential (sorry) to contact the leakage current. Depending on the age of the consumer unit and installation there may be nothing in the way of RCD or RCBO to detect this fault.

Posted By Tony Randall As an afterthought there used to be a device advertised in computer supplies magazines that was designed to safely discharge static by the operator touching it.

Posted By Paul J Williams I have come across this a few times and the cause is usually due to the atmosphere being too dry ie low relative humidity. I suggest you check the relative humidity and if it is low take steps to increase it. Other symptoms of this can be what appear to be insect bites around ankles, neckline and cuffs. This is actually starically charged shards of paper which stick in the skin. Where this has occurred and been misdiagnbosed as fleas, spraying water based insectorcides has resolved the problem temporaily probably inadvertenlty due to the act of spraying water on the carpet which has also raised the relative humidity. Hope this helps.

Posted By ian mcnally Hi Kate, I must say it all sounds perfectly logical, but then I suspect you could have given me just about any old physics or chemistry based theory and I would have believed you. Thanks though, at least if somebody asks me I will be able to tell them it’s all to do with the non-polar molecular structure and having greasy hair ..or something. Seriously though Kate, it is interesting to hear why such a crazy sounding solution might just work. Suspect a few producers of branded antistatic solution will be a miffed if they read this! It was Lenor you said you worked for wasn’t it! Regards Ian

Posted By Sharon We are also experiencing problems with static electricity. An open plan office with at least 60 people in it but only 2 suffering from static electricity. One temp solution is to place you hand on a wall before touching metal cupboards or filing cabinets, it works! We purchased an anti static mat which works whilst sat at desk but once your on the move the static builds back up again. Certain pot plants help too. We are in the process of carrying out an Air Quality test in that area this week. Also trying the diluted fabric conditioner test this week too, we are going to spray the area twice a week, results should be interesting!

Posted By Graham S Dawson Please call Graham Dawson at Arrowquint to discuss a solution. 01242 604 555

Posted By Richard Vivian Dry environments are the most problematic for static as insulation levels of carpets etc are very high so there are less opportunities to discharge any built up static to ground. Correct grounding of electrical equipment is essential for electrical safety but actually exaggerates the problem as a "charged up" employee will discharge rapidly to an earthed piece of equipment whereas touching a wall, pot plant (mentioned earlier) facilitates a more gradual discharge to ground through the resistance of the wall/plant/etc. Increasing the humidity will help as this reduces the insulation levels of carpets etc allowing gradual leakage of static charge to ground. The presence of pot plants will introduce increased localised humidity (assuming you water them!) I am not so keen on the fabric conditioner ideas as the net result could be a slippery carpet that gives you a whole load of other problems to deal with. However simply shampooing the carpet will leave residual moisture content in the carpet for a while that may well alleviate your problems for a good few months. In static sensitive workplaces (for example semiconductor factories, electronics maintenance workshops), metal items that do not require a low impedance electrical ground for safety (e.g. metal workbenches, filing cabinets, etc) are connected to the ground via a high value resistor (typically 1 megaohm 1/2W) to allow a gradual discharge to ground of any static charge. Specialist ESD companies exist that can help with this and could provide static discharge mats at critical areas in your building. Richard Vivian

Posted By Paul J Williams Just take Richard's word (yesterdays post) and my word (22/2/05) for it, the problem is due to the atmosphere being too dry.

Posted By Melanie Black We had been experiencing similar problems in one of our offices, with people complaining of itchy legs and getting small electric shocks. After reading this thread I tried the fabric conditioner idea, and, touch wood, it seems to have worked! I used a cap full of fabric conditioner (blue Lenor to be exact!!) and diluted with water in a spray bottle (49p from a local garden centre). I didn't drench the carpet with it, but just sprayed lightly over problem areas. A really cheap solution which not only resolved the static problem, but made the office smell lovely in to the bargain!!! I'd recommend people try it as it is so inexpensive. It might not work in every situation, but for the sake of £1.50 I'd give it a go.