Low charge-generating floors generate little or no static electricity and inhibit or prevent static from building on people, rolling chairs, carts, and other mobile equipment.
The conductive fibers in ESD carpet brush static away from shoe soles as people walk—much the way brushes in a copier brush static from paper as it slides through the machine—and conduct those charges to ground, making ESD carpet a low charge-generating material. Because its chemical makeup is sufficiently similar to that of most shoe soles, conductive (EC) rubber is a naturally low charge-generating material.
Low charge generation should not be confused with conductivity or grounding. Some grounded floors—conductive vinyl and some ESD epoxy, for instance—can generate enough static on regular street shoes to cause a damaging ESD event.
Note: Charge-generating ESD flooring materials should only be used in areas where people are required to wear ESD-protective footwear.
