Community Responses to ESD Safety

Community Responses to ESD Safety

There are many different beliefs, opinions, and experiences concerning electrostatic discharge (ESD) safety and equipment. So we asked you, the community, what practices you do or don’t implement in your own shops — and the results are in! As expected, ESD safety practices vary shop by shop. We know you might be debating whether or not to implement new ESD practices. We hope the following info will help you make an educated decision about what ESD practices, if any, are best for your shop. Some members of our community don’t feel the need to take extreme measures to protect devices from ESD. Robert offers the repair community, what he believes to be, a common sense solution of taking simple and affordable steps. In his opinion, “buying gloves, wasting time with straps, buying an ionizer is wasting money” for technicians who only repair phones. ESD mats, in his opinion, “minimize rolling around” which proves useful regardless effectiveness at preventing ESD issues. Another community member, Jeff, reports no problems with ESD interfering with device function, even without taking specific precautions to prevent it. So why spend all of this money on gear? John justifies spending time, money, and energy on ESD safety by looking at the big picture. John understands ESD can’t be eradicated from your shop but believes there is a lot you can do to decrease the chance that ESD interferes with a repair. John goes on to explain a humidifier or ionizer, ESD smocks, and lab coats may help reduce static discharge. John also offers the tip that purchasing used ionizers is a more affordable option if looking to add this kind of equipment to your shop. [caption id="attachment_10236" align="aligncenter" width="261"] “I currently have an ESD safe workstation and a mat. Future plans include ESD wrist strap alarm, bench ionizer, and I am currently looking into an ESD floor wax as well. I also use an ESD safe chair. The chair has [an anti-static] fabric and a drag chain that touches the floor.”- John[/caption]  John says “I think this is really important. Many overlook this stuff. There are other things you can do.” John believes himself to be “a student of the game,” always looking to improve repairs for his customers. He rationalizes many other shops “are more focused on running retail stores.” John differs from some in his belief that “if you offer repair, you should really invest in the tools of the trade,” even if it can be expensive. He claims this investment to be worth it, and shares images of his workstation as proof that he walks the talk. [caption id="attachment_10237" align="aligncenter" width="180"] Here is John's Chair[/caption]John shares these images from his shop with us and other members of the community. [caption id="attachment_10235" align="aligncenter" width="180"] A closeup look at the base of the chair[/caption] For some it is not a lack of belief but rather a lack of information. “What would be the use or help of a humidifier?” wonders Jairo. John explains how dry winter months get where he is and how “some humidity in the air helps a little” which is where the ionizer and humidifier come into play. Are you wondering where John learned all of this? We were. John took a soldering course and learned about ESD safety. John states that he’s “more knowledgeable now,” but doesn’t consider himself an expert. There is always more to learn. He credits the class for his education and training. He knows some will be critical but his response is that he “needed a better workstation” and prefers an ESD safe option just in case. In this developing industry, we find varying opinions across the board regarding best practices. When talking to our in house technical support team, they all agreed on one thing, most repair shops don’t educate themselves about ESD safety until it’s too late. Jump into the conversation on our Facebook page and share your thoughts. Our courses at eTech Training cover safety guidelines to protect your business. Put ESD safety education on your 2016 game plan.