Whenever there is a problem, there is always a solution. Otherwise it is named as a disaster.
Last year in 2007, news reported that widely accepted crocs shoes were banned by a Swedish hospital for causing the medical equipments to malfunction. The popular crocs were blamed to have caused 3 knock out incidents in the medical equipments involving a patient’s vital respirator and two other key pieces of equipment.
The crocs shoes are generally light, functional and most of all are comfortable to wear for long hours. Besides appearing in different colors, the awesome characteristic offered by the crocs shoes has successfully make them well like among hospital nurses.
Crocs shoes were banned because its rubberized sole was blamed to build up static electricity on the hospital staffs and this was seen as a potential disaster in an operating theatre. A patient life is threatened when key pieces of the medical equipments are malfunctioning.
The crocs shoes ban does not last forever. Crocs ESD shoes have been developed to solve the static electricity problems in the hospitals. This newly developed crocs shoes not only compliant to ESD requirement; it is also clean room friendly.
Alternative to this new ESD and clean room complaint Crocs shoes is the Safeclip.The safe clip is to be attached to the crocs shoes and it helps to drain static electricity from the person body to the floor or ground as the person walks or stands.
The ESD crocs shoes are for all. They can be used by the hospital staff and by those working in electronics industry.
What is your opinion?
New ESD crocs shoes for all?
ESD surface resistance test kit for ESD coordinator
The most basic ESD equipment for any ESD coordinator is the ESD Surface resistance test kit.
A basic ESD surface resistance meter test kit commonly comes with the primary accessories such as
• Two 5 pound electrodes
• ESD Surface resistance meter
• Test leads
• Carrying case
Some type of ESD Surface resistance meter has 2 parallel bar electrodes attached to the back of the meter, which allows user to make measurement on surface resistivity of material.
With this ESD Surface resistance test kit, many of the ESD materials and equipments can be tested such as
• Worksurface following ANSI/ESD S4.1
• ESD garment following ANSI/ESD STM2.1
• ESD flooring following ANSI/ESD S7.1
• ESD seating following ANSI/ESD STM12.1
• ESD flooring and footwear system following ANSI/ESD STM97.1
• ESD cart following ANSI/ESD TR53
• Automated Handling Equipment (AHE) following ANSI/ESD SP10.1
Besides displaying the measurement results, some ESD surface resistance meter also provides information on the ambient temperature and relative humidity when testing is carried out. Charleswater Surface resistance meter is an example.
To make measurement on ESD packaging materials such as
• ESD tote box
• ESD tray
• ESD foam
• ESD tube and so forth
Charleswater surface resistance meter test kit also allow user to make surface resistance and volume resistance on ESD packaging material through the use of ESD Concentric ring probe which comes with its test lead and adaptor.
Surface resistance measurement on ESD packaging material can be done as outlined in ANSI/ESD STM11.11 and Volume resistance measurement as outlined in ANSI/ESD STM11.12.
A surface resistance meter that provides additional information such as ambient temperature and relative humidity is suitable for ESD material qualification process use but it is not so suitable to use for periodic checking of ESD materials and equipments as the testing process is slowed down by its testing sequence for characteristics such as temperature and relative humidity.
For periodic testing for ESD materials and equipments, a surface resistance meter that offers quick results is much desired.
Trek 152 surface resistance test kit is an example of ESD surface resistance test kit that allows user to do both qualification and periodic testing of ESD materials and equipments. Trek 152 surface resistance test kit provides quick testing results without the need to do calculations and interpretations. The testing results would be displaced on the LCD screen. However, the user of the Trek 152 surface resistance test kit has to buy a separate meter for checking the ambient temperature and relative humidity.
