When wearing an anti-static wrist strap, must the wrist strap touch the skin?
Cotton and most clothing are insulative, and when using a wrist strap, an insulating layer should not be placed between the person's skin and the conductive part of the wrist strap. The purpose of body elimination.
The Anti-Static Association standard for wrist straps is ESD S1.1, "Visual inspection of the wrist strap cuff to ensure it fits snugly against the skin".
ESD S1.1 Section 6.1.6, Human skin can have a high electrical resistance. Use of an expandable metal cuff and/or dissipative lotion or gel may reduce a person's resistance to skin contact. "
ANSI/ESD S20.20 Table 1. The recommended specification range for wrist strap systems is less than 35 x 10^6 ohms.
ESD S1.1 Section 3. Definitions of terms, Wrist Strap System "An assembled device consisting of a wrist strap and a ground wire that electrically connects a person's skin to ground."