Here are some ways to reduce static electricity:
1. While it's possible to identify which devices are static-sensitive, it's a good practice to treat all electronic components and assembly processes as static-sensitive. Maintaining strict static protection procedures for all components you handle and making it a routine part of your work is easier than treating individual components differently.
2. Always pay attention to static safety zone markings in your work environment. When entering these areas, follow the company's static protection procedures, including keeping all people and objects that may generate static electricity out of the protected area. Check and confirm that all sensitive components passing through the protected area have appropriate and clearly visible static protection markings; however, do not assume that components without markings are static-safe.
3. To prevent the generation of static electricity and electrostatic fields, appropriate protective measures must be taken in the work area, such as conductive flooring and conductive wax; personnel must wear anti-static shoes with anti-static soles and anti-static clothing. In particular, plastic parts on metal tools are not permitted within the static protection zone. Soldering irons, desoldering pumps, and testing equipment must be specially designed with anti-static properties; and unauthorized equipment must not be brought into the protected area.
4. A common misconception is that high humidity solves static electricity problems, thus eliminating the need for other methods to reduce static generation. This is incorrect. While high humidity can reduce static electricity to a level undetectable to the human body, it is still sufficient to damage sensitive components. The correct understanding is that high humidity suppresses static electricity generation, while low humidity has the opposite effect.
5. Avoid loose, draping clothing and accessories from touching sensitive components – maintain a distance of at least 6 inches (15 cm) between static-sensitive components and clothing.
6. First, define the scope of the static-sensitive area; within this area, the company's static control procedures must be followed and implemented. This includes prohibiting the bringing of unnecessary static-generating materials into this area, such as general plastic products and polystyrene foam. The best way to reduce static generation is to minimize the presence of unnecessary insulating materials in the work area. (Insulating materials are non-conductive, themselves high sources of static electricity, and easily generate electrostatic fields.)