Expense is an issue at the top of every industrial and commercial company’s list of priorities. Cutting corners without sacrificing quality or the welfare of workers and equipment is a constant activity that must be applied to every aspect of business. It is this mindset that drives the popularity of certain products that are effective while remaining affordable, such as ground straps.

Although not the most stylish items required of employees, ground straps are anti static accessories that work very well at redirecting electrostatic discharges or eliminating them completely. In certain areas, where expensive and sensitive equipment is present, such items are vital. Electrostatic discharge, also known as ESD, is able to interfere with or even permanently damage mechanical and electronic equipment. Ground straps are inexpensive and easy to use ESD products that deal with this problem without costing a company a fortune in the process. Attached at the wrists, ankles or the bottoms of employees’ shoes, these straps are made from anti static materials that absorb the ESD around them. They provide a pathway from the ESD on an object or in the air into the ground instead of into the person or sensitive electronic or mechanical device being handled.

Ground straps are items that can be used in any working or residential environment where expensive electronics are present and need to be protected. However, they are most often utilized in highly sensitive areas such as medical testing laboratories, research laboratories and clean rooms. Designs can vary based on specifications within the industry and particular space, but usually ground straps are attached to wrists by Velcro straps and then run into the ground by way of a ribbon with a copper wire inserted for electrical conductivity. Such an environment is also usually equipped with ant static mats, since those are surfaces better able to dissipate the ESD.