Running an ESD Control program

Most organizations across the globe already have some ESD controls in place.
If your company hired and assigned you as an ESD Coordinator to improve the existing ESD controls, then below are the few tips that are worth to consider helping you in your journey to setup and run a manageable ESD Control program.

• Support from Top Management: Support from Top Management is essential for running a successful ESD Control program. Support in terms of training provision for ESD Coordinator, ESD material and products provisions, following the ESD control rules in the organization are the few kind of support that the Top Management can do.
• Forming a team: Forming a team or an ESD Steering Committee which has members from different disciplines/departments such as Maintenance, Engineering, Quality, Purchasing, Production and Training is much encouraged. With the existence of members from different disciplines and departments, workload can be shared and ESD controls can be implemented without many obstacles.
• Periodic communication: From time to time, communication on ESD controls should be imparted through the organization communication channels. This is aimed to send a gentle reminder to the employees about the ESD rules that they tend to forget.
• Periodic inspection: From time to time, periodic inspection or audit on the ESD compliance in the organization should be carried out in a systematic manner to ensure continuous ESD protection.
• Integration with ISO 9000 requirements: The ESD Control program should be implemented and integrated with the ISO 9000 requirements. For example: ESD audit should be planned in an audit schedule and ESD materials should be evaluated and reevaluated.
• Continual improvements: Continual or gradual improvement is recommended to be taken either upon receiving customer feedback, audit findings or through technology changes.
• Continuous training provision: Continuous training provision to the employees of all levels is essential to ensure the ESD Control program is running as it is intended.
• Decision based on facts: To ensure the ESD Control program is cost effective and running effectively, any decision made has to be based on facts to prevent overspending.

ANSI/ESD S20.20 Registration

Organizations that already have their ESD Control Program setup based on ANSI/ESD S20.20 can prepare their plants to be certified by a 3rd party certification body such as DNV, BSI or QMI to name the few.

A list of 3rd party registrars or certification bodies is available in the ESDA website.

Certification against ANSI/ESD S20.20 helps to assure both the organizations and their customers that the products they are manufacturing or received by their customers meet the minimum requirements set by the ESD standard.

This also assures their products are continuously protected from ESD damage.

ESD Control Program Setup

Electrostatic Discharge Association (ESDA) developed and published ANSI/ESD S20.20 Standard for public use in 1999.

Since then, many organizations have referred to this Standard as a reference when establishing the ESD Control program.

ANSI/ESD S20.20 Standard guides an organization on how to setup the company ESD Control Program through its systematic approach detailing the ESD control requirements that are to be implemented and controlled in the organization.

The ANSI/ESD S20.20 Standard can be free downloaded from
the ESDA website.

What is an ESD Control Program?

An ESD Control Program is a plan or a system that administers the controls on electrostatic discharge.

It is aimed to provide continuous ESD protection for the ESD items that are manufactured by the organizations.