What distinguishes an insulator, an ESD, and an anti-static?

ESD, insulating, and anti-static. When referring to products for workplace safety, these terms are frequently used interchangeably.

You'll be in a better position to choose the appropriate personal protective equipment for yourself or your staff once you have a better understanding of the differences.

What is the best protection you can provide, what do these terms mean, and when are they important?

Anti-static

This term indicates that a material cannot be statically charged.

As you move, static charge results primarily from friction between clothing and another surface. This could be your body, other clothing, or even the chair upholstery.

You do not want these loads to accumulate. On the contrary, these loads need to be unloaded as soon as possible. 

It is not the charge itself that is dangerous, but the potential discharge. Think of when you pull your fleece sweater over your head on a winter day.

Sparks are formed with this discharge, which can be life-threatening in areas with explosion risk. 

For example, the slightest spark can cause a catastrophic explosion in an explosive atmosphere or ATEX (ATmosphères EXplosibles) environments.

How to protect yourself against the risk of explosion caused by static discharge:

• Wear anti-static work clothing that complies with EN 1149-5. This clothing helps distribute loads. This is why clothing manufacturers use metal or carbon fiber.  
• Choose anti-static work shoes. All work shoes from category S1 onwards (including S1P, S2 and S3) have anti-static properties.
   
• Wear head, hearing and face protection specified by ATEX. The electronic components in this version of PPE are anti-static.

ESD

There are several types of ESD:

• Electrostatic Sensitive Device
   
• Electrostatic discharge

Actually, all of these mean the same thing.

Similar to antistatic, ESD also aims to dissipate charges as quickly as possible to prevent static discharge.

The difference here is the protection of a product or production process rather than the protection of a person. In principle, an ESD product should not be considered PPE.

For example, it is best to choose ESD products in companies where people work with microchips or very sensitive equipment. Even the smallest discharge can cause damage.

How to protect sensitive products against ESD?

• Wear clothing that prevents electrostatic discharge from damaging components. Anti-static (conductive) fibers in such clothing prevent the accumulation of charges. ( EN 61340-5-1 )
   
• The durability criteria for the soles of ESD work shoes are in the same region as antistatic work shoes, only stricter (3.5×10 ⁷ ohm). Make sure your shoes are ESD approved.
    ;
• There are currently no specific standards for ESD gloves. The products you find on the market have been tested according to EN 1149-5 or EN 16350: the most current standards for anti-static gloves.

Insulator

In a sense, an electrically insulating material is the opposite of an anti-static material. The material prevents charges from dissipating so that electric current cannot flow through the material.

If you are working with electricity, you want to disconnect the electrical circuit you are working on. If this is not possible, you should isolate yourself. In other words, you want high resistance because charges always choose the path of least resistance.

Good examples are an electrician standing on a rubber mat or the rubber soles of electrically insulating boots.

Please note: A different method applies in live line operation (high voltage under current).

How to protect yourself against electric shock?

• Wear a helmet that protects you from electric shocks. The 440 V AC sign indicates that you are protected against this voltage. Some hard hats protect you against 1000 volts. This is indicated by a double triangle on your helmet.
• Wear insulating gloves made of thick latex or composite. Classes 00 to 4 indicate what voltage is being tested. 
• Insulating work shoes prevent loads from passing from your body to the ground. The resistance of the entire shoe, not just the resistance of the sole, is tested. Class 00 shoes are designed to operate up to 500 V AC or 750 DC. Class 0 shoes , 1000VAC or for operation up to 1500 V DC.

Solution

Although many people confuse these concepts, they have much less in common than you might think.

An anti-static material prevents sparks and explosions, ESD is product protection, and an insulating material protects you from electric shocks.