Selecting flooring for your business in some instances can be simple, it’s often the choice of aesthetics over functionality but in some industries, more thought is needed into your flooring choices.
In Health, Computing, Military or Electronics the flooring you use can protect your equipment and potentially save lives. The flooring we are talking about is anti-static flooring.
Antistatic flooring can be used to control static discharge that can cause interference with both employees and equipment. Anti-static flooring is also known as ESD flooring and helps reduce electrostatic discharge (ESD). As we mentioned often these are used in healthcare and military settings but they also have been used in everyday settings such as classrooms.
Why is electrostatic discharge a problem?
When most of us think of static we think of the little shocks that we get on times when touching objects. For the majority of the time, these static shocks are irritating but not life-threatening. A static shock has to have a discharge of 3500 volts for us to feel it. 3500 volts to a human isn’t a big deal but to electronics, it can damage them.
If you work with computer systems it can mean that the data you collect and use can become damaged, compromised or even destroyed.
In most working environments people will have to walk from one place to another to get their jobs done. If this is indoors, then the friction between our feet and the floor generates a static discharge. This static charge then stays with us until we touch something. When we touch an object or a person the charge will jump to them.
This sudden charge can destroy the circuits of an electrical system. Using an anti-static flooring can control the static and stop this from happening.
Anti-static flooring prevents this static from building up when people walk so that no charge can jump from your body when you touch a computer system.
Choosing an Anti-static floor
Nearly every floor covering, such as epoxy, rubber and vinyl can be used to create an anti-static floor. As a business, you will need to research which flooring materials would be best suited for your application.
Alexey from Tuball.com says that “It’s also important to consider what type of footwear will be used when purchasing an anti-static floor. Some businesses may benefit from having more than one flooring material.”
Picking the right flooring for your needs is going to come down to the environment and the budget that you have. You may also want to take into consideration the downtime that your business may receive if you need to fit out entire rooms or warehouses with anti-static flooring.
We would advise speaking to an expert before deciding on the floor for your business as they will be able to give you the benefits and disadvantages of all the flooring types when applied to your situation.
Other benefits of anti-static flooring
Anti-static flooring is mainly purchased to protect a business computing system, but there are additional advantages that you may not be aware of. For example, anti-static floors are durable and low maintenance.
Your ESD flooring is also very easy to clean, the reason for this is that dirt and debris can inhibit the effectiveness of its antistatic properties. All of these benefits lead to you not having to worry about your floor so much and let you get on with the main things that affect your business.
Protecting your business
ESD flooring is a quick and simple way of protecting your network from electrostatic damage. When a static shock can delete or scramble all of your data then adding a new floor to your office isn’t that big of a deal.
As a business owner, you often have to worry about protecting your data from outside threats such as viruses and malware, but you don’t think about the damage which can be caused inside. An ESD floor is a great way to protect your business from not only electrical damage but if you work in flammable environments then it could save lives too.
Static can create sparks and in a flammable environment that could cause fires and explosions that could be life-threatening.
Conclusion on ESD flooring
Not all businesses will benefit from an ESD floor, however, if you have a business that operates in the health, military, or computing space then you should give it some consideration. Losing your data or worse such as an explosion is something that you would never be able to recover from.
With various options on anti-static flooring, it’s also more affordable than you imagine. If you are considering getting ESD flooring for your business then we advise talking to an expert first.
