surfaces - flooring
The positive outcomes of anti-static flooring M
edical facilities see a lot of footfall on a daily basis and hospitals, in particular, need
flooring which is robust due to the constant movement of beds, trolleys, wheelchairs and other equipment. This movement creates electro-static
discharges which can easily damage sensitive electrical components. So floors that actively remove static electricity from a person are vital in the sector.
“State-of-the-art technology can
achieve incredible thing, but only if each and every delicate component and piece of equipment is protected from a wide range of issues,” explains Kevin Potter, managing director of Flowcrete.
“While viruses and physical impacts might seem like a more-immediate threat; sensitive circuitry can just as easily be ruined by a single touch from one statically-charged finger.”
Electrical energy
Many electrical components can be destroyed by a discharge of only 300 volts, and one person walking across the floor can quickly generate up to 3,000 volts.
This voltage is built up through a
process called triboelectric charging, which means that when someone moves on a floor they build up a negative charge and, if the person is not insulated, then this charge increases the more they move around. If the charge is large enough, when an earthed object nears the charged object the charge will jump through the air to go to the earth. This results in a spark, which, if a
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healthcaredm.co.uk A chain reaction
“Anti-static floors work by incorporating specialist conductive materials that take away any charge a person has built up as soon as their foot comes into contact with the coating”, explains Potter. “This contact kicks off a chain
reaction that results in the charge being safely removed down through the floor and away from the sensitive working environment.
person is the earthing object, will be experienced as a mild static shock. However, if it is a piece of equipment then it could be irrevocably damaged. To avoid this problem, anti-static floor finishes can be installed that actively remove any charge being built up in a person and safely takes it away to an appropriate earthing point. Anti-static floors are ordered into categories depending on how quickly electricity can move through them - a property which is measured in ohm. Surfaces with the least resistance are defined as conductive; dissipative floors allow electricity to flow through at a controlled speed; and the most- resistant floors are known as insulative.
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