Under ANSI/ESD S20.20-2021, routine compliance verification records cannot qualify a footwear/flooring system selected for personnel grounding. A manufacturer’s data sheet can support qualification if it supplies the required test results, limits and conditioning for the actual footwear and flooring combination.
Routine verification records cannot replace qualification
S20.20-2021 expressly excludes footwear/flooring systems selected for personnel grounding from qualification through prior compliance verification records (section 7.3).
The organization must qualify each footwear and flooring type combination. Results for a different pairing do not qualify the combination actually used.
The S20.20 footwear/flooring qualification guide explains the permitted qualification routes, timing and record requirements.
When a manufacturer’s data sheet can support qualification
S20.20-2021 permits product qualification through product specification review, independent laboratory evaluation or internal laboratory evaluation. Supplier documentation is therefore a permitted source of evidence, provided it supports the combination being qualified.
Check for both tests and the actual combination
A footwear/flooring system must meet both Table 2 limits:
- System resistance below 1.0 × 10^9 ohms under ANSI/ESD STM97.1.
- Peak body voltage below 100 volts under ANSI/ESD STM97.2.
The system-resistance and body-voltage qualification limits explain what those measurements include.
A sheet reporting only resistance, or results obtained with different footwear, does not supply the complete qualification evidence for the combination in use.
Request the underlying evidence when the sheet is incomplete
Qualification records must identify:
- The test method used for each required measurement.
- The results obtained.
- The applicable test limits.
- The environmental conditioning used during testing.
If the data sheet omits those details, request the supporting test reports.
Confirm the conditioning route
Qualification must follow the test-method conditioning or the permitted facility annual-minimum-humidity route. The qualification humidity requirements explain when the facility allowance applies and why it cannot be transferred between sites.
Why the 2012 tailoring example does not override S20.20-2021
The June 2012 ESD Association ESD Facility Certification Newsletter addressed S20.20-2007. Its tailoring example combined compliance verification records with seasonal body-voltage measurements in a separate evidence package for each facility. It does not override S20.20-2021’s exclusion of compliance verification records for qualifying footwear/flooring systems selected for personnel grounding.
Frequently Asked Questions
No. Section 7.3 excludes footwear/flooring systems selected for personnel grounding from qualification through compliance verification records. Each footwear and flooring type combination requires qualification evidence meeting the applicable test and conditioning requirements.
Yes, if it provides the required evidence for the actual combination. S20.20-2021 permits product specification review, but the records must identify the methods, results, limits and conditioning. Both Table 2 limits must be met: system resistance below 1.0 × 10^9 ohms under STM97.1 and peak body voltage below 100 volts under STM97.2.
No. The newsletter addressed S20.20-2007. Its example combined compliance verification data with seasonal body-voltage measurements in a separate package for each facility. It does not override the qualification requirements in S20.20-2021.