Job Discussion Forums

[merlin]

I seem to be building up a lot of static energy and feel a "zap" at least ten times a day when I touch any mettalic object or person. It's getting so that I dread touching certain things because I know I'll get a zap.

I think it all started when I changed offices recently. There must be some kind of electromagnetic field here or something.

I don't have a carpet and I wear only cotton clothing and leather boots with rubber soles.

Anyone have any ideas to reduce static energy floating around in an office?

Damn it! I just got another one from the radiator!

[Boy Wonder]

As a fully paid up member of the local Naturist club..(I've been an active advocate of Freedom from the restraint of material for nearly 14 years now) I think Merlin that you should set yourself free from the shackles of the clothes you wear.
Then 'static attacks' will be consigned to history forever!

Nudity works....

Liberate the skin..!

[merlin]

A nudist English School ....

whatever will we come up with next?

[dajiang]

I know exactly what you mean.
I wore one of those North face jackets last winter in Beijing, and they really tend to charge you up.

Everytime i would come into the classroom and touch anything, a chair, a window, the whiteboard, I got buzzed. Bloody annoying.

my advice, dont wear the jacket you're wearing now.
Or read this I found googling around:

"Low-profile ESD grounding cord system Because people are one of the greatest sources of static electricity, personnel grounding is a major line of defence in safeguarding static sensitive devices in production areas says Static Control Components.
By grounding people their static charges are recombined with opposite charges from the earth as the charges are generated, thus avoiding ESD.
Static Control Components manufactures and supplies a range of personnel grounding products including wrist straps and foot grounders and one of the key parts of these systems is the common ground cord.
The new low profile cord set is less obtrusive in the work area and resists accidental disconnection."

Ha, so simple yet so beautiful.
A grounding cord like on cars.

Ask your supervisor to get one for you...
If he/she refuses you threaten to zap him/her first thing every morning.

G'luck,
Dajiang

[vre]

I have the same problem. It was really bad in the previous city I lived in but now it still happens, but not so much.

In fact a few weeks ago, when I handed the boardmarker to a student, we nearly jumped out of our skins when our fingers touched and nearly sent us up in the air (needless to say, the other students were highly amused and put it down to 'electricity' between the two of us). He was a very handsome man, I have to admit.

Anyway, I think it is your surroundings. For example, in my previous environment, even touching a car door would make me leap into the air. I was frightened of touching any door, person, object or .... anything. A very 'electric' area.

Huh, glad I left!!!!!

[lozwich]

Could it be seasonal?

I remember years ago living in a place where westerly winds would blow every August. The westerlies would come straight off the desert (ok, it was Sydney, Australia, alright? ) and the air would be really really dry. Every year without fail, I would suddenly be one great big charged particle, and be zapping everything I came near. My boss used to say that every night he'd go home, turn off the lights, take off his trousers and give his wife a light show!

Lozwich.

[Guy Courchesne]

Same thing happens to me in Mexico City every winter. I had attributed the phenom to the dry cool air that is a winter feature here...hasn't rained since October.

[Dragonsaver]

Humidity

In the winter the humidity is lower and this allows for the static build-up. You can buy a humidifier if you want, or keep a kettle boiling near where you work.

The ground straps someone else mentioned also work. In large computer rooms they have anti-static guards. I think that some of the 'plastic-type' floor pads for under your chair can be purchased as anti-static.

You mentioned you were wearing rubber soled boots. Guess what - rubber is an insulator and any static you pick up can't go to ground except when you touch something. Don't wear rubber soles in the winter. You could attach a piece of copper from the top of the shoe and the bottom of the sole which will allow the static to go to ground. The upper part of the wire would have to touch your socks to complete the circuit.

Hope this helps.

[Guy Courchesne]

[SueH]

[Sweetsee]

I have noticed it recently, as well. Off my car. Don't like it.

Must be from all the cheap clothing, acryllic and such.

I guarantee they have some sort of spray for it here in Japan. That's great, me standing in the gen-kan with my arms raised and being sprayed before I go to the office in the morning.

[merlin]

Wow Never thought there'd be so much useful information. What an odd assortment of experts we all are.

After reading everyone's psot I think it's a combination of things - shoddy government electrical wiring and old cheap computers multiplied in cold and dry weather. Yesterday a cold front was coming in and it snowed overnight. Surely the atmospheric contitions multiplied it to an intolerable level for my unique body chemistry. There's so much we still don't know about the human body, it seems.

I'll work on developing an inconspicuous grounding wire to wear around the office for the days when it's really bad. I'll strip a black wire at both ends, attatch one stripped end inside my shoe, run it out through the tongue where the black will be unnoticed, then and one stripped end stapled along the bottom of the sole. Then I'll just have to look out for train and tram tracks!

[lozwich]

Why not wear tap dancing shoes?

At least if the metal doesn't earth you, you can put on a little show next time you get a shock!

[Dragonsaver]

I was not trying to be 'red-green' Guy. I was trying to be helpful.

[shmooj]