Questions And Answers

Either a ground cord with a one megohm resistor or without a resistor is acceptable; it is up to the end user to decide.

“The grounding conductors (wires) from wrist straps, worksurfaces, flooring or floor mats, tools, fixtures, storage units, carts, chairs, garments and other ESD technical elements may or may not contain added resistance. Where added resistance is not present, a direct connection from the ESD technical element to the common point ground or common connection point is acceptable and recommended.

“Note: Manufacturers may add resistance to the grounding conductors for purposes other than ESD (e.g. current limiting). Added resistance is acceptable for the purposes of controlling ESD provided electrostatic accumulation does not exceed specific EPA requirements. The typical added resistance in grounding conductors is 1 megohm, although other values may be specified.”

[Grounding standard ANSI/ESD S6.1 section 5.3.3 ESD Technical Element Conductors]