I am working to update our existing ESD program and am trying to figure out what we would need to do for the product qualification. Our current plan references ANSI 20.20 and we use items like wrist straps, ESD mats/tables, smocks, ESD transport trays and containers. We are supposed to test the wrist straps daily with handwritten confirmation along with scheduled ESD testing of the mats and tables. I have not seen a qualification plan for the current process, and we do not have traceable validation on all products to use that for qualification. I am planning on updating our verification process on all items being used which is good for going forward but I am still a bit fuzzy on what I would need to do for the qualification since we have existing items. We have old mats that have been in existence for some time so we would not be able to find any manufacturer information. We do have humidity issues during the summer and winter and have an automated system that records the temperature and humidity. I am planning on using the system to alert us when the values are outside parameters so we would be able to test as it happens until we no longer surpass the range in the plan. Can we just do extensive internal testing to verify that all products being used pass the ANSI 20.20 requirements, document, and use that for a qualification plan? As far as I am aware there is no plan to become certified but only to follow the standards.
Good Evening Josh,
S20.20 section 7.3 has a provision for a situation where original qualification data on existing items is unavailable, missing or unknown:
Organizations that can verify the use of ESD control items before adopting this standard to certify
their ESD control program can use compliance verification records to meet product qualification
requirements. These records shall cover a minimum of one year and reflect a timeframe
immediately before using as product qualification records. These records shall reflect test results
that meet the compliance verification test limits identified in Tables 2, 3, and 4 of this standard.
Be aware that you may need to perform these verifications over a period of time and under different humidity conditions especially at the lowest humidity you expect to see. For newer control items that you intend to purchase the first section of S20.20 section 7.3 would apply:
A product qualification plan shall be established to ensure the ESD control items selected by the
Organization meet the requirements identified in Tables 2, 3, and 4 of this standard. This includes
the use of the test methods and test limits identified in these tables.
Product qualification shall occur during the initial selection of the ESD control item and before initial
use. It may use any of the following qualification methods:
(1) product specification review,
(2) independent laboratory evaluation, or
(3) internal laboratory evaluation.
Independent of the organization’s qualification method, qualification records shall include the test
method used, the test results obtained from that method, and the test limits. Also, the qualification
data shall include the environmental conditioning used during the testing as defined within the test
method. The product qualification plan shall also include the location of the qualification records.
I would recommend going to the ESDA website www.esda.org under the standards tab and downloading a free copy of the S20.20 standard. I would also recommend getting a copy of the Handbook for S20.20 TR2020 that has additional information on product qualification
Matt S