At work I have the problem that I seem to collect a lot of static charge as soon as I leave my desk and return.
I am not quite sure why this happens. Strangely enough the effect is stronger the briefer I am away.
Since I work with electronics being charged can damage the things I am working with. So what I am doing at the moment is discharge myself anytime I return at my PC housing. This works, but it always causes flickering in my monitor and sometimes I have to replug my mouse to make it work again.
I know that most electronics have some kind of ESD protection built in, but that these get less and less effective the more they are used and will someday break.
That is why I am worried about my equipment in the long term and would like a safer way to discharge myself.
I tried using the earth contact of the mains power outlet, but it hurts a lot more and the effect on my equipment seems to be even worse. I think it has to do with the fact that the PC housing is painted and therefore has a lot higher resistence.
Best Answer
The best way is to use an ESD strap, that is connected to earth via a 1MOhm resistor. This slowly but continuously discharges you without creating high currents. This way it does not hurt or damage anything.
But I also want to mention one "trick", when you dont want to use special equipment like an ESD strap. Discharging at the earth connection of mains works quite well, when you do not touch the contact directly but via an object you are holding in your hand (and that is at least slightly conductiv). I always get a big discharge when touching doorknobs at work, so I started to first touch the knob with my watch. This way the spark only exists between watch an knob, the current densitiy in my arm is already so low that I do not feel it any more. Or when getting out of car I already have the key in my hand - so I touch the door with the key first, before touching the metal directly.
But still - if your are regularyly working with electronics on your desk some basic ESD equipment would be the best solution. And I guess your boss will agree that the cost of an ESD strap is neglectable im comparison to failing electronics ;)