Fundamentals of Electrostatic Discharge-WHO DEVELOPS STANDARDS?

Standards development and usage is a cooperative effort among all organizations and individuals affected by standards. There are several key ESD standards development organizations.

Military Standards

Traditionally, the U.S. military spearheaded the development of specific standards and specifications concerning ESD control in the U.S. Today, however, U.S. military agencies are relying on commercially developed standards rather than developing standards themselves. For example, the ESD Association completed the assignment from the Department of Defense (DoD) to convert MIL-STD-1686 into a commercial standard called ANSI/ESD S20.20 which was adopted by the DoD July 7, 2000.

ESD Association

The ESD Association has been a focal point for the development of ESD standards in recent years. An ANSI-accredited standards development organization, the ESD Association is charged with the development of ESD standards and test methods. The ESD Association also represents the US on the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) Technical Committee 101-Electrostatics.