During a serious electro-static discharge hazard, which action is required?

• A. All electro-static discharge sensitive operations should be suspended.
• B. All personnel shall withdraw to a safe place.
• C. All equipment should be powered down.
• D. Only essential staff should remain.

Answer: (A)

When a serious electro-static discharge hazard is identified, the priority is to stop activities that involve sensitive electro-static discharge work. Static discharges can carry enough energy to ignite pyrotechnic materials or damage sensitive devices, so halting those operations removes the immediate ignition risk and buys time to implement grounding, humidity control, and other anti-static measures.

Stopping all ESD-sensitive operations is broader and more protective than simply powering down equipment or removing some personnel. Powering down might not eliminate all static charges on surfaces or in the environment, and leaving only essential staff or withdrawing people without halting the specific ESD-sensitive tasks still poses a risk if those tasks resume. The key step is to suspend the activities that could produce or be affected by an electro-static discharge until the hazard is cleared.