What ANSI/ESD S20.20 actually requires
S20.20 is a program standard. It does not mandate one specific resistance value or one specific product — it mandates that you have a documented ESD control program, validated periodically, that protects parts down to your most-sensitive susceptibility class (typically 100V HBM unless your parts are more sensitive).
The Technical Requirements section lists the elements your program must contain: training, packaging, EPA grounding, work-surface and floor materials, personnel grounding (wrist straps, footwear), and periodic compliance verification.
IEC 61340-5-1 is the international equivalent — substantially the same content, slightly different test methods, often called out together as "ANSI/ESD S20.20 / IEC 61340-5-1."
Packaging — what your supplier must provide
Surface resistance specification (Ω/sq) for every part — not just "ESD-safe." For each SKU you buy, ask for a specification sheet citing 10⁴-10⁶ Ω/sq (conductive) or 10⁶-10¹¹ Ω/sq (dissipative).
Test method on the COC — ANSI/ESD STM11.11 (surface resistance), STM4.1 (worksurface), or STM7.1 (floor mat). A COC that just says "ESD-safe" with no method or value is not audit-defensible.
Permanent dissipative materials, not topical anti-static. Pink anti-static poly and sprayed anti-static coatings lose effectiveness over time and below 30% RH — auditors flag these on sight.
Lot traceability — date code or batch number that links the COC to the parts in your stockroom.
Tyson Supply Chain ships permanent dissipative HDPE / PP containers, conductive PS trays, and conductive corrugated boxes with a COC citing STM11.11 method and measured resistance range on every production lot. Request the latest COC via /contact.
EPA setup checklist
EPA boundary defined and marked on the floor (yellow tape or floor signage).
Wrist strap stations at every workstation, daily-tested.
Grounded work surface (conductive or dissipative mat) bonded to common point ground.
ESD floor — either conductive flooring or dissipative floor mats — bonded to ground.
ESD footwear (heel straps or ESD shoes) for personnel.
Dissipative bins on grounded racks (see ESD bin shelf guide).
No insulators (regular plastic, cardboard, foam) within the EPA — including drink bottles, paperwork, smartphones unless contained.
Periodic compliance verification: walk-through audit at least quarterly, instrument-based verification of bins, mats, wrist straps at the cadence specified in your program plan.
What auditors look for
Document trail: ESD program plan, training records, periodic verification records, COCs for the last 12 months of packaging buys.
Surface resistance spot-checks: auditor brings a meter and measures random bins, mats, work surfaces. Anything outside spec is a non-conformance.
Personnel test: random workers asked to demonstrate wrist-strap test and daily ground bond.
Packaging traceability: pull a random part out of stock, find its COC, verify the COC matches the lot.
Most failures we see in audits: pink poly bags being used as "ESD packaging," ungrounded plastic shelving, missing COCs, and floor mats that have aged past 5 years and drifted out of spec.
How to switch a non-compliant program over
Inventory all current ESD packaging and bins. Surface-resistance test 3 spots on a random sample. Replace anything that reads insulative or has no COC.
Replace pink anti-static poly bags with permanent dissipative PE shielding bags (these have a metalized layer and a permanent dissipative outer layer).
Convert plain plastic shelf bins to dissipative ESD bins (see ESD bin shelf guide).
Ground the racks.
Document the change in your ESD program plan as a periodic-review update. Auditors do not penalize "we just upgraded" — they penalize "we never had a plan."