Results of the first electrostatic proficiency testing program IEC 60079-0 versus IEC 60079-32-2 and necessary consequences

Although both standards use what is essentially the same test setup, there exist several differences between the test procedures, which may lead to different results. The analysis of the participants' results shows that factors such as the type of electrodes, the level of the measuring voltage, the precleaning procedure, the relative humidity and the definition of the threshold limits can have an influence on the outcome of the tests. In this work, the differences between both standards - IEC 60079-0 (2011) and IEC 60079-32-2 (2015) - and the issues associated with using two different procedures to reach the same goal are discussed and illustrated.