ANSI/ESD S20.20-2021 Transition Guidance for Clients
You may acquire a copy here.
It is NQA’s goal to maintain a straightforward transition approach that is easy for all of our clients to apply, along with the guidance and tools to make the transition from ANSI/ESD S20.20-2014 to ANSI/ESD S20.20-2021 as smooth as possible.
The current transition period is from June 1, 2022 through May 31, 2023. During that period both versions of the ANSI/ESD S20.20 standard remain valid and audits to either version of the standard may be conducted subject to the rules noted below, but plans should be made for an organization’s transition to fully occur prior to the transition period ending.
Download a copy of the full transition plan.
Detailed Transition Period
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June 1, 2022 - Transition period begins.
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May 31, 2023 - CB’s must cease conducting initial and recertification audits to ANSI/ESD S20.20-2014 certificates after this date. As such, all initial and recertification audits occurring after this date must be conducted against the 2021 revision.
NQA will continue to accept applications for ANSI/ESD S20.20-2014 only for organizations with plans for initial audits prior to that deadline, although preference will be for adoption of ANSI/ESD S20.20-2021. There is not expected to be any difference in quoted time or cost for organizations initially certifying to the new standard. -
May 31, 2024 - Any remaining transition audits should be completed by this date (allowing suitable time for corrective actions and certification issuance).
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June 1, 2024 - Transition period ends. Certificates for ANSI/ESD S20.20-2014 will no longer be valid.
ANSI/ESD S20.20-2021 Change Analysis
NQA considers ANSI/ESD S20.20-2021 to be a moderate change. The majority of requirements intents have been left intact with minor modifications for clarity. Certain referenced documents of the standard have been re-numbered or changed to agree with currently available reference information.-
Section 7.1 requires the areas that are part of the ESD control program to be identified.
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Section 7.2 training plan was slightly reworded.
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Section 7.3 content was expanded greatly.
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Section 7.4 provides more details than the previous version.
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Section 8.0 focuses on items that touch ESDS and testing of those items.
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Section 8.1 includes an additional paragraph allowing GFCI to preclude certain measurements.
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Section 8.2 now requires garments to be measured also to their ground point as well as sleeve to sleeve.
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Paragraph 8.3 now states for any control method selected, the required limits and test methods become mandatory.
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Section 8.3.2 limit change from 35 volts to +/- 35 volts. Also, any conductor that doesn’t contact an ESDS is considered an insulator.
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Section 8.4 changed to state single use packaging is subject to same requirements as reusable. The biggest change is a new paragraph stating if packaging material is used as a work surface, it must meet work surface requirements.
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Section 8.4.1 added to allow for Department of Defense requirements. Several changes to the ANNEX section were made. Finally, the list of terms and definitions has been modified.
NQA has developed the ANSI/ESD S20.20-2021 Transition Checklist in order to provide more detailed interpretation and guidance on the changes within the standard. We encourage organizations to use this checklist as a tool to facilitate and record the changes within their management system and to retain this document for review at their transition audit.
In order to ensure that clients are successful with their transition, NQA advises the following steps:
Preparing for Transition.
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Organizations must transition their ESD control program in accordance with the requirements to ANSI/ESD S20.20-2021 before their transition audit is conducted. This should include any documentation changes, along with evidence of any new or changed process requirements.
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Of note, organizations must conduct an internal audit of the new/changed requirements prior to the NQA transition audit being conducted.
Revised ANSI/ESD S20.20-2021 Certificates. As with any audit, non-conformances identified during a transition audit will require a corrective action to be submitted and approved. An updated ANSI/ESD S20.20-2021 certification will be issued following corrective action approval.
NQA ANSI/ESD S20.20-2021 Transition Checklist
The NQA ANSI/ESD S20.20-2021 Transition Checklist provides a simple framework for evaluating your management system against the requirements of ANSI/ESD S20.20-2021.Download and complete your Transition Checklist here.
NQA encourages organizations to use this checklist as a tool to facilitate and record the changes within their management system and to retain this document for review at their transition audit.