When implementing safety measures in hazardous areas, there are many issues to consider for plant, process and personnel safety. Eliminating potential ignition sources is the starting point for this, both in terms of good engineering design and general operating procedures. However in any type of flammable atmosphere there may be hidden dangers lurking in the area, in the form of “isolated conductors”. These are conductive objects which are either inherently or accidentally insulated from earth, so as to prevent any static electricity generated from safely discharging, resulting in accumulation of charge on the object. These isolated conductors may be any from a large list of commonly used items, including metal flanges, fittings or valves in pipework systems; portable drums, containers or vessels; road tankers and IBC’s; and even people ! Isolated conductors are probably the most likely source of static ignition incidents in industry, ranging from small-scale fires through to major damage to plant and injury to personnel. In order to explain the extent of the danger and how it may be controlled, it is useful to look at the fundamentals of Static Electricity, and how it is manifested. In any industrial process where there is movement, the coming together and separation of materials will generate static. This could be liquid flowing through a pipe, powder dropping down a chute, or a person walking across a floor.