I am slowly gathering my tools and equipment and putting a reloading area together off to the side INSIDE my garage, as I have no other place to do so. I'd like to learn the art of reloading both black powder and smokeless from a couple older & much more experienced friends who have different opinions regarding this subject . I have yet to do ANY reloading and am wondering about a potential safety issue regarding the handling of both black powder and smokeless . I have installed a new 10ft. long rubber backed industrial carpet runner on my floor in front of my wooden reloading bench . This " runner " is much like you'd find at the entry way in a tire or auto parts store . I did this to prevent the loss of, or my searching all over my garage floor for any items I might drop during the reloading process, such as brass, primers, shell holders, etc. I have been reading up on the reloading subject { via several reloading beginners books }, and have found very little advice or information regarding the issue of " static electricity dangers " in reloading . Is the use of this carpeted runner at my work area a good idea or do I need to re-think things and come up with something else ? Any other safety advice or suggestions for setting up a small scale reloading area would be appreciated ? I know to the majority of folks here this may be a pretty ignorant question, but I'll risk it because I just don't know . Thanks in advance  

Fyi the static electricty wouldn't be dangerous - but most certainly a pain you-know-where to your reloading activities, so better avoided.  But 1st check if you have a problem, as already stated.  No use correcting problems that don't exist...

This reminds me of the story of an old practical joke played out in the 30s. It seems that an electrician on a Hollywood sound-stage convinced an actor in the film being shot that to protect himself from all the static from the high voltage cable used for the lighting that he should walk around with a piece of wire tucked into his sock and dragging on the floor to "Ground" himself. pretty soon all the actors were coming to him asking to be wired up for safety. It drove the director nuts. Use some common sense. If you have a lot of static electricity rub your hands down with a dryer sheet. You'll be amazed at how well it works. Or I could wire your sock.

40 Rod

Yes, static can be dangerous - but not the kind of static you will generate while walking over a rubber carpet.   Some cures are worse - like using the ground connection from your electrical circuit, by all means DON'T !