Looking for good anti-static ideas for buffers.

With low humidity I have been getting a lot of static electricity shocks from my Baldor buffer. Yesterday I spent a better part of the day in front of the buffer. It happens often enough to be very annoying. I checked the plug, and it is wired properly.

I do not have the problem with my belt sanders, where I stand on cement floor. I do have a thick rubber fatigue mat in front of the buffer.

A bit of Google search revealed it is a common problem with belt sanders and buffers. Here is a post from Blade Forum.
“A search on the topic will reveal a lot of old threads on this.

When you grind, the grinder,blade, and you become a Van de Graaff generator. You end up being the reservoir for the charge because you are the most ungrounded object. When your hand gets close to the grinder ( or any earth grounded object), the charge neutralizes with a mini lightning bolt. As the weather gets colder and/or dryer, this becomes more of a problem.”

Many solutions are offered from wearing leather soled shoes to ground wires. An alligator clipped fan pull chain seems to be the easiest and most practical solution so far and will pick one up in my travels later today.

Anybody got any other simple solutions.