What causes phones to zap you?

Question

When talking on the phone and sometimes when answering it, it electrically zaps me. What causes this?

Answer 1

static electricity

Answer 2

Static discharge.

If you are on a switchboard and extensions are getting static zaps too, then it probably when someone else picks up an extension and they are the source of the static discharge... it is being discharged through all the interconnected common lines/cables.  So, different people carrying static can be the cause of discharge at different times, depending when they pick-up or touch the phones...

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Static is very high voltage.... thousands of volts, so I suppose if the discharge is repeatedly zapping you, then yes it is possible to cause redness.

Static is so bad in my home that I have to ground (to AC ground) my PC and all periferals.  I also have had to resort to putting aluminum foil on my desktop and have it well grounded to prevent me from discharging into my equipment thus damaging it.  I damaged my headset due to static discharge.  But now that I have everything well grounded and I touch the grounded aluminum foil before touching my PC or keyboard, I don't have any problems with causing damage due to static discharge to my equipment.

Look into grounding your switching system chassis or cabinets, or improving the gounding of any cable shielding of the phone cables, if using any shielded cables.

It is also possible to get static discharge mats, that when properly grounded, will discharge built-up static from your work station(s).

Just be sure the issue is "zapping" due to static, versus some possibility of some other high voltage having been shorted to your system putting continuous high voltage on your system.  Either way, this is where good grounding is important.  Properly grounded equipment is also a safety precaution.