The invention is a grounding device that grounds the wearer when the wearer is in a designated area and automatically disengages when the wearer leaves the designated area. In more detail, the grounding device includes a wristband that is electrically coupled to a grounded object with a fastening mechanism, wherein the fastening mechanism automatically releases to separate the wristband from the grounded object if the wristband is outside of the designated area. Where the fastening mechanism includes a coupling mechanism (e.g., a wire), there may be a rotating device that retracts the coupling mechanism after the fastening mechanism is released. The device may be enhanced with a grounding device monitoring unit that monitors whether the grounding device is in use and a sensor that detects whether the operator is in the designated area, so that an alarm is triggered if the operator is in the designated area and the grounding device is not in use.