Any printed board may be subject to an ESD if it’s touched or comes close enough to people, packaging, cables, furry pets, or any other object that might contain an opposite charge, when they do touch, that voltage discharges and creates a comparatively massive voltage spike. As the voltage spike dissipates, the discharge current generates electromagnetic fields across the PCB. The goal of ESD protection is to minimize any impact or effects from the discharge and resulting EM.