Lightning Risk Assessment

Lightning Master will be pleased to perform an assessment of risk due to lightning at your facility.  We employ the methodology presented in National Fire Protection Association NFPA 780, Standard for the Installation of Lightning Protection Systems, Annex L, Lightning Risk Assessment.  This may be done as either a simple, quick look assessment, or as a more detailed assessment.

Among the factors considered are:

Absolute need for protection:

• Statutory – required by regulation or statute
• Regulatory  – sites where a local/municipal/regional code requires lighting protection
• Insurance – facilities that require lightning protection in order to secure insurance coverage

Operational Importance:

• high production sites
• sites at strategically important locations
• sites with important capabilities

Reliability considerations:

• sites with high down-time consequences
• sites with down time performance penalties

Other factors included:

• Type of structure or facility – use and contents
• Site lightning flash density

In addition to other more prosaic and normally considered risk factors, you may also want to consider the following:

• Problematic  – sites that have experienced a previous static or lightning event
• High Exposure – sites located in exposed locations such as hilltops or historically high-lightning locations
• High Consequence – sites located in environmentally sensitive locations or populated areas
• Accessibility – sites with limited or difficult access for remediation and repair (may be seasonal)
• High Visibility – facilities that are in a particularly sensitive area (urban or otherwise high-profile, say located adjacent to a hospital or TV station)
• High Investment –those sites with significant equipment investment, high value of stored product

This risk assessment may be used to assist the building owner, safety professional, or architect/engineer in determining the risk of damage or injury due to lightning.