Is Lightning Protection A Legal Requirement For Businesses?

According to a leading risk control publication, RC35 ‘Protection of buildings against lightning strikes’, it is not a legal requirement for all buildings and structures to have lightning protection.

However, the Electricity at Work Regulations 1989 do apply to most businesses. This means that adherence to BS EN/IEC 62305 for the installation of lightning protection systems is compulsory.

You should choose accredited and qualified electrical engineers to complete the installation.

When choosing whether to invest in lightning protection, it’s not just a matter of whether it’s a legal requirement. There are other considerations. This includes potential damage to your electrical devices and infrastructure, and improved risk assessment management.

Do I Need A Lightning Protection System?

Lightning strikes the ground in Britain about 300,000 times a year. While only lasting for a few microseconds, lightning causes a dangerous voltage surge that can destroy your electronic devices.

A typical lightning flash is about 300 million volts and about 30,000 amps. In comparison, small-medium commercial building currents are supplied with around 415 volts three-phase.
Electrical disturbances could result in data corruption, data loss and physical damage to the hardware.

Surge protection devices can help prevent or minimise the risk of damage to your electronic equipment from lightning.

With most businesses relying on electronic equipment for essential building functions and operations, it’s important to avoid downtime.

It is essential that procedures are set up to determine the probability and impact of such disturbances. Getting a professional electrical inspection with a list of recommendations can help to limit the exposure of electronic equipment. Taller and isolated buildings are most at risk, but lightning is unpredictable and could strike any property.

Recommendations include:

• Electrical isolation of equipment, for example, optical fibre
• Use of light duty circuit breakers at each appliance

To find out more about our electrical inspections or lightning protection, contact us. Book your risk assessment with Remark Group today. We are fully accredited electrical engineers that are qualified to work on industrial and commercial buildings.