Lightning is a significant weather-related hazard that can cause property damage, downtime, and injuries. Although the likelihood of being struck by lightning is low, facilities are more likely to suffer damage from direct or indirect strikes. To better understand the gravity of this risk, it is crucial to learn about the types of lightning damage and implement safety measures in advance.
Physical damage
The most significant danger lightning poses to any structure is fire, as wood and other flammable building materials can easily ignite. Lightning can generate a current of about 30,000 amps and heat the air to 50,000 degrees Fahrenheit, causing serious damage to nearby buildings and equipment.
Lightning damage by electromagnetic effect
Lightning damage can also occur through electromagnetic effects, where the current generates an electric and magnetic field that can induce currents in nearby conductors, causing damage.
Ground reference potential
Lightning strikes can also affect the ground reference potential, causing an increase in earth potential and an overvoltage that can damage neighboring installations. Lightning is unpredictable and damaging. Due to its non-selective nature, lightning damage affects all areas. For this reason, it’s important to invest in a lightning protection system.
LEC’s core competency toward decreasing lightning damage
Investing in a lightning protection system is essential to mitigate the risks of lightning damage. LEC's core competencies for decreasing lightning damage include designing and implementing lightning protection solutions, performing surge protection analysis, installing appropriate devices, and providing annual maintenance programs, including testing, data collection, and timely reporting and recommendations.
LEC aims to provide comprehensive lightning safety solutions that focus on the industry's needs and exceed their expectations.