Firstly doesn’t try to second guess what the assessor is thinking about: ask him directly what his is talking about and get him  to explain it. I suspect it is “a flight of fancy”. Lighting is such a powerful force of nature, it will largely go where it wants and there is very little you can do to shield something from it apart from creating Faraday’s cage around the cylinders.

What is the chance of the place being hit by lightning as compared to a major fire breaking out which could also damage the cylinders?  Or someone reversing into the cylinders and damaging them that way?  

"There is approx. 50mm of lightning conductor exposed between coming out of the wall and into the ground and appears to be shielded by a thick layer / coating of plastic."

Are you sure this is a lightning conductor? They usually come down at or very near corners.

Thanks for the replies and Links (bedtime reading). Yes, the assessor feels that if there was a lightning strike it could damage the bottles. Though I have noted a glaring error in his report (or should I say another glaring error). He is referring to acetylene bottles in his report, which is another cage approx. 3m away as it should be. The conductor is in the oxygen cage I have photos and they are not acetylene (colour gives it away)

Yes, it is a lightning conductor as I have checked the installation drawings, and it is a 25mm x 3mm PVC sheathed copper conductor. It does not appear to be constructed as per the drawing I have as it shows it exiting the wall 500mm below ground level. I will visit the site later in the week and check what’s what myself.

The plot thickens, but the question remains the same.

Thanks, all

I agree, this assessor appears to be overly cautious 

Is this area a shared/common area with other uses of the premises? I am asking as you say the FRA was being conducted (excuse the pun) by the Landlord's assessor. he should just stick to common areas

If a muliti occupied premises, you will also have to cmplete a FRA for your demise and any common areas your staff may resort to. So what does your FRA say?

The report was commissioned through the landlord for both our needs and his. So, no communal areas as such, but a single report covering our activities and his building. It was a deal done by our MD. I don’t have any contact details for this person, as it was all done via the landlord. According to the report he has GIFireE and has been on a specialist 12-week course (I didn’t think any of these courses were that long)

The wording from the report is:

The external acetylene storage cage has the lightning conductor within it. It is recommended this cage is moved so the acetylene cylinder is clear of the lightning earthling strap in the event of a lightning strike damaging this cylinder.

We go on and on about knowing your limitations and bringing in experts, but this is not the first or even second FRA company we have used who’s reports leave a lot to be desired. Endless pages of generic waffle, and they seem to either just throw hand grenades which you have to resolve yourself (the non-expert) or they make daft suggestions.

He would have seen quite clearly we had nowhere else to put the cage and maintain distance from the acetylene bottles, but I guess that is not his problem.

Forgot to note previously that we do have lightning conductors on each corner of the building, but due to its size there is also one in the middle of each wall (or at least that is what the plan states - will check tomorrow)

I think I will be signing this off on the bases of the statistical likelihood of this being a problem (including the likely hood of someone being in the area, which is unlikely, I think some of the links above covered this) and the assessor being in error as the cage does not contain flammable gas bottles. I will try and contact him direct and ask where he gets his info from, but I suspect it is just his opinion. You don’t hear of people and other things getting zapped due to their proximity to a buildings lightning conductor. 

Thanks for everyone’s input

Thanks, Firesafety101 and all other responders, sometimes its good to discuss.

To clarify, his report said cage with Acetylene bottles in it, but in truth they are Oxygen bottles. So, his report was in error. We do have an acetylene cage, but it is 3m away and no lightning conductor in it.

He had been in the fire brigade for quite a few years previously, and I note from other threads over the years that does not necessarily make him either a good or bad assessor.

The report was Emailed through from our landlord, so no chance to question.

I have googled him and found an email address. I have just sent an email asking for background information of this situation and clarifying the Acetylene / oxygen mix up in his report.

Now I wait!