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Mr Curious  
#1 Posted : 31 May 2023 08:41:09(UTC)
Rank: Forum user
Mr Curious

2 of our facilities have earthing rods installed around them and we have another one with no lightning protection at all. I realised that we don't do annual lightning protection inspections and I know that lightning protection is not a legal requirement. We handle and store powders as our main ingredients are flours. Our recent DSEAR assessment identifies lightning protection as a low risk. Out of curiosity and as the cost to the condition report was low, I asked for an inspection through one of our regular contractors. He came back with a bill of 3k £ for only one of our sites and a quote to install lightning protection to the facility that hasn't one. Our BCP covers natural disasters but lightning is not listed. So my questions are:

1) Since we have lightning protection installed at two of our facilities, I'd expect to have a maintenance contract in place. Does it make it a requirement if this is in place or is it up to the business to make it redundant? I have to note here that insurers never brought that up.

2) Should we look to install lightning protection to the facility that doesn't have one?

3) Is there a discussion to be held with insurers? If we ask the question, I already know their answer. If it doesn't affect the premium, I also know the business' answer. I know where I stand and the cost is not that big. 

My approach would be to maintain anually the 2 systems already intalled and not install one at our 3rd site. 

Your thoughts? 

Thank youin advance

achrn  
#2 Posted : 31 May 2023 14:25:04(UTC)
Rank: Super forum user
achrn

I'm not a lightning expert but I can tell you what we have:

At the only building we own we did not have lightning protection, then we let a mobile phone company put aerials on our roof and they installed lightning protection, then the council decided they didn't have permission for the aerials and the phone company took the aerials away but left the lightning protection.

The insurer never mentioned lightning protection but then once we had it insisted it needed to be inspected and maintained.

We do have it inspected and tested on an annual cycle, by the company that installed it.  We pay about £300 for the annual inspection, but that doesn't include any rectifying of defects.

It's quite an interesting 'active' system actually - it's not just a conducting spike sticking up in the air, it actively promotes a discharge at that point by inducing a high opposite charge at the conductor tip in the event of lightning charge building in the vicinity. 

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