Static Electricity Control (SEC) recommend that any workplace with lightning related issues or where lightning may be considered a hazard, that workplace conduct a lightning assessment and initiate a lightning control plan.

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Lightning Assessments and Lightning Control Plans should be conducted by a competent person - A person, who has acquired, through education, training, qualification or experience or a combination of these, the knowledge and skill enabling that person to perform the required task correctly

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Lightning Assessment:

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A lightning assessment is the survey of an environment, to determine whether a lightning hazard exists. A detailed lightning assessment shall be conducted whenever the potential for a lightning hazard is identified. The lightning assessment shall be available for all personnel and visitors before entering the site. 

The lightning assessment shall be accessible on-site in hard copy or electronic format. 

NOTE: A hard copy is recommended in situations where electronic copies are not easily accessible.
 

The challenge for a workplace that is not familiar with lightning is whether to engage the services of a competent person to conduct a lightning assessment. There are definitely workplaces where lightning is not likely to be an issue and workplaces where lightning is an obvious issue. However there are workplaces such as outdoor stadia, netball, cricket, football ovals where the increase in lightning reported incidents has significantly increased. In the past these workplaces/locations would have been considered unlikely to have lightning related issues.

 

Lightning Control Plan:

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A lightning control plan is a document that provides a detailed analysis of an identified lightning hazard (or hazards), with recommendations for lightning controls to reduce or remove the risks associated with the lightning hazard. A lightning control plan shall be created for all lightning hazards identified during the assessment.  The lightning control plan shall be available for all personnel and visitors before entering the site. The lightning control plan shall be accessible on-site in hard copy or electronic format. 

NOTE: A hard copy is recommended in situations where electronic copies are not easily accessible.

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Lightning Control Plans are detailed plans that include but are not limited to:   

(a)  scope statement or introduction;
(b)  a list of current lightning control equipment or measures, serialization, location and mapping 
(c)   incident reports
(d)  lightning measurements - strike counter
(e)  surface resistivity measurements
(f)  earthing and bonding tests

(g) strike mapping