Ongoing developments
The revised code says, “Liability for the safety of occupants from lightning has become an increasingly important factor owing to stricter safety practices enacted by provincial and federal agencies.” (§C.3)
More, design professionals and property owners have a moral and common law liability to protect the health, safety, and welfare of buildings and the public.
The need for lightning protection has grown due to increasing reliance on electronic controls to operate buildings and the quantity of sensitive electronic equipment housed within structures. Even if there is no structural damage from a lightning strike, the powerful surge induced by lightning can create costly damage to electronic circuits in unprotected facilities.
Finally, changes in the frequency and distribution of lightning strikes, has been driven home by a summer of lightning-spawned destruction. Firefighters from Québec were deployed in California to help contain so called “lightning complex fires” that had already destroyed an estimated 14,000 km² (5405 mi2) of wildlands by the time this manuscript was submitted. British Columbia recorded 1600 lightning strikes in a single weekend in August 2020. In Northwest Territories, researchers allege lightning-caused fires rose by two to five per cent a year for the last four decades. While claims like this are still subject to scientific debate, and data on the changing characteristics of strikes to buildings is being gathered and analyzed, it has become increasingly prudent to consider LPS as part of building and community resiliency.
The revised code represents the product of extensive scientific research, field experience, and codification. Much of the early work demonstrating the value of LPS was conducted in Canada. For example, Ontario’s Lightning Rod Act became effective in 1922 and subsequent studies proved properly designed and installed lightning protection systems were invaluable in preventing structural fires. With the new code, Canada once again moves to the forefront of the art and science of effective lightning protection.
Jennifer Morgan, CSI, is with East Coast Lightning Equipment, Inc. (ECLE), the leading North American producer of components for lightning protection systems. She is also an officer of the Lightning Safety Alliance. She can be reached through www.ecle.biz.
Michael Chusid, RA, FCSI, CDT, provides technical and marketing support for building material manufacturers and can be reached through www.chusid.com.
