Lightning is a more serious hazard than it usually is, according to Tim Harger, director of the Lightning Protection Institute (LPI). In a recent Executive Exchange interview with Triple-I CEO Sean Kevelighan, Harger discussed the importance of planning and preventing damage from this threat, which is second only to flooding in terms of weather conditions.
People often think of fire damage when they think of lightning. But Harger said, “Beyond the fire is the damage to the electrical wiring and infrastructure that supports everything we do to communicate and do business.”
If the lighting touches any of these things, he said, “Events are stopped.”
Harger cited the story of an East Coast furniture maker that was involved.
He said: “That one lightning strike cost them more than a million dollars.” “Yes, there was also a fire that destroyed the building, but the one that affected the “inside” was very expensive. They lost property, production time, and lost money during the repair.”
Investing in a lightning protection system could have saved this business owner – and his insurance company – millions of dollars in losses and prevented business disruption. About $1 billion in lightning claims were paid in 2018 to about 78,000 policyholders, according to LPI.
“Lightning strikes about 100 times every second,” Harger said. “When properly installed, lightning protection systems are scientifically proven to reduce the risk of lightning strikes.”
A lightning protection system consists of six parts:
- A dispute resolution tool,
- conductors,
- to put down,
- High security,
- A possible equality, and
- Inspection.
Designers and engineers play an important role in the design and construction of these systems, and installation is completed by certified lightning protection contractors. When a well-placed lightning is controlled by a device that terminates the collision and the power is controlled by the conductors and enters the ground, preventing the impact of the structure or the electrical infrastructure.
“Businesses have already installed alarms and sprinkler systems to reduce the risk of fire,” Harger said. “Lightning protection systems prevent lightning strikes from damaging anything. Therefore using lightning protection measures can protect a person from injury and financial loss even from a single strike. “
Several insurers offer premium discounts to policyholders who invest in lightning protection products. LPI invites insurers who want to share customer incentives to contact them at lpi@lightning.org.