For buildings containing highly flammable liquid or gas, it is important to guard them from lightning. However, handling lightning protection equipment is not a child’s play. A single mistake can cause serious hazards to the structure and the persons working near to it. Depending on the type of building to which the lightening protection equipment have been integrated, there are different handling methodologies. Let us understand what the methodologies are.

Building with explosive dust or flammable vapour risk

For such type of building, it is recommended to add an integrally mounted lightening protection system. It should have vertical air terminals and horizontal air terminals. Depending on the type of storage inside the building the height of the vertical terminals must be set at minimum 1.5 metre whereas the horizontal air terminals must be spaced 3 to 7.5 metre from each other.

Explosive storage building and explosive workshops

Here, it is required to add integrally mounted systems. The vertical and horizontal spacing in this case should be 0.3m high and 7.5m spaced respectively.

Small explosive storage buildings

Buildings of such type are very less to get hit by lightning. The integral mounted systems are not necessary over here. Only a vertical pole type lightning protection scheme can work wonders.

Storage of explosives in buildings

There are some buildings that contain explosives such as Nitroglycerine (NG). These structures need suspended horizontal air terminations as integrally mounted systems and vertical pole types will not be able to provide the desired protection. These suspended horizontal air terminations should be placed at a minimum height of 2m above the structure. About the internal spacing, it should be minimum 3m between the terminations.