Lightning protection is protection measures against the harmful effects of lightning strikes.

A lightning protection installation consists of an external and internal lightning protection system along with a common earth-termination system to protect structures, buildings and your assets, a complete system for protection of structures against lightning, including their internal systems and contents, as well as persons, in general consisting of an LPS and SPM.

A lightning strike can have particularly serious consequences for buildings and structures due to their location, type of construction or the use for the building and structure, a school, for example, is a building where a lightning strike can have serious consequences.

Any grounded object that provides a path to earth will emit upwards ‘positive streamers’ or fingers of electrical charge.

These create a channel of plasma air for the huge downward currents of a lightning strike, the high voltage currents from a lightning strike will always take the path of least resistance to ground. A lightning protection system (LPS) can protect a structure from damage caused by being struck by lightning by providing a low-resistance path to ground for the lightning to follow and disperse.

An LPS does not attract lightning, and cannot dissipate lightning, it simply provides fire and structural damage protection by preventing lightning from passing through building materials themselves.

Buildings most at risk are those at high altitudes, on hilltops or hillsides, in isolated positions and tall towers and chimneys.