Lightning at Outdoor Events

Were increasingly interested in and worried by the risk of lightning at outdoor events.

On 26th June the weather forecasts showed possible electrical storm activity at a concert we were involved in near Stroud. A quick check of the contractors paperwork showed that the staging company had no risk assessment or procedures relating to lightning (in common with every other site contractor). A call to the staging company revealed their advice on the safety of personnel on stage during a thunderstorm was limited to its your call really.

The electrical storm passed nearby, but not close enough to cause immediate concern. It had however passed over nearby Glastonbury, where the same staging contractor had structures in place. 

And is the probability of lightning vanishingly small for any one particular outdoor event?

During July 09 fifteen people were injured by lightning during an outdoor event in Germany.

During July 09 the first day of the Virgin Festival in Canada was cancelled as severe electrical storms engulfed the site.

It seems pretty amazing that nowhere along the line have any contractors assessed the risks of lightning. That being the case, weve obviously started to assess these risks ourselves.

On first inspection, employees required to work outside during a thunderstorm are definitely at unacceptable risk - and a place of reguge needs to be provided.

People on stage are probably pretty safe. But that all depends on the earthing arrangements. And the earthing of a lot of outdoor stages is almost certainly not sufficient to count as lightning protection.This cant be taken for granted without proper assessmet by the responsible contractor.

The public left outside watching the show are probably exposed to the same level of risk a scuba-diver would suffer during a year - about 1 in 1000  deaths per year. Thats probably much greater than they are conciously accepting or is accpetable by convention.

That would mean that (like the Canadian V Festival) outdoor events should be closed down if significant electrical activity is forecast.

We've published a draft white paper containing our research. If you have any comments, or any relevant information or experience, we'd be grateful for your contribution towards the next draft.

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