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Why is Lightning Protection Risk Analysis Done and Should We Install Lightning Rods on Every Building? This post is about EN 62305 Protection against lightning and EN 62305-Part 2 Risk management and is written on the free paper in Kocaeli. A fire broke out in the warehouse of a cardboard factory in Ba\u015fskele district of Kocaeli after it was struck by lightning. While fire crews extinguished the fire, significant material damage occurred in the factory's warehouse. After this damage, issues related to lightning protection came to the forefront again. The best resource we have regarding lightning protection is the internationally accepted standard, published in Turkish as TS EN 62305. The introduction to this standard states: There are no devices or methods capable of altering natural weather conditions to the extent that they prevent lightning discharges. Lightning strikes on or near buildings (or service installations connected to buildings) are dangerous to people, buildings, their contents, and service installations. The need for protection, the economic benefits of implementing protective measures, and the selection of adequate protective measures should be determined according to risk management procedures. Risk management is the subject of IEC 62305-2. Furthermore, the 62305-2 standard states: The effectiveness of protective measures stems from the characteristics of the protective measure itself and can reduce the probability of damage or the amount of indirect damage. If it is desired that there are no unavoidable risks, the decision to implement lightning protection measures can be made regardless of the outcome of the risk assessment. Therefore, instead of simply saying "let's install lightning rods on every building," a Lightning Protection Risk Analysis should be conducted for each building, and if internal or external lightning protection is needed, these devices should be installed accordingly. Since this risk analysis also evaluates the condition of the building in relation to surrounding buildings, the coverage area of the external lightning protection installation, if any, should be calculated after the risk analysis. Secondly, if we say "let's install lightning rods on every building," we may not be able to protect the buildings where lightning rods are installed, and we would not be considering the possibility that improperly installed external lightning protection could damage the building. Furthermore, installing unnecessary lightning rods could mean a waste of resources. A detailed draft regulation on this matter can be found in the General Technical Specifications for Electrical Installations published by EMO (Turkish Chamber of Electrical Engineers). This draft has been pending at the Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources for 13 years. For those wishing to review it, see page 478 onwards: http:\/\/www.emo.org.tr\/ekler\/006a8909e4d22df_ek.pdf Emre Metin, Electrical Engineer<\/pre>\n
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