Electrical

Lightning

Lightning is a natural hazard that can cause the same injuries as a power generated electricity:

• Burns
• Physical injury from falls or muscle damage.
• Nervous system alterations, including fibrillation, when the heart twitches, cutting off blood flow to the body.

There are four ways in which lightning can strike a human being:

• Direct strike - when the electrical charge hits the victim first. Metallic objects in contact with the skin may concentrate the lightning, resulting in more serious injuries.
• Splash - current that jumps from nearby objects that have been struck. This type of strike occurs when lightning is attracted to an object of lower resistance over the object initially struck, which has more resistance, thereby striking the victim on its way to ground.
• Ground strike - earth near victim is stuck causing a difference of potential in the ground.
• Electromagnetic Pulse (EMP) - emanates from close strikes generally during positive lightning discharges.

Although commonly associated with thunderstorms, lightning can strike up to 10 miles away from a cloud, making lightning hard to predict. There are, however, several different types of devices that can help prevent lightning damage and safely redirect lightning strikes. One such device is the lightning rod, a metal strip generally made of copper, used to protect tall, isolated structures from lightning damage.