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News Release from: ATLAS
Edited by the Buildingtalk Editorial
Team on 16 November 2007
Striking new lightning protection
Seminars for ATLAS members designed to make the transition to the new standard as easy as possible.
The arrival of the new British Standard for Lightning Protection has dominated the media in recent months as the magnitude of its impact has dawned on the whole of the construction industry The sheer size of the new document; five times the size of its predecessor, with dramatic changes to both the approach and amplification of its risk assessment, has sent many specialist contractors reeling
This article was originally published on Buildingtalk on 21 Mar 2007 at 8.00am (UK)
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ATLAS - Association of Technical Lightning and Access Specialists has a long established reputation for leading the industry by example.
Once again we have been the first to establish a unique set of BS EN 62305:2006 introductory workshops for our 60-strong membership in the UK.
These were exclusive to ATLAS members and designed to make the transition to the new standard as easy as possible.
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John Sherlock, Chairman of the ATLAS Lightning Conductor Technical Committee has been representing the UK at IEC and CENELEC level for over a decade.
He is also a member of the BSI Technical Committee that has produced the new BS EN 62305, which itself has taken over 20 years to develop.
We spoke to John and some of the workshop attendees to find out what this new standard is all about and just why it is going to change the way we build in this country forever! What kinds of structures require protection against lightning?.
Just about every kind of structure you can conceive now needs to be assessed for lightning protection using this new standard.
Essentially, this is the biggest fundamental change in our industry for 25 years because it affects all building construction; that could be anything from a large power station to a small telephone exchange.
Granted, the scope does not include some specialist construction, such as off shore plants or transmission lines but nevertheless it remains a truly comprehensive document covering most forms of construction.
What must be done to protect a structure from lightning?.
The biggest challenge operatives now face is the practical application of the new lightning risk assessment which has gone from a 9 page guidance (including illustrations) in the old BS6651 standard to a 153 page document in the new BS EN 62305 standard.
This is because the new risk assessment requires considerable additional information to ensure the whole building is adequately protected, not only the structure but also the services, telecommunications and the power lines which supply it.
In this Internet age we now live in, this is vital.
Other considerations include the dimensions and use of the structure; the type and characteristics of the equipment used within it; the cabling and power lines used for electricity and telecoms; the location of the structure and its services in relation to other structures; the type of floor surfaces, concrete or asphalt; and finally fire protection.
With all this in mind we are essentially endeavouring to create a Faraday Cage.
In layman's terms, this involves draping conductors over a building so that in the event of a lightning strike (discharge) the lightning will hit these metal conductors which will then conduct the lightning safely to earth without damaging the structure, the contents, or the people inside.
This is what we are trying to achieve when providing lightning protection to a structure and the new BS EN 62305 standard provides an excellent framework to make this a reality.
How does the new BSEN 62305 Standard differ from the previous BS6651? Primarily, the current standard BS6651 only really deals with the protection of the physical structure.
The new BS EN 62305 standard is 475 pages and comprehensively deals with all aspects of a structure's protection: internal as well as external.
It consists of 4 parts which highlight the increased complexity of information covered in the new standard: * General Principles * Risk Management * Physical Damage to Structures and Life Hazard * Electrical and Electronic Systems within Structures The current BS6651 standard was originally written in 1985 by a UK technical committee, while the new BS EN 62305 standard has its origins in the IEC - International Electrotechnical Commission, based in Geneva.
It is the culmination of many years of successful collaboration by literally hundreds of lightning protection experts from 28 different countries.
With the ever-increasing dependency we now have on computers and other electronics, BS EN 62305 now recognizes the vital importance of providing proper protection for this sensitive equipment.
Part 4 is therefore devoted entirely to the necessary protection measures afforded to such equipment.
What impact will this have on the industry?.
The impact will be enormous; not least because the current standard BS6651 has been running since 1985 so although we, in the industry are all very familiar and comfortable with it, come August 2008 it will become obsolete.
Thereafter from September 2008 all clients, major contractors and employers will require designs to BS EN 62305.
That's why ATLAS have been running these special workshops; a) to ensure all their members fully understand and can implement the new standard; b) to maintain their superior image of being the industry leader by encouraging all members to obtain full accreditation at their earliest convenience.
Finally and most importantly, this new standard will affect the whole construction industry in that lightning protection specialists will now need to be involved much earlier in the design phase of any construction project.
This is because the required information to complete an accurate risk assessment is now much more comprehensive and time consuming.
In fact, the new requirements are sufficiently complicated that specialist companies, such as my own, have written proprietary software to enable estimators/designers to achieve their results very quickly in order to compile their quotations accurately and promptly for their clients.
What happens at these special ATLAS BSEN 62305 Lightning Protection Training workshops?.
ATLAS' one and two day workshops are designed to disseminate the key information within BS EN 62305 in a user-friendly and understandable way with direct relevance to its practical application.
They employ a good balance of manageable theory and on site examples, using scenarios the operatives are likely to face on a daily basis.
The first series of ATLAS workshops covered Parts 1 and 2 of BS EN 62305 (General Principles and Risk Management).
The second series of two day workshops are devoted to Part 3 of the standard (Physical Damage to Structures and Life Hazard - Practical Implementation), designed to bring the attendees one step closer to full accreditation.
These new workshops highlighted the subtle and in some instances quite severe changes to the current standard and set out the new areas in a practical manner.
Without them I cannot see how any company will be able to digest, let alone apply the new 475 page standard.
Not unsurprisingly, because you cannot get this training anywhere else in the UK, ATLAS is expecting a record number of new membership applications.
What response have you had from those who have attended the ATLAS workshops? .
The response has been quite frankly overwhelming with 110 attendees for the first series alone.
We have clearly struck a chord with our members who understand both the significance and the impact of the new BS EN 62305 standard.
They see this as their opportunity to cement their professionalism and to differentiate themselves from their competitors, both at home and abroad.
What is the next step in implementing the new standard?.
The new BS EN 62305 will run in parallel with the current BS6651 until 31 August 2008.
During this transition period ATLAS will continue to educate and prepare its members so that they are fully aware of all aspects of the standard.
I firmly believe the media has an important role to play in highlighting these fundamental changes for the benefit of the construction industry as a whole.
I would also encourage any non ATLAS member companies to seek out guidance now.
This will not be easy, which is why joining ATLAS has become such a compelling and cost-efficient option.
What happens in Part Four?.
Part Four of the new standard covers: Electrical and Electronic Systems within Structures.
It is a crucial new element as it deals with protection of the electronic equipment within the building itself.
This new internal zone has been identified as a critical area considering the vast amount of electronic equipment we now use in our everyday lives compared to 25 years ago.
Consider the havoc that a lightning strike, which does not even have to hit the building directly could cause.
In theory it could strike up to 2km away but because of the power lines and cables feeding the building, a main server in your business building could be destroyed.
This could result in data loss and or corruption, hard drive crashes and even complete system failure, with a loss of business for days, weeks, or maybe even months.
The new BS EN 62305 now provides lightning protection guidance for electronic equipment through a series of surge protection devices, which would be installed on main and sub distribution boards inside the building.
If lightning current enters the building the energy will be absorbed by these surge protection devices so ensuring the survival of the electronic equipment.
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