Over the past several years, SLS has worked with several prominent international mining companies to perform lightning risk assessments, per IEC-62305, to quantify lightning-related risk to personnel performing specific tasks at the mines. After realizing the productivity benefits stemming from prior risk assessment results, SLS was recently approached by a customer to execute a mine-wide lightning risk assessment for every facility and operation at the mining site. 

During the execution of this type of work, SLS performs thorough walk-downs and detailed analyses of the lightning-related risk for each structure/facility and the personnel performing tasks within or in the vicinity of the structure/facility. The end result is a list of detailed recommendations to the customer that will maximize work productivity while minimizing the lightning-related risk below the tolerable level of risk per IEC-62305. Frequently, the recommendations may involve changes/additions to existing lightning protection measures and/or modifications to operational procedures to allow certain work be safely performed during thunderstorms. When the recommendations are implemented, the customer minimizes their lightning-related downtime while maintaining or improving personnel safety.