NFPA Journal - Winter 2024 - 50
Codes + Tech
Lightning protection systems
and NFPA 780
By Corey Hannahs
R
oughly 6,000 times
per minute, or 8 million
times per day: that's
how often lightning can
strike anywhere on Earth,
according to the U.S. Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention.
Not every lightning strike impacts
human life. But for those that do, the
consequences can be devastating, especially
when we consider that we've
become a global society dependent
upon the continued functionality of
electronics for both our personal and
professional lives. In some cases, the
need for electronic systems to remain
continually functional may go even
deeper than personal or professional
needs, such as with the life-supporting
systems found in hospitals.
Because a lightning strike can turn
our lives upside down in a millisecond,
it is crucial to plan ahead and help
mitigate any potential hazards. The
introductory pages of nearly any NFPA
code or standard include the goal of
keeping people and property safe from
hazards, and NFPA 780, Standard for
the Installation of Lightning Protection
Systems, is no different.
NFPA first began utilizing
Specifications for Protection of Buildings
Against Lightning in 1904. The document
evolved over time, eventually
becoming NFPA 78, Lightning Protection
Code, and in the 1992 edition the numerical
designation was changed from 78 to
780. The 1995 edition saw a change to its
name that the NFPA Standards Council
believed would more accurately reflect
the document's content.
The purpose of NFPA 780 is to
provide for the safeguarding of persons
and property from hazards arising
from exposure to lightning. The scope
covers traditional lightning protection
systems installed on ordinary structures,
as well as on miscellaneous
structures and special occupancies,
structures housing explosive materials,
wind turbines, watercraft, airfield
lighting circuits, solar arrays, and
heavy-duty stacks. The scope also
covers structures containing flammable
50 | NFPA JOURNAL * WINTER 2024
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https://www.nfpa.org/en/codes-and-standards/nfpa-780-standard-development/780
https://www.nfpa.org/en/codes-and-standards/nfpa-780-standard-development/780
https://www.nfpa.org/en/codes-and-standards/nfpa-780-standard-development/780
NFPA Journal - Winter 2024
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of NFPA Journal - Winter 2024
Contents
NFPA Journal - Winter 2024 - Cover1
NFPA Journal - Winter 2024 - Cover2
NFPA Journal - Winter 2024 - 1
NFPA Journal - Winter 2024 - 2
NFPA Journal - Winter 2024 - 3
NFPA Journal - Winter 2024 - Contents
NFPA Journal - Winter 2024 - 5
NFPA Journal - Winter 2024 - 6
NFPA Journal - Winter 2024 - 7
NFPA Journal - Winter 2024 - 8
NFPA Journal - Winter 2024 - 9
NFPA Journal - Winter 2024 - 10
NFPA Journal - Winter 2024 - 11
NFPA Journal - Winter 2024 - 12
NFPA Journal - Winter 2024 - 13
NFPA Journal - Winter 2024 - 14
NFPA Journal - Winter 2024 - 15
NFPA Journal - Winter 2024 - 16
NFPA Journal - Winter 2024 - 17
NFPA Journal - Winter 2024 - 18
NFPA Journal - Winter 2024 - 19
NFPA Journal - Winter 2024 - 20
NFPA Journal - Winter 2024 - 21
NFPA Journal - Winter 2024 - 22
NFPA Journal - Winter 2024 - 23
NFPA Journal - Winter 2024 - 24
NFPA Journal - Winter 2024 - 25
NFPA Journal - Winter 2024 - 26
NFPA Journal - Winter 2024 - 27
NFPA Journal - Winter 2024 - 28
NFPA Journal - Winter 2024 - 29
NFPA Journal - Winter 2024 - 30
NFPA Journal - Winter 2024 - 31
NFPA Journal - Winter 2024 - 32
NFPA Journal - Winter 2024 - 33
NFPA Journal - Winter 2024 - 34
NFPA Journal - Winter 2024 - 35
NFPA Journal - Winter 2024 - 36
NFPA Journal - Winter 2024 - 37
NFPA Journal - Winter 2024 - 38
NFPA Journal - Winter 2024 - 39
NFPA Journal - Winter 2024 - 40
NFPA Journal - Winter 2024 - 41
NFPA Journal - Winter 2024 - 42
NFPA Journal - Winter 2024 - 43
NFPA Journal - Winter 2024 - 44
NFPA Journal - Winter 2024 - 45
NFPA Journal - Winter 2024 - 46
NFPA Journal - Winter 2024 - 47
NFPA Journal - Winter 2024 - 48
NFPA Journal - Winter 2024 - 49
NFPA Journal - Winter 2024 - 50
NFPA Journal - Winter 2024 - 51
NFPA Journal - Winter 2024 - 52
NFPA Journal - Winter 2024 - 53
NFPA Journal - Winter 2024 - 54
NFPA Journal - Winter 2024 - 55
NFPA Journal - Winter 2024 - 56
NFPA Journal - Winter 2024 - 57
NFPA Journal - Winter 2024 - 58
NFPA Journal - Winter 2024 - 59
NFPA Journal - Winter 2024 - 60
NFPA Journal - Winter 2024 - 61
NFPA Journal - Winter 2024 - 62
NFPA Journal - Winter 2024 - 63
NFPA Journal - Winter 2024 - 64
NFPA Journal - Winter 2024 - 65
NFPA Journal - Winter 2024 - 66
NFPA Journal - Winter 2024 - 67
NFPA Journal - Winter 2024 - 68
NFPA Journal - Winter 2024 - 69
NFPA Journal - Winter 2024 - 70
NFPA Journal - Winter 2024 - 71
NFPA Journal - Winter 2024 - 72
NFPA Journal - Winter 2024 - 73
NFPA Journal - Winter 2024 - 74
NFPA Journal - Winter 2024 - 75
NFPA Journal - Winter 2024 - 76
NFPA Journal - Winter 2024 - 77
NFPA Journal - Winter 2024 - 78
NFPA Journal - Winter 2024 - 79
NFPA Journal - Winter 2024 - 80
NFPA Journal - Winter 2024 - Cover3
NFPA Journal - Winter 2024 - Cover4
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