NFPA Journal - Winter 2024 - 53

SELECTIONS FROM THE NFPA BLOGS ON
CODES, STANDARDS, AND COMPLIANCE
NFPA.ORG/BLOGS
vapors, flammable gases, or liquids that
can give off flammable vapors.
Chapter 1 of NFPA 780 covers the
aforementioned items but also addresses
several other areas that are worth
discussing, including listing and labeling
requirements, retroactivity, and execution
of work, as well as maintenance and
periodic inspections.
As we look closer at these details, it's
important to keep in mind that what we
are working toward is installing a fully
functional lightning protection system
that will effectively intercept energy
from the lightning and prevent it from
causing significant damage to the
structure and its contents by providing
a safe path for it to travel to ground.
Because of this, it is important to utilize
lightning conductors, air terminals,
and other components that are listed or
labeled for the purpose. When listed or
labeled components are available and
utilized, the installation should be performed
in accordance with any specific
instructions that are provided with the
listing or labeling.
For those familiar with electrical
installations, " retroactivity " is a term
within NFPA 780 that is typically not
seen in other NFPA standards that are
electrical in nature, such as NFPA 70®
(NEC®
,
National Electrical Code®
70E®
Workplace®
), NFPA
, Standard for Electrical Safety in the
, and NFPA 70B, Standard for
Electrical Equipment Maintenance. Retroactivity
is not mentioned in the current
edition of any of those documents.
Within NFPA 780, retroactivity is
centered around the baseline intent
of providing an acceptable degree of
protection from known hazards at the
time the standard was issued. In general,
unless specifically stated that the
requirement is retroactive within NFPA
780, any facilities, equipment, structures,
or installations that existed or were
approved for construction or installation
prior to the effective date of the standard
are not permitted to have requirements
enforced retroactively. The only exception
is that NFPA 780 provides latitude to
the authority having jurisdiction (AHJ)
to enforce any appropriate requirements
retroactively if the AHJ determines that
the existing situation provides an unacceptable
degree of risk.
Aligning with similar requirements in
the NEC, NFPA 780 requires that all lightning
protection system installations are
done in a neat and workmanlike manner.
Clean installations and details matter
when it comes to lightning protection
system installations; for example, conductor
bends can be no less than 90 degrees
with an 8-inch minimum bending radius.
Those who perform lightning protection
system installations are required to have
the skills needed, often through proven
experience and certifications, as accepted
by the AHJ. Without the proper knowledge
to perform a correct installation, the
work that is being done can be counterproductive
to safely dissipating lightning
strikes to ground.
It is also crucial to ensure that lightning
protection systems are properly
maintained, and NFPA 780 requires
installers to provide recommended
guidelines for maintenance to the owner
upon the completion of the installation.
The standard also requires that periodic
inspections are performed as determined
by the AHJ.
One real-world example was an HVAC
unit atop a hospital in Phoenix that was
struck by lightning. The lightning protection
system did its job as designed, but
a casualty was the connection between
the air terminal mounted on the HVAC
ductwork and the conductor that
connected it to the lightning protection
system. Performing the required periodic
inspections on this system means that
technicians would identify and repair
this now-broken part of the lightning
protection system.
Having a basic understanding of NFPA
780, including its scope, purpose, and
general installation requirements, helps
to paint a clear picture of its usefulness
in mitigating risks that are tied to lighting
strikes. While there is only a small
chance that a building would be struck by
lightning, despite the millions of strikes
worldwide each day, those chances can
increase based on the conductive nature
of the building's construction, the conductive
equipment on the roof, and the overall
height of the building, to name just a few
factors. Yet the one time a lightning strike
does happen, it can have a significant
impact on the operations of a business
and the safety of its electronic contents.
Determining a way to implement a lightning
protection system in accordance
with NFPA 780 is a great way to alleviate
the continual burden of being concerned
about what could happen and what would
need to be done if lightning strikes.
NFPA 780 is available for purchase in
print format, as well as in digital format
for NFPA LiNK®
subscribers. For more
information, please visit nfpa.org/780 or
nfpa.org/LiNK.
COREY HANNAHS is a senior electrical content
specialist at NFPA.
LNG vs. LPG: Emergency
response guidance
By Victoria Hutchison
A
few years ago, many
energy experts believed
the United States would
no longer be a major fossil
fuel producer. However,
this changed following an executive order
from former President Donald Trump
allowing the transport of liquefied natural
gas (LNG) by rail. In 2018, the U.S.
transitioned from a net importer to one
of the world's largest LNG exporters,
driving the need to transport LNG from
production to export facilities. Largescale
rail transport was proposed as a key
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NFPA Journal - Winter 2024

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