Electricity + Control January 2017

ROUND UP

EARTHING + LIGHTNING PROTECTION

Protecting children against lightning

remaining three schools. “It is the serious intention of both DEHN + SÖHNE and DEHN Africa to prevent similar tragedies to the one that occurred inWestern Uganda in 2011, where a number of chil- dren were seriously injured with others losing their lives during a thunderstorm. These projects present an ideal opportunity for us to give back to the communities in which we operate, helping to create a safer environment.” Enquiries: Kirk Risch.Tel. +27 (0) 11 704 1487 or email kirk.risch@dehn-africa.com

Ugandan summer thunderstorms are practically a daily occurrence. The most dangerous by-product of these frequent storms is the ap- proximately 70 lightning strikes per kilometre experienced within the country each year. Between 2012 and 2014, tragically more than 365 school children were killed due to lightning strikes. In light of this, African Centres for Lightning and Electromagnetics Network (ACLENet.org), a Pan-African Network of Centres dedicated to reducing lightning related deaths, injuries and property damage, put in place a project called “Lightning Kills! Save a Life Africa” aimed at providing lightning protection equipment (including lightning rods, down conductors and grounding) to help safeguard African schools from DEHN + SÖHNE subsidiary, DEHNAfrica initially conducted a risk assessment, followed by the customised design plan of a lightning protection system (LPS) for a school based in Runyanya, Uganda. The school, which has a total of 700 pupils, is the first in the region to have rolled out a comprehensive LPS. Within three days, DEHN Africa installed the external lightning protection system - including earthing systems, air-termination rods and down conductors - on each building within the school premises, including the chapel. Kirk Risch, sales and marketing director at DEHN Africa, says: “This is the first of four similar school projects to be rolled out by DEHNAfrica within the next fewweeks.We have already sponsored the shipping of the required products and have trained our partner in Uganda, UltraTecWorld. UltraTecWorld assisted with the instal- lation at Runyaya, and will complete the LPS installations at the