Invite Closer Scrutiny

It is beyond reason that our industry still requires a definition. But, it does. The industry includes contractors nationwide, designing, manufacturing and installing lightning protection systems and grounding systems. 

There are emerging and long-debunked products, and even subscriber services, that promise lightning protection. This “junk” technology gives a false sense of security. Property owners using this “protection” remain exposed to avoidable liability and loss of productivity. 

With technology at the spine of almost every structure, voltage variations can “kill” a building’s Essential Digital Infrastructure (“EDI”). EDI encompasses data architecture, operations, life safety and “base,” or structure-dependent, technology. Costs for large-scale manufacturing’s loss of productivity due to data interruption alone can number in the millions of dollars per minute. 

This is one factor in the growing understanding of lightning protection and grounding as essential productivity systems, in addition to their life safety application. 

Third-party inspection and certification is one area Guardian President Phil Youtsey calls crucial for the industry’s evolution. “Every Guardian project is inspected and certified,” he says. “Inspection and certification will eventually be adopted as a standard. It should be.” 

Until then, owners should demand it. 

Guardian Lightning Protection regards the standard as a starting point and not necessarily the entirety of the protection opportunity. “We think beyond the specification to deliver systems as solutions that protect the structure and its essential technology infrastructure.”