Lightning and Outdoor Work

As the year turned, Indonesia's Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) issued an early warning of moderate to heavy rain for 31 December 2023 to 6 January 2024, urging people to watch for whirlwinds, hail, and heavy rain with lightning. By the second ten-day period of December 2023, 52 percent of Indonesia's season zones had entered the rainy season, and the peak on Java was expected between January and March 2024 (InfoPublik, 2023).

For workplaces, the season raises a question that is often only half answered: are workers protected from lightning once the building has a lightning conductor? This review summarises what is known from fatality data, occupational guidance, and national regulation.

Who Gets Struck

Lightning fatality data from the United States give a picture rarely available elsewhere. Between 1995 and 2000 there were 374 deaths, an average of 0.23 per million people per year. Between 1995 and 2002, 129 deaths were work-related, or 0.12 per million workers per year, with agriculture (44 deaths) and construction (39 deaths) contributing the most. One in four lightning deaths in that period happened at work (Adekoya & Nolte, 2005).

Joint guidance from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration [OSHA] & National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration [NOAA] (2016) lists the most exposed activities, including logging, explosives handling, heavy equipment operation, roofing and scaffolding work, power utility field repair, steel erection and telecommunications towers, farming, and airport ground operations. It also warns that lightning can strike outside the heaviest rain, even up to about 10 miles (about 16 km) away from any rainfall.

Differences Between Countries

A synthesis of 23 national studies found a major gap between the low lightning death rates of developed countries and the much higher rates of developing countries. Large declines in Australia, Canada, Japan, and western Europe coincided with a shift from mainly rural agricultural societies to urban ones (Holle, 2016). This fits the US data: the greatest risk lies with work done in the open, not with people inside buildings.

The evidence gap is equally clear. Holle (2016) notes that national lightning fatality data are hard to locate because they appear in obscure sources. We found no Indonesian national data separating work-related lightning deaths, so the size of the problem here cannot yet be expressed in numbers.

What the Regulation Says

Minister of Manpower Regulation No. PER.02/MEN/1989 on the Supervision of Lightning Protection Installations, as amended by Minister of Manpower Regulation No. 31 of 2015 (Menteri Ketenagakerjaan, 2015), requires installations to be planned, built, installed, and maintained in line with the regulation or a recognised standard (Article 2). Workplaces that need an installation include tall structures such as towers, chimneys, and silos, buildings that store explosive or flammable materials, public buildings, and open areas such as plantations and stadiums (Article 9). Installations must be inspected and tested before handover, after modification, periodically every two years, and after damage from a strike (Article 50(2)), by labour inspectors, safety experts, or appointed inspection bodies (Article 51) (Menteri Tenaga Kerja, 1989).

The Gap on Site

Reading both strands of evidence together, we see an imbalance. Compliance at many companies ends with the inspection certificate for the lightning conductor, while the data show that most victims work far from protected buildings. The regulation itself defines the zone of protection as an area of a certain radius (Menteri Tenaga Kerja, 1989), so workers in plantations, open construction areas, or distribution networks are not automatically covered. US data cannot simply be transferred to Indonesia, whose climate and workforce differ, but the pattern of agriculture and construction carrying the most risk is plausible for the same kinds of work here.

Steps This Season

• Include lightning in the written emergency action plan, naming who watches the weather and who has the authority to stop work (OSHA & NOAA, 2016).
• Use a simple rule: once thunder is heard, workers move to a safe place, and work resumes only at least 30 minutes after the last thunder (OSHA & NOAA, 2016).
• Designate shelter for every open work area, either an enclosed building or a hard-topped metal vehicle with the windows closed, and do not start tasks that cannot be stopped quickly as storms approach (OSHA & NOAA, 2016).
• Check BMKG forecasts and early warnings daily through the peak of the rainy season (InfoPublik, 2023).
• Schedule lightning conductor inspections as Article 50 requires, including an extra check after any damaging strike (Menteri Tenaga Kerja, 1989).

How Nusa Safety Helps

Nusa Safety helps companies assess earthing and electrical installations through its electrical system assessment, and coordinates statutory equipment inspection with licensed PJK3 partners. On the procedural side, the Nusa Safety team can build lightning scenarios into emergency preparedness drills for field crews. Nusa Safety issues internal training certificates only and is not a PJK3.

This article is general information and not legal or professional advice for any specific case.

References

1. Adekoya, N., & Nolte, K. B. (2005). Struck-by-lightning deaths in the United States. Journal of Environmental Health, 67(9), 45-50. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15957322/
2. Holle, R. L. (2016). A summary of recent national-scale lightning fatality studies. Weather, Climate, and Society, 8(1), 35-42. https://doi.org/10.1175/WCAS-D-15-0032.1
3. InfoPublik. (2023, December 31). BMKG imbau waspadai cuaca buruk malam pergantian tahun 2023/24 [BMKG urges vigilance for bad weather on New Year's Eve 2023/24]. https://infopublik.id/kategori/nataru/812875/bmkg-imbau-waspadai-cuaca-buruk-malam-pergantian-tahun-202324
4. Menteri Ketenagakerjaan Republik Indonesia. (2015). Peraturan Menteri Ketenagakerjaan Nomor 31 Tahun 2015 tentang Perubahan atas Peraturan Menteri Tenaga Kerja Nomor PER.02/MEN/1989 tentang Pengawasan Instalasi Penyalur Petir [Amendment to the regulation on the supervision of lightning protection installations]. https://jdih.kemnaker.go.id/peraturan/detail/1154/peraturan-menteri-nomor-31-tahun-2015
5. Menteri Tenaga Kerja Republik Indonesia. (1989). Peraturan Menteri Tenaga Kerja Nomor PER.02/MEN/1989 tentang Pengawasan Instalasi Penyalur Petir [Regulation on the supervision of lightning protection installations]. https://jdih.kemnaker.go.id/peraturan/detail/1241/peraturan-menteri-tenaga-kerja-nomor-2-tahun-1989
6. Occupational Safety and Health Administration, & National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. (2016). Lightning safety when working outdoors (Fact Sheet OSHA FS-3863). https://www.weather.gov/media/owlie/OSHA_FS-3863_Lightning_Safety_05-2016.pdf