What Are The Major Lighting Safety Tips At Home?
A few practical habits during a thunderstorm meaningfully lower your risk — most of them come down to staying away from anything that conducts electricity.
Lightning Is a Real Risk, Not Just a Loud Nuisance
Lightning kills about 20 people a year in the United States, according to the National Weather Service's long-term average, and injures many more who survive with lasting effects. Most of those incidents happen outdoors, but a surprising number happen inside homes that weren't set up with a few basic precautions in mind — the wiring, plumbing, and metal fixtures that make a house livable can also give a strike a path inside.
Stay Off Corded Phones and Plugged-In Electronics
Electricity from a strike can travel through a building's wiring, so avoid using corded phones, desktop computers, or other plugged-in devices during a storm. This applies to gaming consoles, wired video doorbells, and anything else drawing power from an outlet. Cordless and cell phones that aren't connected to a charging cable are fine to use.
Avoid Water
Lightning travels through plumbing just as easily as it travels through wiring, since metal pipes carry a current with almost no resistance. Hold off on washing dishes, taking a shower or bath, doing laundry, or anything else that puts you in contact with running water until the storm passes.
Keep Away from Metal, Windows, and Doors
Metal objects conduct electricity efficiently, so stay away from metal railings, appliances, fireplace equipment, and fixtures during a storm. Windows and doors carry similar risk — many are framed in metal, and a nearby strike can also shatter glass or send a current along the frame, so keep some distance from both and stay toward the interior of the house if possible.
Concrete Floors and Walls Aren't Automatically Safe
Concrete itself doesn't conduct electricity, but most poured concrete floors and walls contain metal rebar or wire mesh, which can carry a charge if the structure is struck. Avoid leaning against concrete walls or lying on concrete floors during a storm.
The Long-Term Fix
These precautions reduce risk during a storm, but a properly installed lightning protection system is what actually gives a strike a safe path away from your home. RS Lightning Protection installs these systems across Ohio, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, and West Virginia — call 1-866-415-2231 to get your home evaluated.