Lightning can pose a serious risk to outdoor events

Thunderstorms serve as an important reminder that lightning can pose a serious risk to outdoor events. While often overlooked, lightning strikes have the potential to cause severe injury, fatalities, significant disruption, and damage to infrastructure.

As part of event planning, organisers should ensure that robust lightning safety procedures are incorporated into their risk management and emergency response arrangements.

Key Questions to Consider

Has a specific lightning risk assessment been completed for the event?

Are reliable weather monitoring systems in place to track approaching thunderstorms and lightning activity?

Have safe shelter locations been identified and communicated to staff, contractors, and attendees?

Are clear trigger points established for suspending activities, evacuating areas, or implementing shelter-in-place procedures?

Have temporary structures, stages, towers, and elevated installations been assessed for lightning-related risks?

Have event staff, security personnel, and contractors been trained on lightning emergency procedures?

Are communication systems in place to quickly inform attendees of lightning-related safety instructions?

Lightning Safety Checklist

• Monitor weather forecasts and lightning detection services before and throughout the event.

• Establish a formal Lightning Safety Plan with clearly defined responsibilities and decision-making authority.

• Identify and communicate suitable lightning-safe shelters, such as substantial buildings or fully enclosed metal-roofed vehicles.

• Ensure attendees can be directed to safety quickly through public address systems, digital displays, event apps, and stewarding teams.

• Define operational thresholds for suspending performances, outdoor activities, work at height, and other exposed activities.

• Review evacuation routes and shelter capacities to ensure they can accommodate expected attendance levels.

• Suspend work on stages, scaffolding, towers, temporary structures, and elevated platforms when lightning risks are identified.

• Ensure contractors and event staff understand when activities must stop and where to seek shelter.

• Maintain continuous weather monitoring until the threat has fully passed and conditions are deemed safe to resume operations.

Suitable Shelter Locations

Priority should be given to:

Permanent buildings with electrical wiring and plumbing.

Fully enclosed metal-roofed vehicles with windows closed.

Avoid:

Marquees, gazebos, tents, and open-sided shelters.

Trees, fences, towers, and isolated structures.

Open fields, hilltops, and exposed viewing areas.

Remember Lightning can develop rapidly and with little warning. Effective planning, continuous monitoring, and decisive action are essential to protecting attendees, staff, contractors, performers, and volunteers from potentially life-threatening hazards.

Preparation is key - a well-managed event is one that has a clear lightning safety plan, understands when to act, and prioritises safety above operational continuity