Reduce risk of lightning hazards at work with a lightning warning system.

Lightning strikes the ground in the UK around 300,000 times a year and for many manufacturing facilities they can play a significant role in disrupting operations. This could be anything from an increased risk of ignition due to static electricity, to lightning strikes directly to the plant and process equipment.

When a thunderstorm is in the vicinity, many manufacturing and storage transfer processes must be made safe or halted completely as part of the site’s risk mitigation and safety protocols. Both cause loss of productivity and efficiency for the plant operators.

Biral’s BTD-200 lightning warning system is self-contained and can be used as a stand-alone system or connected into a plants’ warning system so that employers can take precautions to mitigate the risks associated with lightning and ensure their workers’ and process safety.

For the best chance of getting a thunderstorm threat warning, the detector should be able to alert for both distant lightning and the presence of a strong electric field at a location. This strong electric field is indicative of a lightning threat developing overhead – so potentially a very serious situation and one to take immediate action over.

The innovative BTD-200 lightning warning system can do both. It detects distant lightning up to 22 miles away as well as warning about a developing strong electric field overhead, even if there is no lightning being produced. The system comprises of a lightning detector which is placed outside, whilst a PC located indoors runs the supplied Lightning Works software. Users view the lightning in real-time on a map of the local area whilst displaying the urgent lightning alarm levels. The Lightning Works software will then alert the staff and managers to these threats in real time, allowing them to review and manage the situation and to staff to the potential danger. It can also activate warning sounders automatically if required.

The newly released Lightning Works Messenger software system works seamlessly with the BTD-200 and automatically sends out both email and SMS text messages to any number of recipients. In this way, responsible staff, site managers as well as operators can be directly alerted to the risk of a developing or approaching thunderstorm. Again, strengthening site safety protocols and improving efficiency by reducing the time required to alert key staff.

The BTD-200 lightning warning system represents the next generation of lightning detection and warning system. It has been developed from proven professional technology currently used worldwide at airports and by national meteorological organisations. 

For more information

Biral
Unit 8 Harbour Road Trading Estate, Portishead
Bristol BS20 7BL United Kingdom
+44 (0)1275 847 787
info@lightningearlywarning.com
www.lightningearlywarning.com