According to the National Lightning Safety Institute, one of the most common troubles facing US businesses today are problems caused by lightning. In fact, a Carnegie-Mellon study showed that a full third of all US businesses are affected by lightning.

More businesses are affected by lightning than by flood, fire, explosion, hurricane, earthquake, and violence. And, although 70 percent of all fatal lightning strikes occur during the summer months, lightning can (and does) strike at any time of year, injuring and even killing people.

Though there are some areas of the country that seem more prone to lightning storms, there have been lightning-caused fatalities in virtually every state.

Be sure your workers know what to do if a thunderstorm approaches. Here’s a simple way to remember what to do: If you can see it (lightning), flee it; if you can hear it (thunder), clear it (by getting to a safe shelter).

If a worker is in a backhoe, bulldozer, loader, grader, scraper, or other piece of heavy equipment with an roll-over protection structure (ROPS), he will be safe in an electrical storm by following these steps:

1. Shut down the equipment.
2. Close doors and any windows.
3. Sit with hands in lap until storm has passed.

If a worker is in a smaller piece of equipment that does not have an roll-over protection structure, that is not safe in an electrical storm. The worker should exit the equipment or vehicle and get to a safe shelter.

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Photo by Guillaume.