The Lightning Protection Institute (“LPI”) today announced its annual national initiative:
Double Check: ✓ Have a lightning protection system. ✓ Have the system inspected and certified.
Double Check will take place the last week of August each year. This year, August 24 – 28, the LPI and its members will focus national attention on the criticality of lightning protection systems as essential electronic infrastructure and centuries old life safety application. The systems are the final component systems in best-practiced electrical construction and structure envelope design. Third-party inspection and certification are the final steps in efficient system design, ensuring performance and compliance with national and local standards and codes.
Annually, lightning-related property losses exceed $2 billion dollars. In 2018, nearly $1 billion in lightning claims was paid to almost 78,000 policyholders. The same year, $1.7 trillion dollars in data was lost. Sean Kevelighan, President and CEO of the Insurance Information Institute commented, “Whether the asset is a home or a business, taking steps to prevent or mitigate risk is just as important as having proper insurance.” He continued, “Triple-I endorses the Double Check initiative because it aligns with our mission of building more resilient communities before perils happen and speeding up the pace of recovery after.”
The inaugural Double Check initiative was held in 2019 through the LPI Inspection Program. LPI Executive Director Tim Harger remarked, “This year, we felt it important to adopt and present the initiative at the LPI’s highest level. Everything we do as an organization presents the clear logic for these systems and their inspection and certification. Double Check removes any ambiguity about where we believe society must head in specifying these systems for virtually every commercial structure.”
About the Lightning Protection Institute
Founded in 1955, the Lightning Protection Institute is the voice of lightning protection and grounding systems manufacturers and contractors. Working closely with the design/build, insurance and risk management sectors, LPI advocates establishing national consensus codes that mandate lightning protection and grounding systems across occupancies. For media inquires and to learn more, reach Kelley Collins at kcollins@lightning.org or 224-240-0495.
