What you need to know
NWS says no place outside is safe during thunderstorms, and an OSHA and NOAA fact sheet says employers should put a written lightning safety protocol for outdoor workers in their emergency action plan, covering warnings, safe shelters, response times and when to suspend and resume work. NWS says to stay sheltered 30 minutes after the last thunder.
Potentially affected
Technicians and contractors who install or service cameras, antennas, poles, rooftop equipment and outdoor cabling, and the supervisors who schedule outdoor work.
DSE recommendation
DSE recommends adding a written lightning protocol to the emergency action plan for every outdoor job: stop at the first thunder, go to a named shelter, and wait 30 minutes after the last thunder.
NWS says no place outside is safe during thunderstorms, and an OSHA and NOAA fact sheet says employers should put a written lightning safety protocol for outdoor workers in their emergency action plan, covering warnings, safe shelters, response times and when to suspend and resume work. NWS says to stay sheltered 30 minutes after the last thunder.
Source facts
The National Weather Service’s Lightning Safety on the Job page says people who work outdoors in open spaces, on or near tall objects, or with conductive materials such as metal have greater exposure to lightning, and lists construction and building maintenance and telecommunications field repair among the occupations most at risk. It says no place outside is safe during thunderstorms, workers should not start a task they cannot quickly stop, and they should stay off rooftops, scaffolding, utility poles and ladders.
A May 2016 OSHA and NOAA fact sheet says employers should have a written emergency action plan with a lightning safety protocol for outdoor workers that covers how workers are notified, where the safe shelters are, the response time to reach them, and when to suspend and resume outdoor work. It says lightning warning systems can give advance warning, but no system can detect the first strike, detect all lightning or predict strikes.
NWS lightning tips say to shelter in a substantial building with electricity or plumbing or an enclosed, metal-topped vehicle with windows up, and to stay there at least 30 minutes after the last thunder. If a co-worker is struck, the job page says lightning victims do not carry an electrical charge and are safe to touch; call 9-1-1, perform CPR if the person is unresponsive or not breathing, and use an automatic external defibrillator if one is available.
Applicability
Use this for any outdoor work, including installs on poles, roofs and parking lots. State plans such as MIOSHA and customer site rules may add requirements.
DSE recommendation
DSE recommends adding a written lightning protocol to the emergency action plan for every outdoor job: stop at the first thunder, go to a named shelter, and wait 30 minutes after the last thunder. Check the forecast before dispatch, name the shelter building or vehicle in the job briefing, give the lead technician authority to stop work, and treat detection alerts as a supplement, not a replacement.
Verification
Check job briefings for a named shelter, ask technicians to describe the protocol on site visits, and log weather stoppages to confirm crews waited 30 minutes.
Official references
National Weather Service — Lightning Safety on the Job. OSHA and NOAA — Lightning Safety When Working Outdoors (FS-3863, May 2016). National Weather Service — Lightning Tips. Reviewed October 18, 2026.
Review the official source
National Weather Service — Lightning Safety on the Job · Verified October 18, 2026
Need help applying this guidance safely?
DSE can help confirm applicability, protect service continuity, and validate the result across physical security and IT systems.
Talk with DSE