Staying safe in a thunderstorm
THE death of a construction worker in Kuching recently shows the importance of stopping all outdoor work when a thunderstorm is active in the vicinity. In the incident, the worker was installing a metal frame on the exposed upper floor of a building in the rain when he was reportedly struck on the head by lightning.
Similar incidents of lightning fatalities to construction workers have been reported in the media in recent years. The management of the construction site and the developer should be held responsible for any injury or death to these workers if no stop-work order is issued once thunder is heard at the work site.
Since the thunderstorm season has started, the relevant authorities, responsible companies and the general public should be reminded of the following lightning safety rules:
1. Stop all outdoor activities and seek a shelter as soon as you see dark thunderclouds gathering on the horizon or over the hill. Lightning can strike up to 15km away from the thundercloud and even before the rain starts!
2. Run for shelter if you can hear thunder or see a lightning bolt. You are already in danger of being struck by lightning.
3. Do not wait for the rain to fall before you act. Sometimes, lightning occurs before the rain starts to fall. Never use an umbrella in a lightning storm.
4. Do not take shelter under a tree or in a tent, small shed, kongsi, rotunda or roadside food stall.
5. Do take shelter inside a sturdy or large building (a shop or house), a metal-roofed vehicle (bus, van or car) or under a large structure (such as a bridge). Do not loiter outside a large building to avoid being struck by debris from lightning damage.
6. If there is no proper shelter nearby, get down from an elevated position (mound, hill top or platform). Get into any depression in the ground or in a dry drain.
7. Get into a lightning defensive position by squatting down with your feet together and closing your ears with your hands. Do not lie down. Do not touch anyone or any metal object (such as a fence, gate, etc.) near you.
8. If it rains, get your clothes wet because wet clothing helps to reduce serious injuries to the person struck by lightning. Let the current flow over you instead of inside you.
9. Inside a shelter, do not touch any metallic object, electrical equipment or cable. Do not use the telephone unless it is really urgent. Use a mobile phone instead (if available). Keep away from the balcony, verandah, doorway, window, wall or pillar.
10. Stay inside your shelter for 30 minutes after the last thunder is heard. Lightning can strike up to