Surge & Lightning Protection
Protect your site, assets, and people with SANS 62305 compliant lightning protection
Thatch lodges, industrial plant, schools and commercial buildings across South Africa. Free provisional lightning risk assessment — no obligation.
Do I need lightning protection on my building?
If your structure is in a high lightning density area, houses people, or holds valuable equipment, a SANS 62305 risk assessment will usually show that you do. The standard sets out the methodology for deciding, and increasingly insurers and auditors expect to see the assessment rather than an opinion.
South Africa has one of the highest lightning ground flash densities in the world. An uncontrolled lightning strike can destroy equipment, start fires, injure personnel, and trigger insurance and liability disputes. SANS 62305 sets out the risk assessment methodology and design requirements for structures, and increasingly, compliance is expected — not optional — for lodges, schools, hospitals, industrial sites, and insured commercial buildings.
What does a lightning protection project involve?
Risk assessment first, then design, then installation and certification. Each stage produces documentation you can hand to an insurer or an auditor.
Risk Assessment
A SANS 62305-aligned risk assessment for your specific site, structure type, and occupancy — the foundation for any compliant design.
System Design
Air termination, down conductors, and earth termination system design tailored to the risk assessment findings and your structure.
Surge Protection
Coordinated surge protection for electronic equipment and data systems, protecting against both direct and induced lightning effects. Often specified alongside power factor correction where power quality is already under investigation.
Certificate of Compliance
Documentation to support your Certificate of Compliance and ongoing insurance and regulatory requirements.
Annual Inspection
Recurring inspection contracts to keep your system compliant and functional year after year.
Design-Stage Consulting
Early engagement with architects and engineers on new builds, so lightning protection is designed in — not retrofitted.
Does a thatch roof need lightning protection?
Yes, and thatch is the highest fire-risk roof type under lightning. Most insurers now make a compliant system a condition of cover on thatch structures. Where a lodge also carries a roof-mounted array, the solar PV and battery storage design and the lightning risk assessment should be done together.
A thatch roof is the highest fire-risk structure type in lightning protection design. A single strike can ignite the roof within seconds, and on a lodge that roof is usually above sleeping guests. Most insurers now make a compliant lightning protection system a condition of cover on thatch — and many existing installations do not meet the standard.
Estac designs and certifies lightning protection for thatch lodges, guest houses, boma structures and staff accommodation. We work across whole sites rather than single buildings, because a lodge is rarely one roof: main lodge, chalets, kitchens, water treatment and generator housing all carry different risk profiles and need to be assessed together.
Thatch-specific design
Air termination designed for thatch, keeping conductors clear of the roof surface and preserving the look of the building.
Whole-site assessment
Main lodge, chalets, boma, kitchens, generator and water plant assessed together, not building by building.
Insurance documentation
Certification and reporting in the form insurers and brokers actually ask for at renewal.
Which sectors does Estac work in?
Hospitality and lodges — thatch game lodges, guest houses and boutique hotels, particularly in the Waterberg, Hoedspruit, Hazyview, Sabi Sand, Madikwe and KwaZulu-Natal Midlands.
Industrial and commercial — petrochemical and plastics processing, agricultural processing facilities, mining operations, warehousing and industrial park developments.
Public and institutional — schools, universities and hospitals, where occupancy and life-safety risk drive the assessment.
Insurers and brokers — we work directly with insurers seeking risk-reduction partners, and provide the documentation needed at underwriting and renewal.
Which lightning protection standards apply in South Africa?
SANS 62305, in four parts. It is the South African adoption of IEC 62305 and is the reference standard for risk assessment and system design.
| SANS 62305-1 | General principles of lightning protection |
| SANS 62305-2 | Risk management methodology |
| SANS 62305-3 | Physical damage to structures and life hazard |
| SANS 62305-4 | Electrical and electronic systems within structures |
Get your free provisional risk assessment
Tell us about your site and we’ll provide a preliminary lightning risk assessment — no cost, no obligation.