Aetheric launches thunderstorm warning system in NZ

Aetheric has launched a site-based thunderstorm warning system for commercial and industrial workplaces in New Zealand as the country enters thunderstorm season and scrutiny of outdoor work risks increases.

Many outdoor sites still rely on informal judgement to decide when lightning should halt work and when it is safe to resume, according to the Auckland engineering consultancy. The issue affects sectors where staff work in exposed conditions or at height, including construction, ports, airports, quarries, utility field operations, and council-run outdoor facilities.

WorkSafe guidance on extreme outdoor conditions lists lightning as a hazard and says businesses should ensure workers have the knowledge, experience, and authority to stop work if conditions become unsafe. Christopher Bean, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Aetheric, said that often leaves the decision to frontline staff without a defined trigger.

"Everyone agrees work should stop when lightning is close. The hard part is knowing when that is," said Christopher Bean, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Aetheric.

Bean said many crews use thunder or the first visible flash as the signal to stop, meaning a storm is already producing lightning by the time work is halted. Uncertainty over when conditions have cleared can also leave sites either standing down too long or returning too soon.

"Most crews use thunder or the first visible flash as the trigger, and by then the storm is already producing lightning. The opposite problem follows. Nobody knows when it is clear, so crews either stand around for an hour or go back out too early. Neither is a safety system. It is a judgement call made under pressure, often by the most junior person on the job," said Bean.

Lightning fatalities are uncommon in New Zealand, but Bean argued that rarity can contribute to weak planning. He said the hazard fits the profile of a low-frequency, high-consequence event that employers should address in advance with formal procedures.

"Because serious incidents are uncommon, very few sites have written a procedure for lightning at all. It is a classic low-frequency, high-consequence hazard, which is exactly the kind of risk a business is expected to think through before it happens, not during it," said Bean.

How it works

Aetheric said its warning system is designed in accordance with IEC 62793:2020, an international standard for thunderstorm warning systems. Unlike lightning detection networks that report strikes after they occur, the system uses a local electrostatic field sensor to identify the build-up of electrical conditions associated with a developing thunderstorm.

According to Aetheric, the sensor is installed on site and moves through escalating alarm levels based on thresholds set for that location. It then issues an all-clear after conditions have remained settled for a defined period.

Alarms are generated within the sensor itself, so relay outputs connected to sirens, beacons, or equipment interlocks can continue to operate without a computer or internet connection. Each sensor is supplied with its own calibration certificate.

Aetheric also pointed to a change in the engineering and risk assessment framework around lightning. It said IEC 62305-2:2024, the current edition of the international lightning risk assessment standard, recognises a thunderstorm warning system conforming to IEC 62793 as a factor in assessing lightning risk to people at a structure.

Procedure first

Bean said the system is intended to support workplace decisions rather than replace them. A sensor can provide a defined stop-work trigger and a defined all-clear, he said, but sites still need a written procedure, trained staff, and suitable shelter.

"A sensor gives you an objective trigger to stop and an objective all-clear to resume. That is the part sites are missing today. The site still needs a written procedure, people who know what each alarm level means, and somewhere safe for them to go. We design all three together, because a siren nobody has been trained to respond to is not a control," said Bean.

Aetheric is also offering businesses a free lightning safety review focused on worker exposure, available shelter, current stop-work decision processes, and whether a warning system is justified for the site. The consultancy said some sites may need only a clear written rule rather than a dedicated sensor.

"Not every site needs a sensor," said Bean.

"Every site with people working outdoors needs a rule. We would rather help a business get the rule right first," he said.