# Lightning and severe weather

URL: https://hardhatbinder.com/en/toolbox-talks/lightning-and-storms
Last updated: 2026-10-23

Storms can build fast this time of year, and on our sites we work high, in the open, and around metal. Lightning can strike miles ahead of the rain, so waiting until it pours is too late. Today we go over when we stop, where we go, and when we come back.

## Key points

1. Check the forecast before the shift and during the day. If storms are expected, the foreman will plan ahead and tell you who is watching the sky.
2. When thunder roars, go indoors. If you hear thunder or see lightning, stop work right away and head for shelter. Don't finish the cut or the last few screws.
3. Know where safe shelter is before the storm hits. Safe means a closed building with wiring and plumbing, or a hard-top vehicle with the windows up. Porta-johns, open sheds, tents, and scaffolds are not safe.
4. Get off roofs, scaffolds, ladders, lifts, and steel right away. Lower boom lifts and crane booms if it is safe to do so, and stay away from rebar, fences, and tall equipment.
5. Stay out of trenches and away from water and wet ground during a storm. Excavations can also flood or cave in after heavy rain, so they get checked before anyone goes back in.
6. Wait 30 minutes after the last thunder before going back outside. Every new thunder clap restarts the clock.
7. If someone is struck, call 911 right away. A person struck by lightning does not carry a charge, so it is safe to touch them and start CPR if you are trained.

## Talk it over

- Where is the closest safe shelter from where you are working today, and how long does it take to get there?
- What work on this site would take the longest to stop safely, like a lift up high or a crane pick, and how do we plan for that?
- Have you ever kept working when you heard thunder? What made you keep going, and what would make it easier to stop?

> **Remember:** When thunder roars, go indoors, and wait 30 minutes after the last thunder before coming back out.

## Official sources

- [OSHA/NOAA](https://www.osha.gov/sites/default/files/publications/OSHA3863.pdf) — Lightning safety when working outdoors

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Source: HardHat Binder, operated by Leadspire LLC. Templates to be reviewed by a competent person before use; not legal advice; not affiliated with OSHA.