In countries applying the IEC 62305 standard, the maintenance of lightning protection installations is not an option: it is a normative obligation. However, managing dozens — or even hundreds — of sites while ensuring traceability of each inspection remains a major operational challenge for engineering firms and inspection bodies.
This is precisely what LPS Manager was designed to address. Consequently, this article presents the challenges of lightning protection maintenance compliant with IEC 62305, and how the software concretely simplifies this process.
Maintenance obligations according to IEC 62305-3
The IEC 62305-3 standard requires periodic inspections for any lightning protection system (LPS). Thus, these inspections make it possible to detect degradation caused by time, weather conditions or lightning strikes.
In practice, obligations include:
- Annual visual inspection: general condition of the lightning rod, down conductors and earthing
- Earthing resistance measurement: at least every 2 years, or annually for high-risk sites
- Complete inspection after impact: mandatory within 48 hours following a detected impact on the site
- Review of the risk assessment: when there is any significant modification to the structure or its environment
Therefore, without a dedicated management tool, tracking all these deadlines for a multi-site fleet quickly becomes unmanageable. However, a failure in monitoring can lead to regulatory non-compliance — particularly critical for ATEX and ICPE sites.
Limitations of traditional management methods
Many installers and engineering firms still manage their lightning files via Excel spreadsheets, paper files or generic ERP systems. Nevertheless, these approaches have significant limitations:
- No automatic alerts for inspection deadlines
- Data scattered between multiple tools and stakeholders
- Difficulty in quickly generating standardized compliance reports
- Insufficient traceability in case of regulatory audit
- No centralized access to keraunic data (Ng, lightning strike certificates)
Furthermore, the multiplication of sites to manage — in Europe, Africa or South America — makes these methods even less suitable. It follows that the risk of oversight or error increases proportionally with the number of sites managed.
LPS Manager: the dedicated lightning protection management platform
Creation and structuring of site files
LPS Manager allows you to create a structured file for each protected site. Indeed, each file brings together all essential information:
- Site data (location, type of structure, required protection level)
- Installed equipment (PDA lightning rods, conductors, earthing, surge protectors)
- Complete history of inspections and interventions
- Attached documents (inspection reports, photos, certificates)
Thus, all information relating to a site is centralized and accessible from anywhere, including on mobile devices.
Automatic alerts and deadline dashboard
This is one of the most appreciated features by users: LPS Manager automatically sends alerts when an inspection approaches or is overdue. Consequently, the risk of oversight is practically eliminated.
Moreover, the dashboard provides a real-time overview of the compliance status of the entire managed fleet:
- Compliant sites (inspections up to date)
- Alert sites (imminent deadlines)
- Non-compliant sites (overdue inspections)
Keraunic reports and lightning strike certificates via Strike Radar
LPS Manager provides access, from the platform, to keraunic reports and lightning strike certificates generated via the Strike Radar network. These documents in particular allow:
- To document impacts detected on or near a site
- To identify sites requiring post-impact inspection
- To justify the lightning strike density Nsg in advanced regulatory files
Thus, LPS Manager centralizes not only compliance monitoring, but also the meteorological data that feeds it. This is a truly integrated approach to lightning protection management.
Automatic generation of standardized reports
Ultimately, LPS Manager generates inspection reports compliant with normative requirements (IEC 62305-3, NF C 17-102) in just a few clicks. These reports are directly usable for regulatory audits and client file submissions.
Moreover, the platform allows PDF export and electronic signing of documents for complete traceability.
Use case example: an engineering firm managing 50 industrial sites
Concretely, an engineering firm managing 50 industrial sites spread across Europe can, with LPS Manager:
- View the compliance status of the entire fleet on a single screen
- Receive alerts 30, 14 and 7 days before each inspection deadline
- Assign field interventions to technicians from the platform
- Access Strike Radar keraunic reports for sites that have experienced an impact
- Generate client reports in 2 clicks, without data re-entry
Consequently, the time spent on administrative management is drastically reduced, and the quality of monitoring is significantly improved.
Connections with LPS France protection equipment
To implement compliant lightning protection before ensuring its monitoring with LPS Manager, it is essential to choose certified equipment. For example, LPS France offers a complete range of PDA lightning rods and lightning protection systems certified NF C 17-102 and IEC 62305, suitable for all types of sites.
Furthermore, monitoring equipment such as Contact@ir and Alert@ir DC enable automatic impact detection on site, directly integrated into the LPS Manager workflow.
Conclusion
In summary, managing lightning protection maintenance compliant with IEC 62305 is a major operational challenge for all lightning protection players. LPS Manager provides a concrete and effective answer to this challenge by centralizing file management, alerts, keraunic data and report generation.
Thus, you can focus on your core business — protecting installations — while LPS Manager manages documentary compliance over time. Test LPS Manager for free at lpsmanager.io and discover how to simplify lightning protection management for your sites internationally.
Discover LPS Manager pricing and download the app to start managing your lightning protection sites today.
