Grounded in Safety

Power earthing lays the foundation for a compliant and comprehensive electrical safety system. In this episode, Omega Red’s Dave Willets joins host Nick Marshall to unpack why earthing matters, reveal the hidden hazards that often go unnoticed, and break down the key components that make an earthing system truly effective. This includes: Engineering fundamentals and risk factors of power earthing Key safety functions of power earthing Importance of managing fault currents Core risks that earthing design must mitigate Earth Potential Rise (EPR), touch potential, step potential and transfer potential Earthing design for large contracts and key inputs Shift from resistance-based design to voltage-based safety criteria Factors for successful system execution and set-up Commonly overlooked areas in power earthing and why projects often go wrong Thank you for watching or listening, we’ll see you in next month’s podcast! Thank you for listening to Omega Red's podcast. All information was accurate at the time of recording.Omega Red is a UK market leader in lightning protection, height safety, earthing and surge protection.Visit our websiteFollow us on LinkedIn

Thirsty for more Grounded in Safety podcast content? Episode three will soon be with you... but for now, we're sharing a sneak peek! Host, Nick, is joined by Dave Willetts, Special Projects Manager, as they discuss the safety foundation of power earthing. Here’s what you can expect from episode three: ⚡ Get to grips with the importance of managing fault currents ⚠️ Learn to spot hidden hazards of touch, step and transfer potentials 🔍 Identify commonly overlooked areas and pitfalls in power earthing Episode three, The Safety Foundation | Power Earthing, is due out in April.Thank you for listening to Omega Red's podcast. All information was accurate at the time of recording.Omega Red is a UK market leader in lightning protection, height safety, earthing and surge protection.Visit our websiteFollow us on LinkedIn

We trace the shift from improvised rooftop systems to rigorous, evidence-led height safety with BS 7883:2019 and BS 8681. In this episode, Omega Red's Tim Lee chats to host Nick Marshall and explains how to spot real competence, what good documentation looks like and why restraint and collective protection should lead design choices.This includes:Evolution from 1997 anchors to system-based designWhy restraint beats fall arrest for routine tasksAddressing fragile skylights and pendulum risksTechnology shifts: load-limiting posts and membranes2019 changes: named designer and documentationRetrospective compliance and uncovering hidden fixingsCompetence under BS 8681 and manufacturer approvalsWhat good looks like in reports and technical filesRooftop strategy with PV arrays and edge protectionClient due diligence and accountability across the supply chainThank you for watching or listening, we’ll see you in next month’s podcast!Thank you for listening to Omega Red's podcast. All information was accurate at the time of recording.Omega Red is a UK market leader in lightning protection, height safety, earthing and surge protection.Visit our websiteFollow us on LinkedIn

Storms don’t negotiate, and neither should your safety strategy. We’re kicking off Grounded in Safety by getting practical about lightning protection: how strikes really travel, where myths mislead decisions and why the newest BS EN IEC 62305 standard changes how we think about risk, fire and system uptime. With our guest Matt Waldram, a technical and compliance leader involved in national and international standards, we break down the essentials in plain language and share examples that stick.We explore the evolution from older British guidance to the international IEC framework, then unpack the 2024 risk methodology that unifies human safety, fire risk and system availability. You’ll hear how external protection captures and routes energy to ground, while internal co-ordination of surge protection devices shields critical equipment and prevents dangerous flashover. From granite-heavy ground that spreads energy laterally to cables that ferry overvoltages deep into buildings, we map out the hidden paths lightning takes and the layered defences that actually work.Real-world stories drive the point home: distilleries with flammable vapours, defence sites needing isolated mast and catenary systems, and residential blocks where a single flashover can start a fire. We also dig into competency and the Building Safety Act: what good looks like in design, inspection and maintenance and why owners are re-running assessments with the latest process to expose blind spots. The payoff is clarity: a practical checklist for reassessment, a smarter view of cost versus consequence and a plan to keep people safe and operations resilient.If you care about safety, business continuity or insurance readiness, this conversation will sharpen your decisions. Subscribe for more grounded guidance, share this episode with a colleague and leave a review to tell us what you want us to tackle next.Next Episode Preview: Tim Lee will discuss changes to BS 7883:2019 for height safety compliance.Thank you for listening to Omega Red's podcast. All information was accurate at the time of recording.Omega Red is a UK market leader in lightning protection, height safety, earthing and surge protection.Visit our websiteFollow us on LinkedIn