Incidental Shock from an Indoor “Braai” - Postulates on the Source and Mechanism

Abstract

South African culture, in general, motivates people to become nature lovers, to spend time outdoors and to enjoy a braai, whether indoors or outdoors. With lightning activity more profuse in the highveld area of South Africa, this paper addresses a specific case of a person being shock-warned by lightning, whilst engaging in the preparation of grilled meat at an indoor braai area. The anticipated technical background, in terms of the source of the lightning current and the mechanism involved that resulted in the event, are presented in this paper. Even tough lightning activity is more profound in the highveld area and towards the Drakensberg in South Africa, the findings from this paper are relevant and applicable, in general also to indoor environments, even in areas with lower lighting activity and where the braai construction aligns with that of the lodges discussed in the paper. In particular, this paper raises awareness of safety requirements in the design of lodges and indoor environments, perhaps not specifically addressed or addressed before.