At Hazardex Live 2026, Stéphane Schmitt, lightning risk specialist at Meteorage, will present on anticipating thunderstorm hazards in industrial and ATEX/DSEAR environments.

In the United Kingdom, cloud-to-ground lightning occurrence is generally lower than in many other parts of Europe. However, this relative rarity must not lead to complacency. Lightning remains a credible threat to industrial facilities, particularly those operating in hazardous environments such as ATEX/DSEAR zones. The consequences of a single ignition event in these contexts can be catastrophic – making proactive risk management essential.

This talk frames three key takeaways for hazardous areas:

1. Rarity does not equal acceptability
2. Protection is not absolute
3. Thunderstorms can be anticipated

The session concludes by demonstrating how integrating thunderstorm anticipation into operational protocols not only mitigates risk but also optimizes costs through an effective combination of protective measures and preventive strategies

About the speaker:

Stéphane Schmitt is a lightning risk specialist with peer-reviewed and conference publications on human lightning accidentology and thunderstorm warning systems (TWS) performance. Certified Expert in IEC TC81 International standardisation committee and appointed by Meteo-France at the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), his work focuses on translating lightning detection data into actionable operational decisions for safety-critical industries. In 2019, he received an award from AFNOR for his contribution to improve human safety.