As part of an expansion project at The Oval Cricket Ground, four 30-metre lightning protection masts were to be installed.
The client required a specialist design to:

• Deliver proper lightning protection to the masts
• Achieve safe earth resistance readings
• Overcome site challenges, including extensive underground services (electrical cabling, pre-installed LP earthing, and pipework) which made conventional fall of potential testing unreliable.

• Inability to test earthing systems using standard methods
• Inaccurate or unsafe earthing jeopardising mast and stadium safety
• Complications from existing below-ground infrastructure

We produced a comprehensive design using the site’s foundation reinforcement (rebar) as the primary earthing system.

Our approach involved:

• Calculating and confirming the resistivity of individual pile caps
• Verifying electrical continuity across the rebar within each pile cap
• Cross-bonding designated pile caps to the internal foundation steelwork
• Bonding the lightning masts directly to the tested rebar earth paths

Throughout the project:

• We tested and recorded continuity at each construction stage
• Formal documentation was issued for all tests and calculations
• Site visits were aligned with critical construction milestones to ensure real-time verification

We achieved full compliance and safe earthing of all four lightning protection masts despite underground obstructions.

We were able to:

• Track all buried services using specialist tracing methods
• Identify suitable locations for reliable earth measurement
• Confirm the resistivity through foundation rebar piles using calculation and continuity validation

The project was completed without disruption to the tight construction programme — and without the risk of non-compliant earthing at a major public venue.