Does equipment grounding include protection against lightning strikes?

Equipment grounding primarily focuses on protecting electrical equipment and personnel from fault currents or electrical shocks due to unintentional contacts with live electrical parts. It creates a low-resistance path for electric currents to flow safely to the ground, thereby reducing the risk of electrical shock or fire.

However, while equipment grounding is essential for electrical safety, it does not specifically provide protection against lightning strikes. Lightning protection relies on separate systems, such as air terminals (lightning rods), grounding electrodes designed for lightning, and bonding conductors that safely conduct lightning strikes into the ground. Therefore, simply grounding equipment does not suffice to manage the immense energy and heat generated by a lightning strike.

This distinction is critical for understanding how electrical safety measures function and how additional systems may be necessary for comprehensive protection against natural phenomena like lightning.