The official advice from the manufacturer is......QuoteWith the forecast summer thunder & lightning storms approaching your thoughts may turn to the advisability of holding the equivalent of a ‘lightning rod’ in your hands. The danger of working with a water-fed pole does need to be seriously considered in this type of weather.Generally using a pole with an insulated handle section or made of insulating material such as fibre glass is considered to be safe working practise and has proved in actuality to protect against touching power cables. However lightning is far more powerful than domestic power cables and even with an insulated handle there are safety issues to consider.By the nature of water-fed poles they have a wet brush head at the top connected to the ground by a tube filled with water. Also in stormy weather there is often rain present, which will leave the outside of the pole wet and connected to you the user by your wet hands. In these conditions it is simply not advisable to continue working with a water-fed pole regardless of what it is made of. It would be best practise to pack the pole away and sit out the storm.
With the forecast summer thunder & lightning storms approaching your thoughts may turn to the advisability of holding the equivalent of a ‘lightning rod’ in your hands. The danger of working with a water-fed pole does need to be seriously considered in this type of weather.Generally using a pole with an insulated handle section or made of insulating material such as fibre glass is considered to be safe working practise and has proved in actuality to protect against touching power cables. However lightning is far more powerful than domestic power cables and even with an insulated handle there are safety issues to consider.By the nature of water-fed poles they have a wet brush head at the top connected to the ground by a tube filled with water. Also in stormy weather there is often rain present, which will leave the outside of the pole wet and connected to you the user by your wet hands. In these conditions it is simply not advisable to continue working with a water-fed pole regardless of what it is made of. It would be best practise to pack the pole away and sit out the storm.