When you get a hail alert, every minute counts

Hail season is coming, but how prepared is your workforce?

Workforce safety

Aon Insurance reports, “Workforce health and safety is a primary concern for employers, as 2023 saw the highest number of fatalities from natural disasters in 13 years.”

While our hail forecasting enhances solar power generation, KISTERS has been collaborating with local governments to keep public works staff safe. This evolution builds on decades of experience monitoring water, weather and environment to forecast flooding and wildfire risks.

Hail warnings

Using HailSens Now, hail alerts can warn field staff 6-90 minutes before hail stones are expected to fall.

Hail warnings are both precise and accurate. KISTERS proprietary algorithms offer forecasts with 9x the spatial resolution and 10x the temporal resolution of publicly available models. Estimates are refreshed every 6 minutes to empower defense protocols at any time before impact.

Alarm settings enable employers to define conditions (e.g. hailstone size), recipients, and messages.

In storm car driver will park at well-lit gas station.

Hail warning responses

If your company doesn’t have a formal hail protocol, what can your staff do when they get an alert?

• Drivers, park in a garage or under a carport / gas station roof until the storm has passed.
  Exit the freeway; parking under an overpass is unsafe.
  Protect your face and head from windows. Use clothing, floor mats, or a blanket.
  Close all windows and fold in mirrors, if possible.
  Don’t leave the vehicle.
• Field crews without vehicles, shelter inside a building & away from windows, if possible.
  Avoid trees as branches may break. Avoid low places that may fill / flood with water.
  If you cannot protect your body, protect your head.
• Office workers, stay insider & away from windows until the hail stops.
  Account for workers / occupants.
  Avoid using electrical appliances during severe storms.
  Don’t leave the building.

After the storm

As soon as it is safe, assess any bodily injuries or damage to vehicles / building. Record the date and time of the storm. Take detailed photographs, from different angles and lighting conditions. Contact your employer.

Interested in 48 hours hailstorm forecasts or ground-based sensing? HailSens360 covers those bases.