Recent years have seen considerable numbers of incidents related to lithium batteries. In the UK we’ve seen e-bike fires reported on the rise by the London Fire Brigade, and elsewhere a number of serious incidents caused by lithium battery fires, including container ports in the USA and Canada.
From a transport perspective lithium batteries are often seen as one of the most significant threats to safety in transport.
Successive UK Governments have rightly looked to legislate to address safety concerns and protect consumers from rogue sellers and uncertified batteries – those most likely to catch fire and cause injury. For transport, considerable legislation already exists on a global basis, yet we’re seeing considerable numbers of batteries being moved undeclared.
At the time of writing, the Lithium-ion Battery Safety Bill is moving through the House of Lords. The bill seeks to better protect households and communities from the dangers of lithium ion batteries. It attempts to legislate to ensure greater safety measures are introduced to protect consumers from the risk posed by batteries sold online. It is a welcome piece of legislation, although at no point is transport mentioned. There is a similar bill slowly moving through Congress in the USA.
As the applications for lithium (and now sodium ion) batteries continues to grow, we’re all going to be exposed more to their risks. As someone working in dangerous goods transport, I’ve had some exposure both in work and as a consumer.
Undeclared E-Bike Batteries
A friend recently converted their bike into an e-bike, purchasing a kit from a well-known established brand, including a battery from a reputable manufacturer complete with all relevant safety certification.
This kit was delivered by a courier to their front door in a large box, containing a 216 Watt hour battery, without a single mark or label indicating what’s in the box. From the perspective of the regulations – this is not a small battery.
You could argue that the above is just one supplier, however, my friend also ordered a spare battery from a different well-known supplier. That battery turned up correctly marked in a box with the class 9 battery label on, along with the UN number and proper shipping name; but that box had then been put in another container, so no-one could see the dangerous goods label and markings.
Sending batteries of this size without declaring them, is grossly irresponsible, and shows a total disregard for the safety of the driver or any staff at processing centres. The box will likely have been processed on conveyor belts – something many will not place lithium batteries on due to an increased risk of incident.
The positive here is these batteries are well made from a reputable manufacturer, so the chances of a fire are significantly lower than a cheap unregulated battery. However, were there to be a fire in a vehicle, or a loader did not realise a box had a battery in and put it on a conveyor belt, members of staff could be at risk. In a worst case scenario, water could be used on a lithium battery fire – in turn making the fire worse.
Special Provision 188
There is a special provision (188) that enables batteries under 100 Watt hours to be carried without following the full ADR and IMDG regulations, so long as a selection of provisions are met. Many batteries commonly purchased by consumers fit under this allowance.
Having spoken to many couriers, plenty would not even agree to take a battery greater than 100 Watt hours, and others would make sure their driver has been dangerous goods trained. The regulations are clear; the driver of any vehicle carrying dangerous goods must receive dangerous goods awareness training.
Carrier Confusion
These issues are not helped by confusion and misunderstanding of the regulations. I recently observed one carriers’ guide claiming they wouldn’t take a lithium metal battery weighing more than two grams. They meant to say they wouldn’t take a battery with a lithium metal content more than two grams – the allowance under ADR/ IMDG special provision 188. The incorrect document caused complete confusion on the shippers’ side – as they could not work out how to ship batteries bigger than a AAA with their primary carrier!
Considerable legislation already exists in the transport sector. Discovering hidden and undeclared dangerous goods is sadly very difficult, irrespective of what is loaded into packages, but without greater enforcement of any current or new regulations, little will change to improve safety. From a transport perspective, we need to see wider awareness of the regulations with shippers taking more responsibility.
It will be interesting to see what impact new regulations on lithium battery safety have. The issues are of course not just related to transport. Storage, fire safety and disposal are also significant challenges – all areas on the agenda at the British Association of Dangerous Goods Professionals Lithium Battery Seminar on 9th September.
Peter East is a sponsor of the event, and we’ll be on site to talk about our Lithium Battery transport training courses. You can find out more here.
As the regulatory landscape continues to remain fluid on batteries, we’ll continue to monitor government legislation and be sure to provide regular updates on our blog. Please do subscribe to our newsletter to be kept in the loop.
By Sam Mohr
Want to know more about Lithium Battery Transport?
