OSHA Issues New Safety Bulletin on “Preventing Fire and/or Explosion Injury from Small and Wearable Lithium Battery Powered Devices”

February 12th, 2019 | Posted in General

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration issued a Safety and Health Information Bulletin entitled, “Preventing Fire and/or Explosion Injury from Small and Wearable Lithium Battery Powered Devices.”  The Bulletin includes a number of lithium battery safety guidelines that the Agency suggests employers could use as part of their safety and health program.  These include, but are not limited to:

• Ensuring lithium batteries, chargers, and associated equipment are tested in accordance with an appropriate test standard (e.g., UL 2054) and certified by a Nationally Recognized Testing Laboratory (NRTL) and are rated for their intended uses.
• Following manufacturers’ instructions for storage, use, charging, and maintenance.
• Removing lithium-powered devices and batteries from chargers once they are fully charged.
• Storing lithium batteries and devices in dry, cool locations and in fire-resistant containers.

A copy of OSHA’s Bulletin is available here.