PRBA Files Proposals with United Nations Transport Subcommittee to Amend Lithium Battery Transport and Testing Regulations

September 30th, 2019 | Posted in General

PRBA along with its European counterpart (RECHARGE) have filed several proposals with the United Nations Subcommittee of Experts on the Transport of Dangerous Goods to amend the lithium battery packaging and testing requirements in the UN’s Model Regulations and Manual of Tests and Criteria. The proposals will be addressed at the Subcommittee’s meeting scheduled for December 2- 6, 2019 in Geneva, Switzerland.

The proposals from PRBA and RECHARGE address the following issues:

• Packaging requirements for large format lithium batteries to clarify when relief from stringent UN packaging requirements are authorized;
• Provisions applicable to the transport of damaged or defective lithium batteries;
• Testing large format lithium batteries and clarifying the overcharge testing requirements; and
• Packaging for “bulk” shipments of lithium batteries.

Additional proposals on lithium batteries are expected from the U.S. Department of Transportation, United Kingdom, and European-based Intergovernmental Organization for International Carriage by Rail. All of the proposals are available on the UN Subcommittee’s website at: http://www.unece.org/trans/main/dgdb/dgsubc3/c32019.html

For more information, contact PRBA Executive Director George Kerchner at 202.719.4109 or gkerchner@wileyrein.com.