Lithium Battery Damage and Fires
29 CFR 1926.150 · 29 CFR 1926.151 · This talk in Spanish
Why it matters
Every cordless tool made the job site a lithium battery farm, and lithium fails differently: a dropped, punctured, or overheated pack can go into thermal runaway, torching itself with a flame you cannot put out by unplugging. Packs cooking in hot truck cabs and charging overnight in trailers have burned both. Today: spotting a dying pack, charging smart, and what to do when one starts venting.
Hazards
- ⚠ Thermal runaway after drops, punctures, and crushing
- ⚠ Swollen, hissing, or hot packs kept in service
- ⚠ Charging on combustible surfaces and unattended overnight
- ⚠ Packs baking on dashboards and in sealed hot cabs
- ⚠ Cheap knockoff batteries and chargers without protection circuits
- ⚠ Using the wrong method on a battery fire instead of the maker's guidance
Controls and safe practices
- ✓ Inspect packs: swelling, cracks, rattles, or heat at rest means out of service, into a safe outdoor spot, not the gang box.
- ✓ Charge on noncombustible surfaces, away from exits, and not unattended overnight in trailers.
- ✓ Use the manufacturer battery and charger; knockoffs skip the protection that prevents runaway.
- ✓ Keep packs out of hot cabs and direct sun; heat is the enemy even without damage.
- ✓ A venting or smoking pack: move people away, get it away from anything that burns if it is safe, and put it out the way the maker says, such as an ABC extinguisher, dirt, or sand.
- ✓ Do not stack loose packs with metal in totes; terminals short against tools.
- ✓ Dispose of dead packs through the supplier or recycler, never the dumpster.
Crew discussion questions
- How many lithium packs live on this crew, and where do they charge?
- Who has seen a swollen pack, and where is it now?
- Where would we put a venting battery from inside the trailer?
- Are any knockoff batteries or chargers in our boxes?
Applicable OSHA standards
29 CFR 1926.150, 29 CFR 1926.151
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