What are the safety requirements related to batteries & Battery rooms?

Employers must consider exposure to these hazards when developing safe work practices and selecting personal protective equipment (PPE). That is where Article 320, Safety Requirements Related to Batteries and Battery Rooms comes in.

Do you need documentation before entering a battery room?

It is a requirement to have all the documentation in place prior to authorized personnel entering a battery room to perform a specific work task on a battery system under normal operating conditions. However, it is likely the employee will need to enter the battery room to deal with a battery system that is not operating normally.

How can lithium-ion batteries be protected?

These approaches take the form of publicly available research, adoption of the most current lithium-ion battery protection measures into model building, installation and fire codes and rigorous product safety standards that are designed to reduce failure rates.

Are battery containment enclosures ul 1487 certified?

These products, through UL 1487 certification, can then provide another layer of safety for green energy. Battery containment enclosures certified by UL Solutions to UL 1487 can be found in the online certification directory, UL Product iQ®. Product iQ is available to use at no cost but requires a one-time registration.

What happens if you send an employee into a battery room?

Sending an employee who is trained only for the normal operating conditions into a battery room under thermal runaway, for example, is knowingly exposing an unqualified person to risk of injury. The employer is responsible for protecting their employees from known or recognized hazards in the workplace.

What are battery containment products?

In addition to these prevention strategies, battery containment products have emerged which are purpose-built for mitigation of thermal runaway hazards of lithium-ion batteries and battery-powered devices that are stored and charged inside of them. UL 1487, Battery Containment Enclosures, was created to evaluate these products.