Firefighters say they fear being ‘“overwhelmed” by increasing numbers of battery fires. There is a growing concern about the rate of lithium battery fires.

Lithium battery fires are caused by a chemical reaction inside the battery that produces an intense flame that is hard to extinguish and produces toxic gases.

Lithium-ion batteries, although great for our lifestyle, pose a fire risk if damaged, are used incorrectly or are not maintained.

Fire Rescue Victoria implore people to use reputable brands in line with manufacturer specifications.

As of July 2023, firefighters in Western Australia had responded to 32 battery lithium fires and in the ACT eight fires were attributed to e-scooter batteries in Canberra.

People should take precautions about how and when they charge lithium batteries, including avoiding overcharging them, avoiding flammable locations like a bed and using reputable brands.

Non-rechargeable or disposable lithium batteries, or lithium metal batteries should also be treated with caution as they can expel molten flammable metal and emit toxic gasses during a fire. Small fires involving single use, disposable lithium batteries should be treated as a Lithium-ion battery fire.

NSW Fire and Rescue has published detailed information on its website outlining precautions that can be taken.

Electrical safety certification for power tools and battery chargers

The Australian marketplace offers access to a wide variety of power tools available for use by laypeople in a domestic or DIY setting. Australian law protects consumers against injury and property damage caused by electrical devices. Before supplying power tools in Australia, importers and distributors need to be aware that there are laws and regulations they must comply with such as electrical safety certification.

Many power tools, for example portable or handheld consumer tools used for machining, drilling, sawing, or surface preparation require mandatory safety certification and equipment Level 3 registration on the Electrical Equipment Safety System (EESS) database. This also applies to any supplied battery chargers for the consumer or DIY market. Such Level 3 power tools and battery chargers need to be marked with the approval number, for example ABC-XXXXXX-EA as required in NSW in addition to the RCM marking.

Failure to have power tools or accessories properly safety tested and certified can lead to costly market recalls and result in failures such as property damage or risk of electric shock which can cause serious injury or death. ACCC’s Product Safety Australia webpage contains useful safety advice related to the safety of power tools, Li-ion batteries and many other products and also includes information about market recalls. Some recent recalls examples are: battery charger, workshop wall fan, mitre saw.

In addition to safety certification, tools that include button or coin batteries are also subject to safety and information standards mandated by the Australian Competition & Consumer Commission (ACCC) since June 2022.

What can I do to get assistance?

CBA can assist you with meeting your regulatory obligations and provide accredited safety certification.

If you would like to know more on how CBA can assist you with your regulatory requirements, please contact us on 61 2 9099-1557 or email Gunther at gtheisz@certificationbody.com.au or Colin at cpayne@certificationbody.com.au.