How to Forklift Battery Safety Enhanced by Lithium?

Ensuring forklift battery in warehouses and manufacturing plants is a crucial undertaking. Maintaining compliance with OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration) guidelines is vital for upholding a safe work environment.

The importance of correct forklift battery management is underscored by OSHA’s Severe Injury Reports, which have been compulsory for employers to submit since the beginning of 2015.

Up to August 2021, these reports have logged 60,912 incidents, with a minor portion, less than 1% (52 incidents), attributed to injuries incurred during the batteries for electric forklifts, pallet jacks, and electric vehicles.

• The opportunity for better forklift battery safety: OSHA data says most battery-related incidents, including fractures, compression and burns, occur during battery moving or watering.
• These incidents underscore the dangers associated with the substantial weight, large dimensions, and chemical hazards of traditional lead-acid batteries.

OSHA data says most battery-related incidents occur during battery moving or watering

Fifty-two individuals sustained severe injuries that could have been prevented. But when did these injuries occur?

To improve safety around forklift batteries, recognizing the hazards associated with battery swapping, moving, and upkeep is critical—activities that have consistently resulted in injuries such as breaks, crush injuries, and acid burns.

These events highlight the risks linked to the hefty weight, considerable size, and chemical dangers of conventional lead-acid batteries.

For operations involving material handling that require a single battery per forklift, daily battery exchanges or maintenance aren’t necessary.

Actually, transitioning to lithium batteries for your forklift fleet can be more economically efficient and will markedly lower the safety hazards tied to lead-acid batteries.

Why aren’t lithium batteries featured in OSHA injury logs?

The explanation is clear-cut: the reputable lithium forklift batteries in the US adhere to stringent safety protocols, effectively avoiding incidents in OSHA data.

These batteries are designed to meet Underwriters Laboratories (UL) guidelines thoroughly.

Underwriters Laboratories (UL), a global safety certification organization with a presence in over 100 countries and a century-long history, is recognized by OSHA among the Nationally Recognized Testing Laboratories (NRTL).

UL, at the forefront of safety science, conducts comprehensive testing for numerous products, including industrial batteries, across various sectors. UL’s safety criteria ensure exceptional industrial practices, as outlined in UL’s battery testing procedures.

Two UL certifications are specifically relevant to lithium-ion batteries:

UL 2580 is aimed at evaluating the safety of batteries used in electric vehicles by examining the energy storage system’s resilience under conditions that simulate misuse, ensuring protection from potential dangers.

This standard includes various mechanical and electrical tests such as evaluations for overcharging, short-circuiting, and thermal stability.

UL 991 focuses on the safety of controls that use solid-state devices, especially the Battery Management System (BMS).

It offers a suite of tests designed to scrutinize the electronic control aspects of batteries to prevent fire, electric shock, or injuries, thereby complementing existing battery standards.

These stringent evaluations affirm the safety credentials of lithium batteries.

Lithium forklift batteries promote a “single-battery” operating scheme, obviating the need for regular battery changes and reducing the risks linked to lead-acid batteries.

Leading lithium suppliers, including Electrovaya, Flux Power, Green Cubes, and OneCharge Lithium Batteries, employ state-of-the-art technology to not just meet but often surpass UL and OSHA regulations.

Lithium Iron (Fe) Phosphate (LFP) cells are recognized as the safest and most dependable in the US market, attributed to their superior thermal stability and durability.

The benefits of LFP technology over NMC and other battery chemistries have been demonstrated in various degradation tests.

OneCharge exemplifies an LFP industrial battery equipped with an advanced, dependable BMS featuring data logging and IoT integration, enhancing operational safety.

With multiple safety layers, OneCharge batteries prevent overheating and malfunctions, with automated shutdowns to counter potential threats.

The lithium segment is growing fast

Lithium technology is revolutionizing the forklift industry, phasing out lead-acid batteries in favor of more dependable and safe lithium options with a better ROI.

Predictions suggest lithium batteries will dominate half of the industrial battery market by 2032, with growth set to surge due to significant investments in lithium cell production and recycling, alongside declining raw material costs.