Beyond The Spark: Why Lithium-Ion Battery Safety Matters At Work

Lithium-ion batteries have become the engine of modern electrification, powering electric vehicles, e-bikes, smartphones, laptops and even grid-scale energy storage. They’ve become essential to how we live and work as they’re lightweight, rechargeable and store a lot of energy in a small package. Yet these same qualities also bring inherent risks. Faulty design, overcharging or damage can trigger thermal runaway, leading to fires, explosions or toxic gas release. Recent events have brought these hazards to our attention: a suspected power bank caused the Air Busan plane fire in South Korea, the UK reported a 93% surge in battery-related fires between 2022 and 2024, and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in the US issued new safety alerts on lithium battery handling. These developments show why lithium-ion batteries are under intense scrutiny from regulators, insurers and industries alike.

For workplaces, the stakes are particularly high. Facilities that manufacture, store, charge or recycle lithium-ion batteries – such as logistics and warehousing, renewable energy storage, and manufacturing – face daily exposure to these hazards. A single defective cell in a warehouse or on a production line can escalate quickly, threatening worker safety, business continuity, assets and regulatory compliance. This makes lithium-ion battery safety not just a compliance issue but a strategic business priority.

That’s where EHS software comes into play. By digitizing safety processes, it gives organizations a structured way to manage lithium-ion battery risks. Firms can run hazard and risk assessments for storage and charging areas, set automated reminders to flag overdue inspections, and keep track of employee training on handling protocols. Incident reporting tools make it easy to capture fires, near misses or equipment failures, while analytics help identify recurring issues before they escalate. When worker health is affected, occupational health modules add another layer of protection. Health surveillance functions can group employees by exposure to battery chemicals such as cobalt or nickel, injury and illness reporting can record burns or inhalation cases, and return-to-work tracking ensures that employees who have been impacted are reintegrated safely with the right restrictions in place. Together, these tools help organizations move from reacting to emergencies to anticipating and preventing them, while staying aligned with Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) and other evolving safety standards.

As electrification accelerates, lithium-ion batteries will only become more central to how industries operate. The challenge is not whether we use them, but how we manage them. EHS software offers a clear path, transforming safety into a proactive, data-driven discipline that protects people, assets and reputation in an increasingly high-energy world. For more insights on navigating workplace safety, you can explore relevant health and safety content on Vantage.