Lithium Batteries Are Everywhere. So Is the Risk.

Lithium-ion batteries have become essential to modern businesses.

They're powering everything from cordless tools and laptops to forklifts, warehouse equipment, electric vehicles and portable technology.

But as businesses use more batteries, a question needs to be asked:

Are our workplace safety procedures keeping up?

The growing lithium-ion battery fire risk

UK fire brigades attended around 1,760 lithium-ion battery fires during 2025 — equivalent to approximately 4.8 fires every day.

That's a 147% increase compared with 2022.

Lithium-ion batteries aren't inherently dangerous. However, damage, overheating, overcharging and other failures can trigger thermal runaway, causing a battery to rapidly heat and potentially ignite.

And the risk isn't limited to large battery-storage facilities.

How many batteries are on your site?

Think about your own workplace.

Power tools. Forklifts. Laptops. Electric vehicles. Warehouse equipment. Spare batteries.

Now ask:

• Where are they stored?
• Where are they charged?
• How are damaged batteries identified?
• Are damaged batteries separated from good batteries?
• How are batteries transported between sites?
• What happens to batteries waiting for disposal?

These are increasingly important workplace safety questions.

Don't forget the van

For tradespeople, contractors and mobile workforces, lithium-ion batteries are often travelling between sites every day.

A battery might spend the morning being used on a job, the afternoon in a toolbox and the evening in the back of a van.

But what happens if that battery has been dropped, damaged or begins showing signs of failure?

The risk doesn't begin when the battery starts smoking.

Good battery safety starts with how batteries are handled, inspected, stored and transported.

Prevention is better than reaction

Businesses aren't going to stop using lithium-ion batteries.

In fact, we're likely to use more of them.

The answer is to build appropriate controls around them.

That means considering:

Storage.
Charging.
Inspection.
Segregation.
Transportation.
Emergency response.

One simple question can reveal whether your business is prepared:

If someone found a damaged lithium-ion battery at your workplace today, would everyone know exactly what to do?

If five people gave you five different answers, it may be time to review your battery safety procedures.

Protecting your business from lithium battery risks

At Emtez, we provide dedicated lithium-ion battery storage and transportation solutions designed to help businesses manage battery-related risks.

From lithium battery storage cabinets to transport boxes, the right equipment can form an important part of a wider battery safety strategy.

But the first step isn't buying equipment.

It's understanding the risk.

[Explore Emtez Lithium-Ion Storage & Transport Solutions]

How many lithium-ion batteries are currently sitting in your workplace?

And more importantly, what happens when one goes wrong?