Yes. Lithium-ion batteries are a real fire risk at work when they are damaged, poorly made, charged with the wrong charger or left charging with nobody around. But there is no special “lithium battery law” for workplaces. The risk is managed through the fire risk assessment the responsible person already has to carry out under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, alongside ordinary health and safety law. The catch is that lithium-ion fires behave differently: a failing cell can tip into thermal runaway, vent toxic and flammable gas, and reignite long after the flames seem out. Precautions written for waste bins and plug sockets are often not enough.
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This guide covers everyday lithium-ion batteries in UK workplaces, from phones and power tools to staff e-bikes. Which extinguisher does what is explained in our guide to fire extinguisher types, so this article sticks to prevention and response.
Is there a law about lithium-ion batteries in the workplace?
Not a specific one. In England and Wales, the Fire Safety Order requires the responsible person, usually the employer, to take general fire precautions (Article 8) and to make a “suitable and sufficient” fire risk assessment (Article 9), reviewing it when there is reason to suspect it is no longer valid or after a significant change. Batteries are not named, but they fall within those duties and the duties to provide fire detection where necessary (Article 13), keep routes to emergency exits clear at all times (Article 14) and train staff when new equipment or technology brings new risks (Article 21). London Fire Brigade (LFB) makes the link directly in its guidance for responsible persons: under the Order, landlords, employers and managing agents should consider how e-bikes and e-scooters are stored and charged.
Ordinary health and safety duties apply too: assessing risks under regulation 3 of the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999, keeping battery-powered work equipment in good repair under regulation 5 of the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998, and maintaining electrical systems, including chargers, under regulation 4 of the Electricity at Work Regulations 1989. For large installations, HSE’s page on grid-scale battery energy storage systems also lists the Dangerous Substances and Explosive Atmospheres Regulations (DSEAR).
Product safety law is tightening, but it binds those who make and sell batteries, not those who use them. The Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS) published statutory guidelines on e-bike battery safety in December 2024, and a government consultation on a new product safety framework under the Product Regulation and Metrology Act 2025, with a spotlight on lithium-ion batteries, closed on 23 June 2026. Its outcome had not been published at the time of writing.
Scotland and Northern Ireland have equivalent duties under the Fire (Scotland) Act 2005 and the Fire Safety (Scotland) Regulations 2006, and the Fire and Rescue Services (Northern Ireland) Order 2006 and the Fire Safety Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2010.
Why are lithium-ion battery fires so dangerous?
Because a failing cell can feed itself. The Fire Protection Association (FPA) explains that if a cell produces more heat than it can lose, it can tip into “thermal runaway”, a rapid, uncontrolled release of heat that can cause a fire or explosion and spread from cell to cell. The FPA’s Need to Know Guide RE2, Lithium-ion Battery Use and Storage, published through its insurer-backed RISCAuthority scheme, sets out what follows:
- Toxic and flammable gas. Venting cells can release hydrogen, carbon monoxide and hydrogen fluoride. LFB’s Guidance Note 103 adds hydrogen cyanide and warns that these gases can look like steam.
- Explosion. Vented gas that does not ignite straight away can spread and later explode when it meets an ignition source.
- Their own oxygen. The FPA notes that these fires generate their own oxygen, which makes them very hard to put out.
- Re-ignition. Damaged batteries can still hold energy, and the FPA says large battery fires may need cooling for hours, or even days, to stop them reigniting.
RE2 adds that in normal use the highest risk is during charging. Standards have caught up with this behaviour: BSI published BS ISO 3941:2026, the fire classification standard, in January 2026, and according to the FPA it adds a new Class L for fires involving lithium-ion cells and batteries where no metallic lithium is present.
How often do e-bike and e-scooter batteries catch fire?
In London, roughly every other day. London Fire Brigade attended 206 e-bike and e-scooter fires in 2025, a record for the capital and an average of 17 a month: 171 involved e-bikes and 35 e-scooters. Two people died in these fires in London in 2025, and five since 2023. LFB says battery failure, conversion kits and chargers are often the cause, and that items bought online which do not meet UK safety standards are particularly prone to catching fire.
Across the UK, OPSS received notifications of 267 e-bike and e-scooter fires in 2025, 214 of them from LFB. Converted bikes accounted for 38% of the e-bike fires, 16 occurred in commercial premises, and 86 were confirmed to have occurred while the product was on charge. Fire services report these voluntarily, so OPSS says the figures cannot be used to estimate national numbers. The FPA stresses that lithium-ion battery fires are rare; the problem is their severity.
Where are lithium-ion batteries found in a workplace?
Almost everywhere. A walk round most premises will find them in:
- Laptops, phones, tablets, radios and handheld scanners
- Cordless power tools and their spare battery packs
- E-bikes and e-scooters that staff, couriers and delivery riders bring in
- Mobility scooters and powered wheelchairs
- Vapes, which LFB’s batteries and chargers advice lists alongside phones and laptops
- Battery-powered pallet trucks, forklifts and floor scrubbers
- Stock, returned devices and broken electricals awaiting collection
- Battery energy storage linked to solar panels or backup power
The risk concentrates where batteries are charged, stored in quantity, damaged, or brought in unchecked.
Why do lithium-ion batteries catch fire?
The FPA, fire services and OPSS point to the same main causes:
- Poor-quality or counterfeit products. The National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC) says in its e-bike and e-scooter guidance that many fires involve counterfeit electrical goods.
- Physical damage. Dropping, crushing or piercing a battery can cause an internal short circuit.
- Overcharging and incompatible chargers. LFB says the wrong charger can overload a battery.
- Conversion kits and mismatched parts, which LFB says increase the risk when poorly installed or incompatible.
- Heat, from direct sunlight, a hot vehicle or charging a battery still hot from use.
- Cold and water. LFB’s weather advice says not to charge a frozen battery, and that a battery that has been submerged should not be used.
- Manufacturing defects, which the FPA says can cause internal short circuits even when the user has done nothing wrong.
What are the warning signs that a lithium-ion battery is failing?
LFB’s guide to spotting the warning signs says batteries often show signs of failure before they catch fire: unusual heat, swelling or bulging, lumps, leaking or a damaged casing, hissing or cracking sounds and strong chemical smells. What to do depends on how far things have gone:
| Warning sign | What to do |
|---|---|
| Battery or charger unusually hot | Stop charging or using it. If it is safe to, switch off and unplug at the socket. Keep it away from anything combustible and report it. |
| Swelling, bulging or a misshapen casing | Stop using and charging it. Do not open, press or puncture it. If it is cool and you are trained to, move it to the damaged-battery container and report it. |
| Leaking, cracked or dented, or dropped, crushed or soaked | Take it out of use and do not charge it. Label it, quarantine it and report it. |
| Hissing, cracking or popping, or a strong chemical smell | Treat it as about to fail. Keep people back and do not pick it up. Switch off at the socket only if you can without reaching over the battery. Be ready to raise the alarm. |
| Smoke, vapour or flames | Raise the alarm, get everyone out and call 999, saying a lithium-ion battery is involved. Do not try to tackle it. |
| Damaged charger lead, scorch marks or the wrong charger | Stop using the charger and replace it with the manufacturer’s charger or one it recommends. |
LFB also advises contacting the manufacturer or retailer about a failing battery and reporting faulty batteries to Trading Standards.
How should lithium-ion batteries be charged safely at work?
Guidance from LFB on how to charge safely, the NFCC and the FPA lines up closely. Turn it into a written charging rule, give each type of battery a designated charging point, and check those points on fire safety walk-rounds.
Safe charging checklist for lithium-ion batteries at work
- Use the charger supplied with the battery, or one the manufacturer recommends
- Check the battery and charger first, and never charge one that is damaged, swollen, dropped or wet
- Let batteries cool after use, and let cold ones warm to room temperature, before charging
- Charge on a hard, flat, non-combustible surface, with space between batteries and nothing combustible nearby
- Keep chargers and batteries uncovered and out of direct sunlight
- Never charge on an escape route, in a corridor or stairway, or beside an exit
- Avoid overloading sockets, and use extension leads only if suitably rated and fully uncoiled
- Charge only while someone is around, and unplug once charging is finished
- Cover charging areas with automatic fire detection; the FPA suggests smoke detection, ideally combined with carbon monoxide detection
- Include chargers in your routine checks of portable electrical equipment
Unattended and overnight charging needs a clear rule. LFB says never leave a battery charging unattended, and RE2 says not to leave batteries charging in unoccupied locations. If your operation genuinely needs out-of-hours charging, for example for warehouse equipment, do it only in an area designed for it, with fire separation and detection, and only where your fire risk assessment covers it specifically. LFB also notes that insurers may have requirements beyond the Fire Safety Order.
How should spare and damaged lithium-ion batteries be stored?
Keep spare batteries cool, dry and out of direct sunlight, away from combustible materials and from metal objects that could short-circuit their terminals. RE2 recommends a proprietary metal battery storage cabinet or a fireproof safety bag when batteries are not in use, and a state of charge of no more than 60% for static storage. The FPA also advises keeping battery-powered products apart, because spacing reduces the chance of fire spreading between them. Bulk storage, such as warehouse stock, is a different scale of risk: RE2 summarises insurer guidance on storage limits, sprinklers and fire-separated storage rooms, so take advice from a competent fire risk assessor and your insurer.
Damaged or defective batteries need quarantining:
- Take them out of use immediately and label them so nobody charges them.
- Never open, repair or puncture them. RE2 warns that damaged batteries can still contain energy.
- Contain them. RE2 recommends encasing them in a non-combustible, electrically non-conductive insulating material, typically vermiculite.
- Keep them away from the main building where possible. RE2 suggests a separate building, a two-hour fire-rated room or a non-combustible outside container at least 6 metres from buildings while they await removal.
- Arrange regular collection by a licensed carrier so they do not build up.
Should employers let staff bring e-bikes and e-scooters into work?
That is a decision for your fire risk assessment, and LFB says not all offices will be suitable for storing or charging them. Its Guidance Note 103, aimed at offices under 18 metres high, recommends that:
- they are stored and charged in a dedicated external location where possible, or otherwise in a separated space with suitable fire resistance that protects the escape routes
- in a building with only one escape route, no storage or charging area links directly into it
- the area is on the access level, with direct external access for firefighters
- smoke detection is provided to BS 5839, with signs and a way to isolate the power to charging points from outside
- damaged e-bikes and e-scooters are kept off the premises until a competent person has assessed them
- only the correct chargers are used, and batteries are not taken out to be charged in general circulation spaces
For many employers, the simplest answer is a covered outdoor shelter away from entrances and exits, with no charging or charging only at designated points. Write a short policy covering where bikes and scooters go, whether charging is allowed, which chargers are acceptable, what happens to damaged or converted bikes, and who checks. A bike propped in a corridor is an Article 14 problem, whatever its battery.
What should you do if a lithium-ion battery catches fire at work?
Follow your fire procedure, which for most people means not tackling it. LFB’s advice on what to do if there is a fire is to get out immediately, raise the alarm, call 999 and not attempt to tackle the fire yourself, and the NFCC says the same. In a workplace:
- Raise the alarm at the nearest fire alarm call point and shout a warning.
- Get everyone out, closing doors behind you, and go to the assembly point.
- Call 999 and say that a lithium-ion battery is involved and where it is.
- Stay out. The smoke is toxic and can look like steam, and the battery can flare up again.
- Leave the remains to the fire service. Do not touch or move a burned battery, even if it seems to be out.
Whether anyone should fight an early-stage battery fire is for your fire risk assessment to decide. The FPA’s guidance on controlling lithium-ion battery fires says only suitably trained personnel or emergency responders should attempt it, and only when safe. RE2 says specialist aqueous vermiculite dispersion (AVD) extinguishers may be considered for incipient fires, subject to a competent fire risk assessment, staff training and servicing. Do not assume an ordinary extinguisher will stop thermal runaway: the FPA says these fires are very often only controlled when the fire service applies copious amounts of water. Our guide on how to use a fire extinguisher covers when tackling any fire is appropriate.
How do you dispose of lithium-ion batteries from a business?
Never in general waste or mixed recycling. LFB’s disposal advice says damaged batteries can set bins alight, and the NFCC warns that crushed or punctured batteries cause fires in bin lorries and waste centres.
Under regulation 56 of the Waste Batteries and Accumulators Regulations 2009, no one may dispose of waste industrial or automotive batteries in landfill or by incineration, and GOV.UK’s waste batteries guidance says producers of industrial batteries must take back waste industrial batteries free of charge in certain circumstances, such as when supplying new ones. Ordinary business waste duties apply too: store waste safely, complete a waste transfer note for each load and check your waste carrier is registered. In practice:
- Ask the supplier of your tools, equipment or e-bikes about take-back.
- Otherwise use a licensed waste contractor or battery recycling scheme, and warn them about damaged batteries.
- Keep waste batteries in a non-combustible container, away from metal objects, until collection.
- Remember that lithium batteries are dangerous goods in transport. RE2 says damaged ones should be packed in line with the Carriage of Dangerous Goods Regulations and ADR, the European agreement on carrying dangerous goods by road; your contractor will specify the packaging.
How should you update your fire risk assessment for lithium-ion batteries?
Review it now if it does not mention them. Article 9 requires a recorded review when the assessment may no longer be valid or there has been a significant change. RE2 says fire risk assessments should cover the handling, storage, use and charging of lithium-ion batteries and be carried out by a competent person. Questions to answer:
- Where are batteries used, charged and stored, and roughly how many are there?
- Who charges what, where and when, including out of hours?
- Are any charging points on escape routes or near combustible materials?
- Is there suitable automatic fire detection where batteries are charged and stored?
- What is the policy on staff e-bikes, e-scooters and mobility scooters?
- How are damaged batteries spotted, quarantined and removed?
- What does your insurer require?
Training follows from the assessment. Article 21 requires training when staff face new or increased risks, including from new work equipment or technology, so a new fleet of cordless tools or a cycle-to-work scheme is a trigger. Our guides to the five steps of a fire risk assessment and what fire safety training UK law requires cover both in more detail.
Which courses help with lithium-ion battery fire safety at work?
These three £9 courses work well together for staff, fire wardens and the managers who set charging rules, each with a verifiable certificate:
- Fire Safety Awareness — fire safety law, how fire starts and spreads, detection and means of escape, prevention, the five-step fire risk assessment and emergency procedures.
- Fire Warden Fire Marshal — the same fire safety foundations, plus the day-to-day and emergency duties of a fire warden or fire marshal.
- Electrical Safety Awareness — the Electricity at Work Regulations 1989, how electricity causes shock, burns and fire, user checks, portable appliance testing and RCDs, and what needs a competent electrician.
Any three courses cost £18 with the pay-for-2-get-3 offer. Add them to the cart and the discount applies automatically. These are awareness courses: CPD accredited, but not regulated qualifications. None of them is a specialist lithium-ion battery course, and none makes anyone a fire risk assessor, a battery specialist or competent to carry out electrical work or testing.
Where can you learn more about fire safety at work?
Nexis CPD’s Fire Safety Awareness course gives staff a plain-English grounding in how fires start and spread, how to prevent them and how to respond safely when the alarm sounds.
£9 per course. CPD accredited, 100% online, verifiable e-certificate. Pay for 2, get 3 — any 3 courses for £18. It is awareness training: it does not make anyone a fire risk assessor or a lithium-ion battery specialist.
Frequently asked questions
Is it illegal to charge an e-bike at work?
No law bans it, and no law gives staff a right to it. The employer decides through the fire risk assessment. Fire services advise against charging on escape routes or leaving batteries charging unattended, and many workplaces allow charging only at designated points, or not at all.
Can you leave lithium-ion batteries charging overnight at work?
Fire services and the FPA advise against charging in unoccupied locations. Where out-of-hours charging is genuinely needed, it should happen only in an area designed for it, with fire separation and detection, and covered by the fire risk assessment.
Can a fire extinguisher put out a lithium-ion battery fire?
Not reliably. An ordinary extinguisher may knock down flames but cannot be relied on to stop thermal runaway, and the battery can reignite. Fire services advise getting out and calling 999. The FPA says only suitably trained people should attempt to tackle these fires.
What should you do with a swollen lithium-ion battery?
Stop using and charging it, switch off and unplug it if that is safe, and do not open or puncture it. Quarantine it in your damaged-battery container, report it and send it for proper disposal.
Can lithium-ion batteries go in general waste?
No. They can start fires in bins, collection lorries and waste sites. Use a battery recycling scheme, a supplier take-back scheme or a licensed waste contractor.
Does a fire risk assessment have to cover lithium-ion batteries?
The law does not name them, but the assessment must be suitable and sufficient for the premises. London Fire Brigade says responsible persons should consider how e-bikes and e-scooters are stored and charged, and the FPA says assessments should cover battery handling, storage, use and charging.
This article is general information about lithium-ion battery fire safety in UK workplaces and is not legal advice. Follow the manufacturer’s instructions, your fire risk assessment, your insurer’s requirements and the advice of your local fire and rescue service. The law differs in Scotland and Northern Ireland. Nexis CPD courses are CPD-accredited awareness training, not regulated qualifications, and do not make anyone a fire risk assessor or a lithium-ion battery specialist. If a battery is smoking or on fire, raise the alarm, get out and call 999.