Battery Council International has been selected to develop a US government-backed national training programme for lithium forklift battery safety.

BCI said on October 13 it had been selected by the Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to develop the new safety training programme on lithium ion battery hazards for forklifts and other industrial material handling equipment.

An OSHA funding award under the agency’s Susan Harwood Training Grant Program will provide financial support to BCI, whose recently formed industrial motive power lithium sub-committee will build the programme to help warehouses transitioning to modern battery-powered forklift technology.

The ‘Battery Hazards Training for Industrial Material Handling Equipment’ project will produce classroom-quality, instructor-led training for workers and employers in warehousing, distribution, and industrial operations.

BCI said training will be designed specifically for workplaces that are deploying lithium-powered forklift fleets, either as a conversion from internal combustion engines or in addition to existing lead battery powered forklifts.

Critical safety information will also be provided to workers in training to maintain those fleets. Once reviewed and approved by OSHA, materials will be available at no cost to employers and workers across the US.

Engineering experts from leading BCI member manufacturers including Crown Battery, East Penn Manufacturing, EnerSys, Stryten Energy, Sunlight Batteries and others will support the project.

Final materials will be validated through a four-hour pilot training for 20 workers and employers at a member-affiliated facility operating a lithium ion or mixed forklift fleet, with the full project running through September 2027.

BCI said it currently represents nearly every US forklift battery manufacturer, across both lead and lithium power, which has allowed the trade body to become an authority on material handling issues related to battery-powered equipment — from setting standards and test specifications to gathering shipping statistics to advocating on behalf of the industry.

The move comes as the material handling industry is in the middle of a major transition, BCI said.

Combustion engine forklifts are increasingly rare as battery power has become commonplace and fleets are increasingly adding lithium battery powered vehicles to the mix. Existing safety training was built largely around internal combustion engines and lead batteries, while lithium ion batteries come with unique safety requirements.

BCI said the current forklift marketplace also comes with the potential for confusion as ‘lithium ion’ batteries include a variety of distinct chemistries, including LFP, NMC and NCA, each with its own thermal behaviour, charging profile and safety needs.

Facilities running mixed fleets face the particular risk of applying assumptions from one battery type to another, BCI said.

The new curriculum that will be created by BCI will complement existing industrial truck operator training available from OSHA.

Planned training modules include:

• Lead acid charging hazards and controls, including hydrogen gas, ventilation, and electrolyte safety;
• Lithium ion charging hazards and controls, including thermal runaway warning signs, battery management systems, charging, storage, and handling damaged batteries;
• Managing mixed fleets and emergency responses, comparing an acid spill response with a lithium ion thermal event and coordinating with local fire departments.

Courtney Greco, BCI’s director of technical programs and the project director for the grant, said: “The companies that design, build, and service forklift batteries understand these hazards better than anyone, and there’s no better forum for cross-company collaboration than BCI.”

BCI president and executive director Roger Miksad said: “For decades, BCI and its members have written the playbook on forklift battery safety. Now, with OSHA’s backing via the Susan Harwood grant award, we have been selected to write the next chapter.”