Battery Collection - Safety

Safety

There are several risks associated with storing, handling and transporting batteries. The most catastrophic of which involve their potential to create a fire. Metal Recovery Industries’ BTS Containers provide a safer alternative for storing and transporting batteries. However, there are still some fire risks associated with their use. The main risks are due to the poor stacking of batteries into the container, the inclusion of metal objects such as steel case batteries and the inclusion of other battery chemistries (non lead acid).

Below we have documented how to identify lead acid batteries from other battery chemistries and how to safely stack lead acid batteries into the BTS Containers to minimize the potential fire risks.

How to correctly stack batteries

 

Used Lead Acid Batteries (ULAB) pose a fire risk, particularly if they retain residual charge. To eliminate the fire risk we recommend the following approach to stacking batteries in the BTS Containers.

  • All batteries should be stacked vertically and in the upright position and reasonably compact to prevent any excessive movement during transport. A battery than can topple on its side or upside-down during transport could create a short circuit and fire, if its terminals come in contact with another battery’s terminals.
  • Metal Case Batteries must only be included in the container’s bottom layer. This is critical as the metal can create the conditions for a short circuit if it comes in contact with a battery’s positive & negative terminal. Stacking a steel or metal case battery on top of another battery is a high risk scenario. Additional layers of cardboard, slightly thicker than the length of the battery terminals, should be placed around the metal battery to further minimize the risk.

The following video demonstrates how to safely stack batteries into Battery Rescue’s BTS Container.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j9w9WnR81kk&t=3s

Accepted Batteries

  • Only lead acid batteries can be placed in the BTS Containers.
  • No other battery chemistries can be included.
    • If you are unsure if a battery is a lead acid battery or not, look for the Pb (lead) symbol.
  • If the battery it marked with the Pb Symbol it can be included in the BTS Container
  • Lead acid batteries can come in many shapes and sizes. The 2 main types are wet (acid electrolyte) and non-spillable (gel electrolyte). Non-spillable batteries, include sealed lead acid, valve regulated lead acid (VRLA) batteries, AGM and industrial batteries.