After a lithium-ion battery fire devastated their workplace, and caused the business to shut for almost three months, The Buggy Man contacted Storemasta to find a solution to mitigate lithium-ion battery fire risk.
The Buggy Man, David Blakeley, in his new Roseville workshop.
Faulty Battery Sparks Fire in Roseville Business
The Buggy Man is a small, family-run business that services, repairs and sells motorised golf buggies. While working with lithium-ion powered batteries may be all in a day’s work, controlling the real risk of battery fires has now become a key concern for this Roseville-based business.
“I reached out to Storemasta as I had a fire in my workshop — caused by charging a customer’s battery that could no longer make it through a round of golf,” explains David Blakeley, owner of The Buggy Man.
“I had to charge the battery before putting it on the battery tester, and unfortunately, the battery shorted and burst into flames, causing a pretty severe fire.”
The Cost of a Li-ion Fire
When lithium-ion batteries succumb to thermal overload and fire, the blaze will burn quickly and create a dangerous environment of toxic fumes and dangerous chemical emissions.
The heat generated from one enflamed battery can then spark a series of ignitions in other nearby cells, which only adds to the danger and scope of a lithium battery fire.
A burnt out shell is all that remains of The Buggy Man's previous premises after a lithium-ion battery caused a devestating fire.
Lithium-ion battery fires are also extremely difficult to put out, as the cells can continue to reignite even after they have been put out by fire crews.
These types of fires can lead to the rapid destruction of homes or business premises, including all equipment and belongings that are stored in or near the property. Li-ion fires also pose a risk to staff, customers and the community.
Lithium-ion Fire Prevention
“After the fire, I realised I required a better solution to safely store and charge customers’ lithium-ion batteries — especially as you do not know the full history of the battery as customers are not always upfront with you how it’s been cared for,” says David.
“I did some research online and found Storemasta. I reached out by completing an online enquiry form and was quickly contacted by a sales rep and we went through my requirements and settled on the 18 outlet battery charging cabinet.”
The electrically certified cabinet provides the right conditions in which to safely charge and store lithium-ion cells.
Fire Containment Features
Storemasta battery cabinets have been designed and constructed in Australia to provide a safe charging and storage space for lithium-ion batteries and their respective chargers.
Cabinets feature fully certified electrical work, with built-in mechanisms to ensure a safe, secure and cool storage environment that minimises the risk of overheated batteries.
The fire containment features slow the spread of a lithium-ion battery fire, with the dual -walled steel cabinet and thermal air barrier providing vital fire protection for the workplace.
“The cabinet keeps the inside temperate cool and in the event of a fire will contain the blaze and prevent the fire spreading and stop heat radiation,” explains David.
Making Lithium-ion Battery Safety a Top Priority
Since the installation of the Storemasta 18 outlet battery charging and storage cabinet, The Buggy Man has been able to successfully reduce lithium-ion battery fire risk in their workplace and create a safer environment for staff to work in.
If you're unsure about the controls needed to reduce your battery fire risk, reach out to our experienced Dangerous Goods Storage Consultants who can devise an effective solution to suit your workplace.
We design and manufacture our lithium-ion battery charging and storage cabinets right here in Australia, and offer optional extras to increase safety such as fire suppression systems, lithium-ion battery fire extinguishers and smoke alarms — as well as our full range of dangerous goods handling and storage solutions.
