Inspection Checklist for Your Lithium-ion Battery Charging Cabinet

If you’ve purchased a lithium-ion battery charging and storage cabinet, you’re taking the right steps towards reducing risk in your operations. But if you’re a regular reader of our blog, you’ll understand that the purchase is just the beginning of your risk management journey.  

Making sure that your battery cabinet is installed, used and maintained properly means that you’re not only ensuring optimum safety, but you’re looking after your equipment so it will keep performing for many years or decades to come. In this post, we’ll be listing our recommended advice for an inspection checklist so you can tick off any housekeeping, usage or maintenance issues with your Storemasta battery charging and storage cabinets. 

How Do You Look After a Battery Storage Cabinet? 

Whether you’ve got an industrial robot, an outdoor chemical store, a motor mower or a forklift, every piece of equipment requires regular inspections and maintenance to ensure safety and efficiency of performance.  

As a Class 9 dangerous goods storage solution, battery storage cabinets also require the same attention and care if you want your equipment to work for you. 

In our checklist, we’ve put together suggested regular checks that will help you detect any potential problems with the way your battery charging cabinet or store has been installed, used or looked after by your team. 

How you use your battery charging cabinet can impact it’s efficacy and longevity.>

Post-Installation Checks for Battery Cabinet 

In most settings, the installation checklist for your battery cabinet is quite simple.  

As with any type of flammable dangerous goods, make sure you have isolated heat and ignition sources, and placed the cabinet in a safe location with a stable, level footing. 

Post-installation checks for your battery cabinet include: 

• Site is flat, level and capable of holding the weight of the filled cabinet or store 
• Ignition sources, heat sources and incompatible substances are kept away from the battery cabinet 
• Cabinet is not placed in direct sunlight 
• Your cabinet’s location does not impede emergency exits or evacuation routes  
• No threat of vehicle collision or falling objects 
• The electrical power point is suitable for use with the cabinet 
• The cabinet’s intake and outlet are at least 400-500mm away from any walls or structures to ensure safety 
• Battery cabinets are to be installed indoors only  - NOTE: If you require outdoor storage for batteries, we recommend an outdoor battery store which is designed for those conditions 

 Daily Checks for Battery Charging Cabinets 

Every day, prior to usage, you should develop a habit of checking your batteries, equipment and chargers for signs of damage or misuse. It’s also a good time to give your store a once over in case anything is creating a hazard. 

Battery Health 

We recommend that you check: 

• Batteries are in good condition and undamaged 
• No signs of flammable electrolyte leakage 
• Chargers meet safety standards and are suitable for equipment 
• Only authorised personnel are accessing the batteries 

Door Closing System 

Installation on a level base is important for any type of safety cabinet – including a lithium-ion battery charging cabinet.  Ensuring the door closing system works correctly will allow your cabinet to provide a heat barrier that allows for the evacuation of your workplace in the event of a battery fire. The doors closing properly will also prohibit unauthorised access and theft. 

Check that the cabinet doors: 

• Close tightly and in sequence 
• Latch correctly 
• Handle and lock are working as they should 

Check the cabinet to ensure that all controls are working as they should, including the door closing system.

Battery Storage Equipment 

Every day, check your battery cabinet to ensure: 

• Electrical outlets are in good working order with no damage or sparks
• Inspect the doors to ensure that they are closing tightly and in sequence  
• Shelving is secured and in the right position for usage 
• Check that all the power points and the fan are working 
• There is no debris or rubbish inside or close to the battery cabinet  
• Safety data sheets for batteries held are nearby in a marked folder 
• Temperatures within the cabinet are suitable for the batteries being charged and stored (see the SDS for further details about safe temperature ranges) 

IMPORTANT: Storemasta have been producing battery charging cabinets since 2022. This post is designed to assist with the maintenance of this equipment in particular, to help you reduce wear and tear, damage or any potential hazards that may occur with misuse. However, don’t forget that all dangerous goods storage equipment requires inspection and maintenance, so consider this as a part of your overall chemical risk management strategy. 

Weekly Checks for Battery Cabinets 

Every week, do a check of the battery cabinet. This should include the daily task, plus some other key tasks including: 

• Self-closing, self-latching door mechanism is working correctly  
• Door closing speed is suitable for operations (adjustment is available via the screw on the hydraulic door closer) 
• Locks should be in good working order; spare keys are available from Storemasta if required 
• Fan blades are inspected and cleaned (extra consideration must be given with under ground operations as dust will build up)  
• Spill containment bund is checked for any dust, debris or leakage and clean it out using PPE and the appropriate spill clean up equipment 
• Cabinet has not suffered any type of damage including dents or scratches 

REMEMBER: Consider lithium-ion battery fires into your emergency planning and fire protection strategies. Determine suitable fire extinguishers, fire suppression systems, alarm systems and emergency evacuation plans. 

Electrical Inspections 

As the battery charging cabinet is an electrically certified storage solution, it’s important to also consider the health of your workplace’s electrical work — as well as the ongoing inspection and maintenance of the outlets. 

We recommend: 

• Schedule routine inspections and maintenance (test and tag) by a certified electrician 

IMPORTANT: We recommend creating a regular inspection and maintenance schedule to ensure your battery charging and storage cabinet remains in good condition. Train specific staff to conduct the inspections and keep records of your inspections and maintenance.  

Inspection Checklist

Creating an inspection checklist for your Storemasta battery charging and storage cabinet will help you maintain safety. It’s also a good basis for lithium-ion battery training, so staff are aware of the hazards and best practices. We also suggest you create a standard operating procedure, so staff are confident when plugging in batteries and using the cabinet in their daily duties.  

If you’d like a checklist for your other dangerous goods cabinets, we have a magnetic safety cabinet maintenance checklist that can help. Just click the link and the Storemasta team will send you a magnetic cabinet checklist that you can use on your chemical storage cabinets, such as flammable liquids or toxic substance cabinets.