Fire Safety
Lithium Battery Charging Fire Safety for Businesses (2026)
A practical UK business guide to reducing lithium battery charging fire risk, including zoning, charging rules, training and assessment updates.
Key takeaway
If lithium battery charging happens on your site, it should be explicitly controlled in your fire risk assessment, charging policy, and staff training.
Lithium battery risk has moved from a niche issue to a mainstream facilities problem for UK businesses. If your site has e-bikes, e-scooters, power tools, handheld scanners, radios, or backup battery packs, you already have this risk in your building.
In January 2026, London Fire Brigade reported a record number of e-bike and e-scooter incidents in 2025 and repeated its call for tighter product regulation. At the same time, UK Government and fire sector guidance continues to stress that poor quality, modified, damaged, or mismatched batteries and chargers are the biggest risk factors.
For employers and responsible persons, this risk is no longer confined to home safety. It is now a workplace fire prevention and business continuity issue.
Why This Is Trending in 2026
Three factors are driving boardroom attention this year.
- Higher incident volume: Fire and rescue services continue to report growing call-outs linked to lithium battery failures.
- More battery devices on site: Warehousing, logistics, retail, FM, and hospitality operations now rely on rechargeable equipment every day.
- Regulatory pressure: Government and fire guidance has become more specific on safe purchase, charging, storage, and disposal practices.
What The Current UK Guidance Says
For business premises, the most useful starting point is Government guidance on managing fire risk from e-cycle and e-scooter batteries in premises. It links risk controls to legal duties under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 and asks responsible persons to assess charging, storage, and evacuation risk properly.
Government campaigns such as Buy Safe, Be Safe focus on practical controls including product compliance marks, correct chargers, and avoiding unsafe charging behaviour. London Fire Brigade and other services have added operational guidance for responsible persons to help convert those principles into site rules.
If your current fire risk assessment does not explicitly cover lithium battery charging and storage, it is likely out of date for many modern workplaces.
A Practical 7 Point Control Plan for Business Sites
1. Define a charging zone
Do not allow ad hoc charging in corridors, fire exits, stair cores, reception desks, or plant access routes. Set a designated charging area with clear separation from escape routes and combustible materials.
2. Lock down procurement
Only buy batteries, chargers, and conversion components from reputable suppliers. Check for UKCA or CE compliance marks where applicable, and block unknown marketplace imports from being brought into operations without approval.
3. Enforce charger matching
A common failure pattern is mismatched chargers and batteries. Site policy should require original or manufacturer approved chargers only, with visual checks during inspections.
4. Screen for battery condition
Swelling, impact damage, overheating, unusual smell, smoke, or repeated charging faults should trigger immediate quarantine and removal from service.
5. Control charging times
Avoid unattended overnight charging where possible. Build charging windows into shift routines so teams can supervise and intervene early if there are warning signs.
6. Train teams on first response
Staff should know escalation steps, alarm activation, evacuation actions, and who to contact. Training should be short, role-specific, and repeated for new starters.
7. Align systems and maintenance
Fire detection, compartmentation, access control, and evacuation procedures should be reviewed together. If charging areas have expanded since your last alarm service review, update system coverage and documentation.
Common Mistakes We Still See
- Charging directly by final exits or in narrow circulation routes.
- No asset register for batteries and chargers, so nobody knows what is on site.
- Conversion kits and replacement batteries purchased outside approved channels.
- No rule for isolating damaged batteries.
- Fire risk assessment written before battery use scaled up.
Where FIDEC Can Help
We help commercial and industrial clients review the practical side of lithium battery fire risk with a joined-up lens across fire alarms, life safety, access control, and evacuation planning.
If your site now has regular battery charging activity, this is the right time to review controls before an avoidable incident forces urgent changes.
Contact FIDEC Security Solutions for a free site survey or fire and security review. Call 0333 3662 007 or email info@fidecss.co.uk.
Sources
Questions people ask
What is the main fire risk with lithium battery charging?
The main risk is that a damaged, poor-quality, overloaded or incorrectly charged lithium battery can overheat and enter thermal runaway, which can produce a fast, difficult fire. For businesses, the concern is where charging happens, what is nearby and whether staff would spot a problem early. Treat charging as a managed activity, not background clutter.
Where should businesses charge lithium batteries?
Businesses should charge lithium batteries in a controlled area away from escape routes, combustible stock, waste, public areas and unattended high-risk locations. The area should have suitable sockets, clear spacing, supervision, and a simple rule for damaged batteries or chargers. If charging is frequent or high-volume, document the arrangement in the fire risk assessment.
Do lithium battery charging areas need fire detection?
They often need suitable fire detection nearby, but the right approach depends on the premises, battery quantity, charging location and existing alarm coverage. A small office charging a few devices is different from a warehouse charging tools, e-bikes or handling equipment. Review detection, staff response and maintenance together so the alarm helps people act quickly.
What should staff do if a battery looks damaged?
Staff should stop using a damaged, swollen, leaking, hot or suspect battery and move it into the agreed safe process for the site. Do not keep charging it, leave it on a desk or place it near combustibles. The business should have a clear reporting route, isolation point and disposal process for suspect batteries.