Fire Prevention Week puts charging habits in focus. For businesses, the stakes include employee safety, damaged equipment, and interrupted operations.
By US City Pulse
A cordless tool charging in a stockroom. A laptop plugged in overnight. An employee’s e-bike parked near an exit.
Battery-powered devices are part of everyday business operations. That makes the way they are purchased, charged, and discarded an operational concern.
Fire Prevention Week, October 4–10, focuses this year on safe lithium-ion battery charging. The National Fire Protection Association’s campaign offers a timely reason for employers to review practices that can otherwise become routine and overlooked.
The national fire picture
The U.S. Fire Administration estimates that nonresidential building fires caused 150 deaths, 950 injuries, and approximately $3.47 billion in dollar losses in 2024. The estimated number of fires was 111,900.
These figures cover fires from all causes in nonresidential buildings, including properties beyond private businesses. They do not count battery fires.
They do show the scale of the broader risk confronting workplaces and community facilities. For an individual company, a fire can also interrupt deliveries, displace employees, and leave customers waiting while operations recover.
A battery-specific study demonstrates how the consequences can extend beyond the original user. EPA’s 2021 report identified 245 fires caused, or likely caused, by lithium metal or lithium-ion batteries at 64 waste facilities and related locations across 28 states between 2013 and 2020.
That was a compilation of identified incidents, not a complete national count or an estimate of today’s annual rate. Reported effects included injuries, emergency response, service disruption, and monetary losses.
Where businesses encounter the risk
Offices use laptops and phones. Contractors and maintenance crews use cordless tools. Retailers may hold battery-powered merchandise and returned products. Employees may bring rechargeable personal devices into the workplace.
The practical issue is whether the business knows how those devices are being managed.
A company may have purchasing standards for its own equipment while allowing employees to use unsuitable replacement chargers. It may have designated storage areas but no clear process for a swollen battery or a damaged customer return.
Address those gaps before a warning sign becomes an emergency.
Turn charging guidance into everyday practice
NFPA recommends buying products listed by a nationally recognized testing laboratory, using the charger supplied with the device or approved by its manufacturer, and charging on a hard, flat surface.
It also advises unplugging devices when fully charged, keeping charging equipment from blocking exits, and charging larger items such as e-bikes, scooters, and power tools outside when possible.
Stop using devices that become very hot, swell, leak, smell unusual, smoke, or make popping or hissing sounds.
For employers, these recommendations translate into concrete decisions: where charging is allowed, which chargers are acceptable, who checks equipment, and how employees report problems. Charging arrangements should follow manufacturer instructions and account for the site’s conditions.
Employees also need a clear emergency response. The U.S. Fire Administration advises evacuating and calling 911 immediately if a lithium-ion battery fire occurs, rather than trying to extinguish it.
Disposal is part of the operating process
Replacing a battery does not end the responsibility for it.
EPA warns against putting lithium-ion batteries in ordinary trash or municipal recycling bins. Crushing and processing can damage batteries and create a fire hazard elsewhere in the waste system.
Businesses should arrange an appropriate collection or recycling route and confirm applicable requirements with their waste provider or state waste agency. A household drop-off program should not be assumed to accept commercial quantities.
Damaged batteries need specific handling guidance from the manufacturer or appropriate waste authority.
Why this matters to communities
A fire at one workplace can affect neighboring tenants, suppliers and customers. A waste-facility fire can disrupt collection and recycling services across a larger area.
Businesses can use this week’s campaign to walk through charging locations, inspect devices and chargers, review disposal arrangements and make sure employees know how to report a problem.
The useful outcome is a repeatable practice: an approved charging location, clear equipment standards, a disposal process and someone responsible for keeping them current.
Contributed by Paladin Risk Control. Want help identifying risks that could disrupt your business? Contact Paladin Risk Control to start a conversation.
Sources
National Fire Protection Association — Fire Prevention Week: This year’s campaign and safe-charging focus.
NFPA — 2026 Battery Charging Safety Tips: Charger selection, charging locations and battery warning signs.
U.S. Fire Administration — National Nonresidential Building Fire Estimates: The 2024 estimates of 111,900 fires and approximately $3.47 billion in losses, covering all causes.
EPA — Analysis of Battery Fires in Waste Management and Recycling: The study identifying 245 battery-related fires at 64 facilities and related locations during 2013–2020.
U.S. Fire Administration — Lithium-Ion Battery Safety: Fire prevention and emergency-response guidance.
EPA — Used Lithium-Ion Batteries: Proper recycling and disposal, including considerations for businesses.