The Albany Gazette - Battery Council International to Develop Lithium Forklift Battery Safety Program, Funded by OSHA Grant

ALEXANDRIA, VA / ACCESS Newswire / October 13, 2026 / Battery Council International (BCI), the leading trade association representing the global battery industry, has been selected by the U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to develop new safety training on lithium-ion battery hazards for forklifts and other industrial material handling equipment. An OSHA funding award under the Susan Harwood Training Grant Program will provide financial support to BCI and its recently formed BCI Industrial Motive Power Lithium Subcommittee will build this first-of-its-kind training program to assist warehouses transitioning to modern battery-powered forklift technology.

The project, titled "Battery Hazards Training for Industrial Material Handling Equipment," will produce classroom-quality, instructor-led training for workers and employers in warehousing, distribution, and industrial operations. The training is designed specifically for workplaces that are deploying lithium-powered forklift fleets - either as conversion from internal combustion engines or in addition to existing lead battery powered forklifts. It will also provide critical safety information to workers in training to maintain those fleets. Once reviewed and approved by OSHA, materials will be available at no cost to employers and workers nationwide.

"For decades, BCI and its members have written the playbook on forklift battery safety. Now, with OSHA's backing via the Susan Harwood grant award, we have been selected to write the next chapter," said Roger Miksad, President and Executive Director of BCI. "As lithium-ion takes its place in warehouses across the country, workers need training crafted directly by the experts who design, build, and service these batteries every day."

Battery Council International currently represents nearly every U.S. forklift battery manufacturer, across both lead and lithium power. Thanks to this broad reach, BCI is the authority on material handling issues related to battery-powered equipment - from setting standards and test specifications to gathering shipping statistics to advocating on behalf of the industry.

Closing a critical safety gap

The material handling industry is in the middle of a major transition. Combustion engine forklifts are increasingly rare as battery power has become commonplace - and increasingly, fleets are adding lithium battery powered vehicles to the mix. Existing safety training was built largely around ICE and lead batteries, and lithium-ion batteries come with unique safety requirements.

The current forklift marketplace also comes with the potential for confusion as "lithium-ion" batteries include a variety of distinct chemistries, including lithium iron phosphate (LFP), nickel manganese cobalt (NMC), and nickel cobalt aluminum (NCA), each with its own thermal behavior, charging profile, and safety needs. Facilities running mixed fleets face the particular risk of applying assumptions from one battery type to another.

The new curriculum that will be created by BCI will complement existing industrial truck operator training available from OSHA.

Planned training modules include:

• Lead-acid charging hazards and controls, including hydrogen gas, ventilation, and electrolyte safety
• Lithium-ion charging hazards and controls, including thermal runaway warning signs, battery management systems, charging, storage, and handling damaged batteries
• Managing mixed fleets, including preventing mismatched charging, segregating charging areas, and updating site procedures during the transition
• Emergency response, comparing an acid spill response with a lithium-ion thermal event and coordinating with local fire departments

Training built by the industry, for the industry

BCI's Industrial Motive Power Lithium Subcommittee will provide technical input and review at every stage of the project, from the course outline through final OSHA submission. Engineering experts from leading BCI member manufacturers including Crown Battery, East Penn Manufacturing, Enersys, Stryten Energy, Sunlight Battery, and others, are generously lending their expertise to the project. Membership in the Lithium Subcommittee is open to any BCI member company with products in this space.

Final materials will be validated through a four-hour pilot training for 20 workers and employers at a member-affiliated facility operating a lithium-ion or mixed forklift fleet, with the full project running through September 2027.

"The companies that design, build, and service forklift batteries understand these hazards better than anyone, and there's no better forum for cross-company collaboration than BCI," said Courtney Greco, BCI's Director of Technical Programs and the Project Director for the grant. "The Industrial Motive Power Lithium Subcommittee is lucky to have such a knowledgeable community of battery experts, and we welcome anyone who wants to join this group's ongoing efforts to support the materials handling industry."

The Industrial Motive Power Lithium Subcommittee held its first official meeting Oct. 6 in Philadelphia to begin work on the project and set the direction of the training. Committee participation is open to staff of BCI member companies at no cost. Companies in the lithium-ion or material handling supply chain that are not yet BCI members can learn about membership here.

"The evolution of global battery markets creates many exciting opportunities for BCI and its members, but also challenges. The knowledge gap around lithium-ion battery safety in material handling applications is one such example, but our members are stepping up to ensure every warehouse employee has the training they need to do their job safely and successfully," said BCI's Roger Miksad. "We welcome any company that builds, sells, or services lithium-ion forklift batteries to the table to help us with this effort - and perhaps more importantly, to join Battery Council International in our long-term mission to support safe, resilient, and successful energy storage across all applications."

For more information, contact [email protected]

About Battery Council International

Battery Council International (BCI) is the leading trade association representing the global battery industry. Founded in 1924, BCI advocates and educates on behalf of battery manufacturers and recyclers, marketers and retailers, suppliers of raw materials and equipment, and battery distributors. With a unified voice, BCI conveys an industry-wide commitment to sustainability, safety, and science. BCI unites stakeholders across the battery industry to promote education, science, and advocacy efforts to support the next generation of energy storage solutions. Learn more at https://batterycouncil.org.

SOURCE: Battery Council International

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(W.Walker--TAG)