Clear definition on damaged/defective by the UN Subcommittee of Experts - Special Provision 376

Clear definition on damaged/defective by the UN Subcommittee of Experts - Special Provision 376

Clear definition on damaged/defective by the UN Subcommittee of Experts
The UN Subcommittee of experts on the Transport of Dangerous Goods has decided in their 53. session at the beginning of July to include criteria that need to be verified in order to decide whether a lithium cell or lithium battery is damaged/defective.

The note that will be added to Special Provision 376 probably for the 2021 version of the UN Model Regulations reads:

In assessing a cell or battery as damaged or defective, an assessment or evaluation should be performed based on safety criteria from the cell, battery or product manufacturer or by a technical expert with knowledge of the cell’s or battery’s safety features. An assessment or evaluation may include, but is not limited to, the following criteria:
- Acute hazard, such as gas, fire, or electrolyte leaking;
- The use or misuse of the cell or battery;
- Signs of physical damage, such as deformation to cell or battery casing,
  or colours on the casing;
- External and internal short circuit protection, such as voltage or isolation
  measures;
- The condition of the cell or battery safety features; or
- Damage to any internal safety components, such as the battery
  management system.

The complete report ST/SG/AC.10/C.3/106/Add.1 can be found here:
https://www.unece.org/fileadmin/DAM/trans/danger/ST-SG-AC10-C3-106-Add1e.pdf

Risk assessment required
In our portal we refrained from offering a checklist on assessing defects or damages because such an assessment can only be done via a risk assessment by an expert who knows the cell resp. the battery and their built-up/chemistry.

When you sell lithium cells / lithium batteries we can only advise you to proactively make such a risk assessment in order to give your employees clear work instruction on how to assess whether after a package was damaged the ltihium cell resp. lithium battery is OK, damaged/defective or safety critically defective.

If you need an expert to help you develop company specific risk assessments to decide whether a lithium cell or lithium battery is OK, damaged/defective or safety critically defective, you may contact us under:
https://www.lithium-batterie-service.de/en/contact/consulting

Sample of an assessment checklist for product returns
If you´d like to get a sample of such a checklist on damaged/defective lithium cells or lithium batteries, send us a note under:
https://www.lithium-batterie-service.de/en/contact/consulting

Checklist article on damaged/defective lithium cells or lithium batteries
Lithium-Battery-Service offers checklist articles for shipping preparation for all transport varieties on all transport modes ( road as per ADR, sea as per IMDG Code and air transport as per  ICAO TI/IATA DGR) also for damaged/defective cells/batteries in road and sea transport. In air transport   they are prohibited.

The checklist articles on the damaged/defective lithium cells and lithium batteries you can find unter „FIND A SINGLE CHECKLIST“ via the detailed search.
First you click on the type of cell or battery and then chose „defective battery“. You may then click on the transport mode.

A single checklist costs EUR 25,— (plus VAT for companies based in Germany).