The competition watchdog is seeking input on how to improve safety around the use of lithium-ion batteries as their use escalates for laptops and mobile phones, e-bikes, solar power, scooters and power tools.
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) is concerned at the increasing number of reports of incidents involving damage to people and property and has made lithium-ion batteries a product safety priority.
"They are everywhere and they deliver a good charge," ACCC deputy chair Delia Rickard said.
"However they contain electrolytes, they are extremely volatile and unfortunately we are seeing more of them explode or burst into flames with fires that are very very difficult to put out.
"So the ACCC has put out an issues paper and what we are trying to do is understand the nature of the problem much better and what some of the mitigation strategies may be," she said.
In five years, the ACCC has received over 200 product safety reports about lithium-ion batteries with over 20 products recalled.
"It's both explosions and fires and these fires are really really hard for the firies to put out because they keep igniting," Ms Rickard said.
Battery faults cause fires
Fires often start due to an internal fault in the battery, Superintendent Greg Symonds, manager of the NSW Fire Investigation and Research Unit, said.
"That is through damage or poor manufacturing or using a different charger," he said.
There's also the problem of putting a device on a charger then walking away from it.
"We had one incident on the north coast recently where a young girl was charging an e-skateboard and that caught alight," Superintendent Symonds said.
"Fortunately she was awoken by the sounds of popping and cracking from the skateboard, because you have no sense of smell at night."
There were a few steps consumers could take to improve safety.
The ACCC recommends buying rechargeable batteries from a reputable manufacturer and only charging with the device they come with.
Also consumers are advised not to leave batteries unattended whilst charging, or leave them in places where they are exposed to heat and moisture and to put in smoke alarms close to charging locations.
