Strengthening Battery Product and Factory Management Standards... Preventing Recurrence of 'Arisel Fire'

Lithium Batteries Designated as Special Flammable Materials
Development of New Materials and Technologies to Reduce Risk in Accidents...Including Dedicated Fire Extinguishers

In June, following a fire at Arisell's lithium battery factory that resulted in 23 deaths, the government announced measures to prevent recurrence by strengthening standards for battery products and factory management.

On the 10th, the Ministry of the Interior and Safety announced that it had prepared the "Battery Factory Fire Recurrence Prevention Measures" based on a task force meeting involving related ministries and private experts. The measures consist of 37 improvement tasks across four major areas, aiming to substantially reduce battery factory fires and minimize human and material damage.

Measures to Prevent Recurrence of Fire at Battery Factory

First, management standards for battery products and factories will be strengthened. Lithium batteries, which have a high fire risk, will be designated as special combustible materials under the "Act on the Prevention of Fire and Safety Management," and management standards will be established for product stacking and storage, use of fire-resistant structures and smoke-proof materials, etc. Management of military storage warehouses handling high-capacity lithium batteries will be reinforced by supplementing facility requirements and introducing new inspection checklists.

For battery factories, the scope and standards of applicable fire-related laws will be improved to strengthen hazardous material process safety management. Fire safety impact assessments will be conducted on battery factories to analyze fire causes and identify improvement tasks to mitigate risks.

Efforts will also be made to develop new materials and technologies to reduce risks in battery product accidents. Technologies using "solid electrolytes" instead of "liquid electrolytes," which have low ignition points and are vulnerable to fire, will be developed, along with additives to prevent short circuits caused by separator damage. Fire extinguishing agents adaptable to fires involving water-reactive materials will be developed, and testing standards for metal fire extinguishers will be established. A "Lithium Primary Battery Product Safety Management TF" involving industry, academia, and research institutes will be formed and operated to promote institutional improvements across lithium primary battery products.

Fire evacuation and response systems will also be further strengthened. Guidelines for worker behavior considering the characteristics of battery fires will be created, and additional evacuation facilities will be installed. Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) information will be revised to reflect "response methods for explosions and fires involving water-reactive materials," and this will be utilized in workplace training.

Safety education targeting vulnerable workers such as foreign workers will be enhanced, and education and training for new firefighters will be strengthened. All foreign workers will be required to complete basic safety and health education before being assigned to workplaces.

Minister of the Interior and Safety Lee Sang-min stated, "We will thoroughly manage the implementation status together with related agencies to ensure that the measures prepared this time are promptly applied on site," and added, "The government will continue to improve the safety management system with the mindset of taking responsibility for the safety of all workers who are quietly working in industrial sites."