Cargo

Maintaining safe lithium battery operations

With an increase in shipments of lithium batteries, the industry is aiming for a network of stakeholders certified in safely transporting such goods

IATA has launched the Center of Excellence for Independent Validators (CEIV) Lithium Battery, a new industry certifi cation program.

Already the industry is benefi ting from IATA CEIV programs in live animal transportation (CEIV Live

Animals), pharmaceuticals (CEIV

Pharma), and perishables (CEIV Fresh).

Shipments of lithium batteries— whether alone or with fi nished products—must comply with stringent global safety standards. This includes how they must be manufactured, tested, packed, marked, labeled, and documented.

There has, however, been an increasing number of incidents where shipments of lithium batteries have either been intentionally mis-declared and are non-compliant with existing regulations. Given the increasing use of lithium batteries as an energy source for consumer goods—from mobile phones to children’s toys— there is a real need to address safety risks to ensure that the security of the supply chain is not compromised.

“Lithium batteries are critical power sources for many consumer goods on which we all rely,” says Willie Walsh, IATA’s Director General. “And it is vital that we can ship them safely by air either with fi nished products or as components in global supply chains. That’s why we developed the CEIV Lithium Battery certifi cation. It gives shippers and airlines assurance that certifi ed logistic companies operate to the highest safety and security standards when shipping lithium batteries.”

Accreditation process

CEIV Lithium Battery is based on the stipulations in the IATA Dangerous Goods Regulations (DGR) and IATA Lithium Battery Shipping Regulations (LBSR). These documents establish the baseline standards that improve the level of competency and quality management in the handling and carriage of lithium batteries throughout the supply chain.

CEIV Lithium Battery takes the standards to the next level through a three-step accreditation process. 1. Training: The Lithium Battery

Safety Logistics Management training prepares all personnel involved in the handling and transport of lithium batteries. 2. Assessment: An assessment against the dedicated CEIV Lithium Battery audit checklist ensures compliance with the latest standards. Extensive feedback, including a gap analysis, highlights areas of improvement. 3. Validation: A fi nal validation verifi es that any fi ndings from the gap analysis have been addressed to ensure that the organization meets the program’s standards.

CEIV Lithium Battery certifi cation lasts for two years and successful organizations are listed on the IATA One Source registry. Re-certifi cation includes a refresher training and a re-validation to check continued compliance with the standards.