Keeping employees, communities, and products safe is integral to the work of Battery Council International (BCI). BCI member firms that operate battery manufacturing and recycling facilities strive to exceed OSHA standards and continually advance their efforts to protect employees, communities and the environment.
For over 30 years, BCI has partnered with its members to prioritize employee health and safety. BCI members have a proven history of voluntary investments in advanced safety training, on-site hygiene facilities, modern safety equipment and cutting-edge environmental technology.
As a testament to the industry’s commitment to employee well-being, the health and safety standards at manufacturing and recycling facilities meet and often exceed federal and state requirements in the U.S. Many of these facilities are at the forefront of the manufacturing industry in providing a safe workplace.
In addition to prioritizing employee safety, the industry is committed to being a good neighbor in its communities. This includes operating responsibly, investing in advanced air quality controls, practicing environmental stewardship, and adhering to federal and state environmental regulations.
BCI also advocates for consistent and strong environmental and safety standards for battery markets around the world. These efforts aim to share the high standards of BCI members with developing markets to support best practices for employee safety, material sourcing, manufacturing and recycling.
Member manufacturing and recycling facilities typically operate in controlled environments with elaborate networks of ventilation and negative air pressure systems to capture any particles that might otherwise escape to the outside environment. These particles are captured in fine particle air filters where they are collected and properly recycled.
These advanced air safety systems are made possible by the experience gained from many years of manufacturing and recycling lead batteries in the U.S. In addition, voluntary agreements between battery manufacturers, recyclers, and OSHA have systematically reduced worker exposure to lead hazards.
To keep microscopic particles of airborne emissions to a minimum, manufacturers and recyclers use high-efficiency air filters and wet scrubbers to filter plant air before it is released into the atmosphere.
The filters are inspected and replaced regularly. The filters also are equipped with alarms, and the process is shut down or re-routed should a filter tear or break.
U.S. lead battery recyclers provide workers with the personal protective equipment (PPE) required for their specific work areas. This ensures that employees are safeguarded from potential hazards while performing their daily tasks, including handling lead, acid, and other materials. PPE is part of a comprehensive employee safety program that combines equipment, training, and protocols to maintain a safe workplace.
PPE is carefully selected based on the type of work and potential exposure risks, from gloves, aprons, and respirators to full-body suits in higher-risk areas. Workers receive hands-on training in proper use, inspection, and maintenance of their equipment, ensuring it provides effective protection at all times. Combined with engineering controls, hygiene protocols, and ongoing safety education, PPE helps create a multi-layered defense that keeps employees safe on the job and prevents contaminants from leaving the facility.
BCI supports labeling initiatives to facilitate safer battery recycling to protect workers, the environment, and valuable recycling infrastructure. Better labeling standards would decrease the cross-contamination of recycling streams that leads to safety hazards. Consistent labeling standard for all battery chemistries should build on the successful model of lead battery collection networks.
The lead battery industry has a legacy of:
BCI advocates that all batteries, regardless of chemistry, should have labels with a consistent and simple marking to encourage and aid recycling.
BCI also stresses that it would be counterproductive to adopt guidelines or requirements that could interrupt the existing, extremely successful, and industry-funded retail collection network for lead batteries.
Lead battery manufacturers and recyclers use advanced processes, protocols and equipment to control lead release:
Manufacturers and recyclers capture and treat process water to keep lead out of streams and rivers. The water is tested before it is released to be certain it meets clean water standards.
At recycling plants, air monitors are installed at the perimeter of each property to make sure any lead in the air is below the allowable limit. The limit is .15 micrograms of lead per cubic meter of air, three month rolling average. This is an extremely conservative limit. To illustrate just how stringent this requirement is, OSHA says a worker inside a plant may be safe even if exposed to 50 micrograms of lead per cubic meter of air every day.
Children can be exposed to lead when a parent who works at a lead plant carries dust home on shoes or work clothes, or in the worker’s hair. OSHA regulations require workers in high-lead-exposure areas of the plant to leave work clothes and shoes there and to shower and wash their hair before going home. They also require workers in high-lead areas of the plant to wear a respirator, a device that filters lead particles out of the air a worker breathes. Education programs train workers to wash thoroughly before eating or smoking during lunch or breaks, and to practice other habits that safeguard their health.
Plants have a regular program of exterior vacuuming or washing down paved areas and capturing and treating rainwater runoff. Vehicles that transport lead products typically are hosed down before leaving a facility so that any dust on tires or the vehicle body is not carried to public roads.
Crown Battery has built workplace safety into its culture, systems and facilities, and emphasizes safety training year round. But the company adds a layer of fun during OSHA’s annual Safe and Sound Week. Employees scan QR codes on posters to access questions on safety topics and compete for prizes in a scavenger hunt trivia game.
Read how Crown Battery is using creativity to get employees engaged in safety.
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