Electrical appliances
Topic outline
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Batteries and accumulators
Safety
The use of batteries in electrical products, especially lithium-ion batteries, has increased dramatically as battery performance has improved, and prices have fallen. Battery safety is important, as batteries cause many electrical fires. In general, however, batteries are quite safe, and there are only a few reported cases of hazards concerning them in relation to how common they are.
Battery safety is regulated by the Electrical Safety Act. The legislation provides only general safety and health requirements and labelling requirements for batteries. Standards provide more detailed technical and labelling requirements.
Safety-related markings
Battery packs often contain a variety of illustrated instructions – pictograms – that quickly explain the main points about their use. These include a sign indicating the correct installation direction, a sign denying recharging, a “do not throw into fire” sign, a “do not short-circuit” sign, and so on.
You should remember that in toys, the opening of the battery compartment must be locked with a screw, for example. See the requirements for toys for more details.
Standardisation
The European Commission has co-established a standard database for batteries and the integration of their systems. The database contains more than 400 standards, and you can search for standards on the database based on the issuer, country, content, scope, part of the life cycle and purpose.
Material restrictions
Environmental requirements for batteries come from the Finnish Government decree on batteries and accumulators and the Finnish Waste Act, and the capacity labelling from the Commission’s regulation.
The decree on batteries and accumulators divides batteries and accumulators into
- portable batteries and accumulators
- industrial batteries and accumulators
- vehicle batteries and accumulators.
Portable batteries and accumulators are sealed and hand-held, and they are not for industrial or vehicle use. Regular batteries, button batteries and mobile phone batteries are typical examples of portable batteries and accumulators.
A vehicle battery or accumulator is used for the starting, lights or ignition of a vehicle. Industrial batteries and accumulators are designed for industrial or professional use only, or for use in electric vehicles. The 12 V lead-acid battery in an electric vehicle is an example of a vehicle battery, while the traction battery in an electric car is classified as an industrial battery. Batteries used with solar panels are also considered industrial batteries, even if they are used by consumers.
In batteries and accumulators, the amount of mercury and cadmium has been limited. The mercury limit applies to all batteries and accumulators, but the cadmium limit applies to portable batteries and accumulators only.
- Batteries and accumulators may contain no more than 0.0005% of mercury by weight.
- Portable batteries or accumulators may contain no more than 0.002% of cadmium by weight.
However, the cadmium restriction does not apply to portable batteries used in emergency and alarm systems, emergency lighting, and medical equipment.
Markings
Markings indicating a content of heavy metal and a separate collection marking (a crossed-out wheeled waste bin) apply to all types of batteries and accumulators. However, marking indicating a content of heavy metal is applied, if a battery or an accumulator contains mercury, lead or cadmium, it must bear a label that indicates the use of these heavy metals (Hg, Cd and Pb).
The heavy metal marking should be included when the product contains
- more than 0.005% of mercury by weight,
- more than 0.002% of cadmium by weight,
- more than 0.004% of lead by weight.
Markings indicating the heavy metal content are always in connection with the separate collection marking.
The capacity of a battery or an accumulator must also be indicated with a label. The capacities of portable batteries and automotive batteries are determined in accordance with certain standards listed in the Commission’s regulation on capacity labelling. The capacity is expressed in milliampere-hours, mAh or ampere-hours, Ah. Only batteries that are included in appliances supplied to the end user, and which are not intended to be removed by the end user, require no labels.
The markings must be affixed visibly, legibly and indelibly to the battery or accumulator. If the marking cannot be made on the battery or accumulator because of its small size, the marking can be printed on the packaging. The separate collection marking also refers to producer responsibility, which is described in more detail in Waste electrical and electronic equipment section, and producer responsibility under Chemicals in electrical equipment.
State of legislation
In 2021, the EU started work on a proposal for a regulation on batteries and accumulators. The regulation proposal includes several new requirements for batteries and accumulators which might impose additional requirements if implemented. You can follow the handling of the proposal on the Commission’s website.
Read more about batteries and accumulators:
Batteries and accumulators on the Tukes website
The safe use of lithium-ion batteries on the Tukes website
Industrial lithium-ion batteries and safety guide (in Finnish)
Commission’s regulation on the labelling of batteries and accumulators
EU battery standard database (in English)
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FAQ
Does a battery need to be CE-marked?
Batteries are covered by the Directive on Batteries and Accumulators. This directive is not the same kind of CE marking directive as many other directives, such as the Low Voltage Directive – it has slightly different requirements. The Directive on Batteries and Accumulators contains requirements on restricted substances, labelling and producer responsibility. However, the Electrical Safety Act requires that all appliances are safe.
The Directive on Batteries and Accumulators requires:
- a separate collection marking
- if necessary, an indication of any chemical substance (Pb, Hg or Cd) the battery contains
- capacity marking (for portable and vehicle batteries).
Most batteries contain protective electronics, so they are covered by the EMC Directive, which requires CE marking, traceability information and the preparation of technical documentation, and an EU declaration of conformity.
If the appliance is a backup power source, it is also subject to the RoHS Directive in addition to the EMC Directive. The RoHS Directive also requires CE marking, traceability information, technical documentation and the EU declaration of conformity.