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Aviation Safety
June 7, 2023

Mitigating the Potential Disaster of Battery Fires During Flight

Reducing the potential effects of some battery-related fires

UL Standards & Engagement was approached by representatives of the aviation industry to develop a safety standard test for containment products which would be used to contain lithium-ion battery fires and the related effects during flight. These containment products are intended to be used by authorized personnel on commercial, private and military aviation for portable electronic devices (PEDs) such as cellphones, tablets and laptops that are on fire or at risk of catching on fire in the cockpit or cabin.

As a result, the Standards Technical Panel (STP) for Battery Fire Containment Products, STP 5800, was formed to be the consensus body in line with the UL Standards  & Engagement standards development process. The STP is composed of organizations and individuals with interest or technical expertise in the subject category.

UL convenes TC 5800

The first edition of the Standard for Safety for Battery Fire Containment Products, UL 5800, was published in December 2020 as a harmonized standard for the U.S. and Canada. Participants include international representatives from airlines, shipping companies and other aviation-related interests along with government bodies and containment product developers.

The initial scope of the standard is limited to aviation applications and excludes containment products intended for use with cargo shipments. The ease of use, training and personal protective equipment (PPE) are included in the standard. Those factors are part of a human interaction study conducted by Emergo by UL, advisors and other subject matter experts from the UL Research Institutes and UL Solutions.

The Standard is nationally recognized and approved by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) and the Standards Council of Canada (SCC).

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