Hazmat Tips for Popular Holiday Gifts

The Consumer Technology Association has reported that 88% of adults in the US plan to gift tech products this holiday season, and 43% of shoppers say they’ll do the bulk of their shopping between Black Friday and Cyber Monday.*

What are the top 5 categories of tech items expected this holiday season?

1. Smartphones
2. Wearables, like smartwatches, smart glasses, and earbuds/headphones
3. Laptops
4. Tablets
5. Gaming consoles (traditional and handheld)

That’s a lot of lithium batteries. To get lithium battery-powered gifts to customers (and return them to vendors after the holidays) manufacturers, retailers, and distributors must comply with the latest lithium battery quantity limits, size limits, limits on state-of-charge, packaging requirements, marking and labeling rules, and standards for hazmat employee training.

Hazmat training is required to ship lithium batteries, whether the batteries are packaged by themselves, with equipment, or inside of equipment.

*Source: Consumer Technology Association, Tech Remains a Top Holiday Gift Category as Shoppers Focus on High-Impact Purchases

Regulations for Lithium Battery Shipments

To limit the risk of an incident in transport, detailed US and international regulations apply to lithium batteries shipped by all modes of transportation. Shippers—from manufacturers and large retailers to the smallest e-commerce shop—must comply with relevant modal requirements in 49 CFR, the IATA Dangerous Goods Regulations (DGR), and the IMDG Code.

The regulations for shipping lithium batteries address considerations including (but not limited to):

• Classification based on Watt hour rating or lithium metal content,
• Packaging batteries properly to prevent short circuits or damage,
• Affixing required markings, labels, and other hazard communications,
• Providing documentation and emergency response info with shipments,
• More restrictive standards for damaged or defective batteries, and
• Exceptions for smaller lithium cells or batteries (in some cases).

The lithium battery shipping regulations were revised recently: The 67th Edition of the IATA DGR takes effect on January 1, 2026, and includes a key update for shipping lithium batteries.

Skipping required training or re-training for employees who package or offer hazmat shipments may seem like a way to move a few more shipments out the door during the holiday rush. But the costs of noncompliance—injuries, shipping delays, fires during transportation (and the incident reports filed by carriers), and civil penalties of over $100,000 per day, per violation—make the choice to train employees as required an easy one.

Shipping Lithium Batteries Training

Lion's Shipping Lithium Batteries online course covers the latest regulations for shipping lithium batteries in-equipment, with-equipment, or separately by ground, air, and vessel, including new IATA DGR standards for air shippers.

Increased Risk During Holiday Season

The holiday season brings an increased risk of workplace and transportation incidents involving lithium batteries as more packages than usual are shipped by ground, air, and vessel.

Without adequate hazmat training, employees, including inexperienced seasonal and temp workers, can make mistakes that lead to packages being rejected by carriers or removed from transportation due to noncompliance.

When packaged improperly, lithium batteries can short circuit in transportation and produce smoke, sparks, and fire.

Major airlines have expressed concerns about battery fires on aircraft, leading the International Air Transport Association (IATA) to suggest four steps that governments and industry can take to limit incidents involving lithium batteries in air transportation.

In May 2022, US DOT PHMSA released a twelve-page Safety Advisory Notice related to transportation of lithium batteries for recycling or disposal (read more).

Avoid Recalled Products

Your loved one may return what you give them, but you don't want returning the gift to be necessary for the person's physical safety. The Consumer Product Safety Commission website lists information about product recalls, including recalls directly related to lithium battery incidents, like these recalls that occurred this year:

• 125,000 voice-changing microphones recalled due to potential to overcharge and ignite,
• 1,158,000 power banks recalled due to fire and burn hazards caused by overheating, and
• 24,000 e-bikes recalled due to fire and burn hazards and risk of serious injury or death.

Safe Lithium Battery Handling and Storage

In addition to the tips above and some important basic recommendations like "do not place batteries into water or fire," other safety tips from the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) and others include:

• Protect batteries and devices from damage (crushing, puncturing, disassembly).
• Avoid rough handling, shocks, and vibrations that could damage the battery.
• Clear nearby areas of conductive surfaces and items.
• Treat all dropped batteries as an increased potential hazard. Monitor batteries for a few hours after they are dropped.
• Never store lithium battery powered vehicles (i.e., e-bikes, e-scooters) in your home as a thermal event may cause a house fire and block exits.

Safely Charging Lithium Battery Devices

Other safety tips related to lithium batteries in the home or workplace related directly to charging. The risk of a thermal runaway event increases during charging, especially when advice like this is not followed:

• Never keep charging a device after the battery is fully charged.
• Never charge a device under your pillow, on your bed, or couch.

And of course, only use chargers and charging cables that are designed for use with your device. Improper charging, over-charging, and improper use are frequently cited contributors to lithium battery incidents.

What is Thermal Runaway?

When a battery is faulty, it can lead to a hazard cycle known as “thermal runaway.” If a battery begins to overheat beyond what can be vented off, it will increase the temperature inside the cell. This rise in temperature results in increased current, which then causes an increase in chemical reaction rate. As the chemical reaction rate increases, more heat is produced, which starts the cycle all over again.

Not before long, the increase in temperature and pressure becomes too much for the cell, and the battery can “explode” and vent its contents. This can then lead to a chain reaction where nearby cells or batteries go into thermal runaway as well. If there are many batteries being stored together, you could have an entire pallet or storage area with batteries going into thermal runaway.