New regulations governing the transportation of lead acid batteries (new and used) have been adopted by the Australian Code for Transportation of Dangerous Goods by Road and Rail (ADGC).
The new regulations came into effect in October 2020.
The National Transport Commission (NTC) has adopted the new P801 Packing Instructions approved in June 2018, by the UN Subcommittee of Experts for the Transportation of Dangerous Goods.
Upon inclusion in the ADGC there is a 12-month period before they become mandatory.
The primary change to the existing packing instructions is the inclusion of requirements for transporting waste or used lead acid batteries (ULAB) in either stainless steel or plastic bins.
These changes were introduced to remove the ambiguity as to whether the “additional requirements” in the current P801 Packing Instructions applied to ULABs being transported in bins.
The conditions include:
- The bins shall be resistant to the electrolyte that was contained in the batteries
- The bins shall not be filled to a height greater than the height of their sides
- The outside of the bins shall be free of residues of electrolyte contained in the batteries
- Under normal conditions of transport, no electrolyte shall leak from the bins
- Measures shall be taken to ensure that filled bins cannot lose their content
- Measures shall be taken to prevent short circuits
