A battery MSDS comes from the manufacturer and will provide buyers with the key safety information pertaining to their batteries which allows buyers to understand how to handle, care for, and deal with safety issues (such as a fire, for example).

Although a battery specification sheet may contain limited safety information, you can expect the MSDS to have an in-depth focus on battery safety and safe usage best practices, while including less technical information like the specification sheet.

 

What will a battery material safety data sheet include?

An MSDS for batteries will usually include the following sections:

  • Manufacturer identification and battery type (who made the battery and what type is it)
  • List of possible hazards (this would include items like: ‘possible fire risk’)
  • Battery composition (materials/ingredients – shows anything restricted or hazardous)
  • First-aid measures (what to do if the battery’s substances are inhaled, ingested, or make contact with skin or eyes)
  • Firefighting measures (how to deal with a fire caused by the battery)
  • Accidental release measures (what to do if the electrolytes leak from the battery)
  • Precautions for safe handling and storage 
  • Exposure controls and personal protection (what steps and equipment are required to safely be exposed to the hazardous chemicals/elements inside the battery)
  • Physical and chemical properties (battery shape, size, makeup, voltage, etc)
  • Stability and reactivity (what the user can expect from the battery over time and how chemically stable it is)
  • Toxicological information (how the ingredients may be toxic or harmful to the body)
  • Ecological information (potential environmental impacts of the battery)
  • Disposal considerations (how the battery should be safely disposed of)
  • Transport information (information about safe handling and what needs to be added to shipping documentation)
  • Regulatory information (which global regulations the battery adheres to, for example, the EU battery directive)
  • any other information deemed important for safety

 

What does a real battery MSDS look like?

If your supplier can’t provide an MSDS, gives you one which doesn’t seem to correspond with the battery you’re purchasing, or provides one that is not a PDF (and could therefore be doctored), these are warning signs that should be investigated.

The best way to be able to assess whether your supplier is providing you with a suitable material safety data sheet is to know exactly how they should be presented.

Here’s an example from Panasonic regarding an alkaline battery:

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