Electric vehicles: Safety agency, auto group offer guidance for towing, recovery and recycling workers

Richmond, British Columbia — New safety guidelines from WorkSafeBC and Canada’s Automotive Retailers Association are intended to protect workers from shock-, fire- and fume-related hazards associated with electric vehicles and the high-voltage lithium-ion batteries that power them.

Aimed at the towing, recovery and recycling industries, the guidance includes procedures for the safe handling and shipping of the high-powered batteries, as well as a section on risk assessment and hazard control.

“EVs are a huge part of the greener tomorrow, and these vehicles are just starting to gain traction,” Michael Chafe, ARA project member as well as senior regional health and safety manager at Schnitzer Steel Industries Inc., said in a WorkSafeBC press release. “If you don’t know about a risk, you can’t control it. The more we know about what safety precautions to put into place, the more we can plan and budget for them as part of our workplace safety strategy.

“We want to share what we’ve learned and what we’re doing with other employers. It’s about keeping workers and communities safe.”