A Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) can provide you information on the health and safety hazards of chemical products to which you are exposed at work. I prefer using msds's written for the Canadian Workplace Hazardous Materials Information System (WHMIS). The Canadian Hazardous Materials Information Review Commission (HMIRC), which oversees this Canadian program, is more stringent on the msds information supplied compared to other countries.

The following link to a WHMIS compliant msds written for a forklift battery will provide you with additional health and safety information.

(link to:) h (double t) p://corporate.interstatebatteries.com/msds/msds_powervolt_2008.pdf

The use of a battery charging area should be limited to the charging of batteries. Several health and safety regulations apply. Using the area for other activities (such as forklift repair) increases the chance for a serious accident or health exposure unless additional risks are assessed and appropriate safeguards enacted.

In your case, your symptoms seem to indicate overexposure to sulfuric acid mists* generated from the battery charging operations. This would indicate that the ventilation (if any) is inadequate for the sulfuric acid mists exposure and quite possibly for the hydrogen build-up which could pose a potential explosion hazard. If the atmosphere in the work area is within the explosive limits for hydrogen (4% to 75% mixture with air), any activity creating a spark could be your last activity.

*Sulfuric acid mists are a known human carcinogen (cancer causing agent).

Ventilation must be adequate for the hazards involved. The ventilation must also be properly positioned to prevent the air quality hazard being drawn through the breathing zone. Improper placement of the ventilation could increase, rather than decrease, the health hazard to personnel.

I recommend you download a copy of the following documents for yourself and additional copies for your customer and your employer:


1) Google: INDG136 COSHH: A Brief Guide to Regulations

(or link at:) www (dot) hse.gov.uk/pubns/indg136.pdf

COSHH = Control of Substances Hazardous to Health (UK Regulations, 2002).


2) Google: SR18 - Charging Batteries for Electrically Powered Vehicles

(or link at:) www (dot) hse.gov.uk/pubns/guidance/sr18.pdf


3) Google: Strong Inorganic Acid Mists Containing Sulfuric Acid

(or link at:) (add prefix h (double t) p//ntp. (to:)

niehs.nih.gov/ntp/roc/eleventh/profiles/s164sulf.pdf

Depending on how many batteries are there, they should have exhaust fans ventilating the area.

THANKS FOR THE ADVICE , BUT HOW DO I ADDRESS THE SUBJECT OF THIS WITH MY EMPLOYER AND THE CUSTOMER WHOSE SITE I'M WORKING AT, NO OTHER SAFE AREA TO WORK !!!

if the sign says battery charging area it,s a charging area not a workshop mate. there are many risks working near charging batterys ,fumes,splashes and explosion risk