Crackdown on e-scooters flagged under long-running Qld safety review

New powers would allow the Queensland government to crack down on dodgy e-scooters and faulty batteries, which have been blamed for a spate of house fires.

Hidden in a 215-page report from December 2021, which followed a review of Queensland’s Electrical Safety Act, are recommendations to expand the definition of “electrical equipment” to include emerging technologies, such as e-scooter batteries.

Queensland could crack down on dodgy e-scooters and batteries amid safety fears.Credit: Luis Ascui

The report has only recently been uploaded to a government website alongside a discussion paper canvassing potential regulatory reforms, which could see Industrial Relations Minister Grace Grace given the power to block the sale of certain e-scooters.

An Office of Industrial Relations spokeswoman confirmed the definition in the 2002 Act did not include extra low voltage equipment.

“The ES [Electrical Safety Act] does cover the power supply/chargers for extra low voltage devices, such as e-scooters, robot vacuum cleaners, garden tools and power tools, but does not cover the actual e-scooter, garden tools etc, and their batteries,” she said.

In January, it was revealed Queensland firefighters had been called to 24 house fires linked to lithium-ion batteries in the previous six months, and a man died last year during a caravan fire believed to have been started by an e-scooter battery.

The discussion paper said lithium-ion batteries exposed to trauma could lead to a higher risk of explosion, fire and leaking of hazardous chemicals, and factors understood to have led to previous incidents included continuously charging once a battery was at capacity, getting the battery pack wet, damage, and using an incorrect charger.

“Contributing to the contemporary ELV [extra-low voltage] equipment risk landscape is the increase in cheaper products on the market that are sometimes poor quality,” the paper reads.

“Purchasing these products online rather than in stores can make it difficult for consumers to be as informed about the safety of these products.”

The paper also warned of an increase in customers doing DIY alterations after buying equipment online and following advice from social media, leading to potential shock, fires, burns or explosions.

The spokeswoman said the review suggested extra low voltage equipment posed an electrical safety risk and should be included in the definition of electrical equipment, and therefore also covered by safety rules.

“Should a decision be made to include extra low voltage equipment within the definition of electrical equipment, the safety framework of the Electrical Safety Act, including ministerial powers to recall unsafe electrical equipment, could be applicable,” she said.

Grace said the government wanted to make sure the Act kept pace with changes in technology.

“The key issues in the discussion paper include the electrical safety considerations of new and emerging technologies, and the changing landscape of electricity in the workforce,” she said.