South Korea bolsters battery safety rules in light of Note7 battery saga
South Korea will be strengthening lithium-ion battery safety requirements by putting manufactured batteries to heightened oversight and regular inspections, said their Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy.
Manufacturers of lithium-ion batteries would also be subjected to more regular safety tests, according to the Reuters report on the statement published by the South Korean government.
"We ask that the industry shares the view that making efforts to ensure safety is equally as critical as developing new products through technological innovation," said Vice Minister Jeong Marn-ki.
As such, the South Korean government will be monitoring Samsung’s battery safety efforts, which includes X-Ray testing and stricter passing standards. The new rules also broadened the list of defects that qualify a device for a product recall, and legal changes will allow the government to warn consumers about using certain products before a manufacturer issues a product recall.
Earlier in January 2017, Samsung explained that the Galaxy Note7 battery fires were caused by different factors across different battery batches. The faults in the smartphone’s battery forced Samsung to withdraw the Note7 device from the market. Samsung has since implemented more stringent quality and safety processes for their upcoming products.
However, the new regulations by their South Korean government do not only apply to Samsung. By referring to lithium-ion battery manufacturers, the new regulations are applicable to other major brands such as LG, and the regulations also apply beyond devices like smartphones.
Source: Reuters