In brief
Chargers installed in a workplace car park or fleet area require a designed electrical installation, correctly selected residual current protection, an annual periodic inspection and daily cable checks. Plugging a portable home charging cable into an ordinary socket or extension lead is the most common mistake. Charging points, isolation points and a vehicle fire scenario should be added separately to the emergency plan.
Why does EV charging station safety matter?
Electric vehicles enter workplaces in three ways: the company's service or delivery fleet, vehicles allocated to managers, and employees' own cars. In each case, the employer installs one or more car park chargers or allows employees to charge their vehicles from a socket. From that point on, the charging area becomes part of the workplace's electrical installation, fire safety and emergency plan.
EV charging station safety differs from forklift battery charging areas: the battery being charged is much larger, the vehicles are in the car park where employees and visitors walk, and charging is often unsupervised and lasts for hours. For forklift and stacker batteries, see our article on lithium battery charging area safety; this article focuses on charging cars and light commercial vehicles.
Charging types and what they mean at work
Charging equipment is classified into "modes" in international standards. The three types you will encounter at work are:
| Type | What does it mean? | Typical use at work | Main risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mode 2 | Portable charging cable with an in-cable control box, plugged into a socket | An employee charging their own car from a socket | Heating of socket and plug, extension leads, crushed cable |
| Mode 3 | Wall-mounted or pedestal AC charger connected to the fixed installation | Staff car park, fleet area | Poorly designed circuit, missing protection, vehicle impact |
| Mode 4 | DC rapid charger | Heavily used fleet and delivery vehicles | High power, heating, high-voltage components |
Most problems are seen with Mode 2. A home charging cable draws a high current for hours; an old, loose socket, or one not designed for this load, heats up and melts. Plugging the portable cable into an extension lead, a multi-socket strip or a cable reel causes the coiled cable to heat up. Your rule should be simple: if you allow employees to charge their own vehicles, let them do so only at points designed and marked for this purpose.
Electrical installation, earthing and residual current protection
A fixed charger is an electrical load supplied by a separate circuit from the panel and, like the rest of the installation, should be based on a design. At installation and inspection, check:
- A separate circuit for each charging point, a cable cross-section suited to the load and overcurrent protection,
- The type of residual current device chosen according to the charger manufacturer's instructions and the relevant standard (TS HD 60364-7-722); questioning whether the charger is protected against DC residual current,
- The continuity of the charging area earthing connection and the equipotential bonding,
- A suitable protection rating against rain and water in open car parks, and sealed cable entries,
- The panel being locked, labelled and inaccessible to unauthorised people.
Under Annex III of the Regulation on Health and Safety Requirements for the Use of Work Equipment, the electrical installation and earthing installation are subject to periodic inspection once a year unless the standards give a shorter interval. The installation design is requested at inspection; having a design prepared for an installation without one is the employer's responsibility. The inspection is carried out by competent electrical engineers, electrical-electronic engineers, technical teachers who graduated from electrical education departments, or electrical technicians and senior technicians. Chargers do not appear as a separate heading in the Annex III tables; so ask the person carrying out the inspection to list the charging points and supply circuits separately in the report.
For the function and testing of residual current devices, see our article on earthing and residual current devices, and for who can do electrical work, who can do electrical work.
Cable damage and daily checks
Charging cables lie on the ground, end up under vehicle wheels, get caught in doors and get wet in the rain. A damaged cable or connector is a direct cause of electric shock and fire. Give the following daily check to an assigned employee in fleet areas, or to security or the building manager in the staff car park:
- Are there cuts, crushing, melting or discolouration on the cable sheath?
- Are there cracks, burn marks or looseness on the connector and plug?
- Has the cable been hung on its holder after use, or is it lying across a walkway?
- Are there impact marks, water ingress or a fault light on the charger housing?
- Are impact barriers and floor markings in place?
A unit found to be damaged is taken out of use, tagged "do not use" and reported to the competent person. Users are prohibited by instruction from attempting repairs or taping up a charging cable.
The charging station fire scenario
In lithium-ion batteries, overheating of one cell can spread to neighbouring cells; this is known as "thermal runaway". Vehicle battery fires can last a long time, reignite after being extinguished and give off dense, toxic smoke. Charging station fire risk therefore starts with the layout decision:
- Position charging points away from escape routes, building entrances, fire escape exits and stores of combustible material.
- Use barriers and wheel stops to prevent vehicles hitting the charger.
- Create an easily accessible, marked isolation point that cuts power to the whole charging area.
- In enclosed car parks, review existing fire measures from the perspective of the charging area. Under Art. 60 of the Regulation on the Fire Protection of Buildings, an automatic sprinkler system, fire hose cabinets and a fire brigade inlet are mandatory in enclosed car parks with a total area above 600 m², and a mechanical smoke extraction system in those above 2000 m².
Check whether the sprinkler system covers the charging area using the principles in our article on sprinkler requirements.
Rules of use and the fleet maintenance workshop
Keep charging area rules short and visible; a board posted next to the unit is enough:
- Charging points are used only by authorised vehicles and users.
- The cable is not run across walkways or in front of doors; when charging is finished, it is hung on its holder.
- No washing, maintenance or connection of additional electrical devices is done on the vehicle while charging.
- A unit with a fault light on, that has heated up or that gives off a smell is not used and is reported immediately.
- The space is vacated once the vehicle is fully charged; unsupervised overnight charging in the fleet area is not done without the knowledge of the responsible person.
If fleet vehicles are maintained in the workplace's own workshop, there is another risk. The high-voltage system of electric vehicles (usually marked with orange cables) is very different from an ordinary car's electrical system. Only people who know the manufacturer's method, have been trained for it and are authorised by the employer work on this system. Before maintenance, the vehicle's high-voltage system is disabled according to the manufacturer's instructions and the absence of voltage is verified; the workshop has suitable insulating gloves and hand tools for this work. A damaged vehicle or one involved in an accident is kept in an open area, away from the building and other vehicles, until its battery has been assessed. These rules should be added to the workshop's risk assessment as a separate heading.
Items to add to the emergency plan
The emergency plan under the Regulation on Emergencies at Workplaces includes the emergencies, response and evacuation methods, the site plan and the electricity and gas isolation points. When a charging area is installed, the plan is updated with these items:
| Plan section | Item to add |
|---|---|
| Emergencies | Vehicle fire during charging, electric shock, cable or unit damage |
| Site plan | Charging points, charging area isolation point, nearest fire hose cabinet |
| Response | Cutting the power, clearing the area, telling the fire brigade the vehicle is electric |
| Assigned people | Person responsible for isolation and area safety, and their deputy |
| Training and drills | Covering the scenario at least once in the annual drill |
| Information | Providing charging area rules to users in writing |
For first aid in electric shock, use our article on first response to electric shock, and for the general structure of the plan, how to prepare an emergency plan.
In our periodic inspection service, we plan the annual inspection of the electrical and earthing installation supplying chargers, and in our emergency plan service we add the charging area to the site plan and scenarios. For businesses working with fleet and delivery vehicles, see our logistics and warehousing page, and to track inspection dates, our OHS calendar tool.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is a charger subject to periodic inspection?
Chargers do not appear as a separate heading in the Annex III tables. However, the electrical installation and earthing installation that supply them are subject to periodic inspection once a year; ask the competent person carrying out the inspection to assess the charging points separately in the report.
Can employees charge their own vehicles at work?
This is the employer's decision. If it is allowed, charging should be done only at points designed and marked for this purpose, and the use of extension leads, multi-socket strips and cable reels should be prohibited.
Why should a home charging cable not be plugged into an ordinary socket?
A portable charging cable draws a high current for hours. An old or loose socket not designed for this load heats up and can cause a fire. The manufacturer's instructions state what type of socket the cable should be plugged into.
What should be done if a fire breaks out in the charging area?
The power to the charging area is cut, people nearby are moved away and the fire brigade is told the vehicle is electric. Employees should not tackle a burning vehicle battery.
Equipment inventory and an inspection calendar under the new Annex III, with inspections carried out through our solution partners, plus report and defect follow-up.
Bursa SİSTEMER OSGB Technical Team — written from the field experience of our OHS specialists and workplace physicians. Legal information is valid as of the publication/update date; contact us for an assessment specific to your business.