Understanding the Aviation Industry's Perception of Battery Safety Risks

In December 2017, Underwriters Laboratories commissioned a study of 400 North American aviation and aerospace industry professionals to assess industry views of passenger aviation safety risks, particularly those related to lithium-ion batteries. The results, released in January 2018, revealed several key findings:

• 1 in 3 experience one or more lithium-ion battery incidents per month, with the highest rates reported by air and ground cargo carriers.
• They rank lithium-ion batteries as the top passenger air safety risk by more than a 2-to-1 margin.
• Concern about passenger safety risks from lithium-ion batteries (80%) is comparable to terrorist acts (83%) and mechanical failure (82%).
• 1 in 3 respondents do not feel that lithium-ion batteries are adequately regulated.
• More than 3 in 4 respondents (77%) said they support an industry-wide solution for responding to lithium-ion battery safety risks.

Results of the survey are statistically significant with a confidence level of 95% and a margin of error of +/- 5.5% or less.