How do you handle a lithium battery damaged in transit?

Direct answer: Stop normal receiving for the affected pieces. Isolate damaged packs outdoors or in a designated area away from combustibles, prevent short circuits, and do not charge or install them. Photograph packaging, labels, pallet and battery damage before moving anything further. Notify the carrier and the supplier the same day with the photos and serial numbers. Damaged or defective lithium batteries have restricted transport rules—do not simply put them back on a truck as ordinary UN3480 freight.

Safety first. Treat dented, punctured, leaking, hissing or burnt-smelling packs as unsafe. Keep people back, use insulating caps on exposed terminals, and follow site emergency procedures if heat or smoke appears. Physical damage guidance also appears in dropped, flooded or damaged batteries.

Evidence for the claim. Keep the packaging. Photograph UN marks, carton condition, tip indicators, shock labels, pallet blocking, and close-ups of the pack. Record seal numbers for containers. Receiving practice for heavy traction packs is in receiving heavy forklift batteries.

Who to notify. Carrier claim channels plus the supplier. Ask the supplier whether to hold for inspection, return under dangerous-goods rules for damaged batteries, or scrap via a qualified recycler. Products as different as a 48V golf cart pack, a 51.2V rack module or a 48V 300Ah forklift battery still follow the same claim logic even though handling gear differs.

Do not reship as normal. Transport rules treat damaged or defective lithium batteries more strictly than undamaged UN3480 or UN3481 cargo. Use the current IATA DGR or IMDG/HMR provisions and a DG specialist; see UN3480 shipping guide.

Commercial file. Save the packing list, bill of lading, photos, emails and quarantine log. Note whether other cartons on the same pallet are undamaged and can be accepted separately after inspection. Note claim deadlines—late photos often void carrier liability.

Prevention next order. Pre-shipment inspection criteria, better blocking, and agreed packaging photos before departure reduce repeats; see inspection checklist for related visual standards and UN38.3 documents for the paper trail.

Disposal. If scrap is required, use a recycler that accepts lithium batteries under local rules (for example US EPA guidance on used lithium-ion batteries where applicable). Do not put damaged lithium packs in ordinary trash or general scrap metal bins. Wait for written disposition from the supplier before moving quarantined packs off site.