Horrifying risks of e-bike fires discussed at health and safety conference

The dangers and need for more regulation around the sale and maintenance of e-bikes was among the headline topics at a conference looking at the area of health and safety in the UK.

The Chartered Institute of Environmental Health (CIEH) Health and Safety Conference 2025 saw a wide range of speakers covering topics that are impacting the work of environmental health professionals and their duties around health and safety.

There were two particularly impactful presentations during the event, the first of which was on the subject of the risks around lithium batteries and e-bikes delivered by Tara Joe, Public Affairs Manager at Electrical Safety First.

Tara spoke about the rise of safety concerns around e-bikes, with 15 deaths linked to lithium battery breakdown since 2020. This has included devastating fires in Cambridge in 2023 where a woman and her two children died and an incident in November last year where a Coventry couple and their dogs were killed. Both incidents involved e-bike battery fires.

Tara also spoke about recent “near misses” at train stations in London where e-bikes have caught fire on platforms, potentially “catastrophic” incidents should they have happened on the trains themselves. Unions representing tube workers and train drivers have now called for a ban of e-bikes on the London Underground.

Tara outlined Battery First’s campaign and its call for regulatory solutions to the issue, such as around online marketplaces and the sale of aftermarket chargers and e-bike conversion kits.

Another talk during the event was delivered by Toby Thorp, Environmental Health Officer at the City of London Corporation, who spoke about the health and safety investigation following the Fishmonger’s Hall terrorist attack in 2019.

Toby spoke about the authority’s role in investigating the circumstances of the attack from a health and safety at work perspective and the conclusions that were reached.

This was of particular interest to delegates in light of the incoming “Martyn’s Law” which aims to enhance public safety by requiring certain premises and events to take steps to reduce the risk of harm from terrorist attacks.

Another case study presented during the event was from Iwan Llewellyn, Environmental Health Officer at Carmarthenshire County Council who spoke about a case involving a motocross track in his area and the health and safety actions that were required by his team.

Other speakers at the event included Adrian Simpson, Head of Policy and Press at the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) talking about the health and safety of workers in the gig economy, as well as a Keynote Focus on workforce capabilities in the past, present and future from Paul Spurrier, Head of Local Authority Team at the Health and Safety Executive (HSE).

Andy Lucas, Managing Director at Bespoke Safety and CIEH Health and Safety Advisory Panel member, chaired the event. He said:

“It was a pleasure to chair what was an illuminating and thought-provoking conference for CIEH. Health and safety is such a fascinating and challenging area where we do absolutely critical work to protect the health, safety and wellbeing of people at work.

“It is an ever-evolving area of work and it was great to spend time with like-minded professionals and enjoy a truly eclectic programme of topics. I would like to thank all the speakers for their excellent contributions and all those who attended for making this such a successful event.”

More information about upcoming events organised by CIEH can be found here: www.cieh.org/events