After smartphones, now it's the turn of Headphones to start exploding!
A statement has been issued after a woman's headphones batteries apparently exploded on a flight from Beijing to Melbourne. In excerpts from the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB), the unnamed woman described how she was sleeping with the device on when she was woken by an explosion.
"As I was turning around I felt a burning sensation on my face. I quickly touched my face, causing the headphones to go around my neck," he said. "I kept feeling the burning sensation so I grabbed them and threw them on the floor. They were making sparks."
Although the woman's face appeared to be blackened in some areas, her worst injury was a burn on her hand. However, she did not seek medical attention.
She tried to put out the small fire with her foot, and flight attendants dumped a bucket of water on the burning headphones. Eventually, the battery and cover melted and stuck to the floor of the plane. Some passengers coughed “the whole way” because of the smell of melted plastic and burning hair.
Exploding batteries in consumer products are unfortunately a common occurrence, from hoverboards to Samsung's Galaxy Note last year.
The ATSB declined to name the brand of the headphones, because it was “a battery issue, not a headphone issue.”
The truth is, almost any device with a lithium-ion battery could explode. Why? Because “bad batteries are bad.” We’re dealing with a lot of energy in a small package. “Lithium-ion batteries have a history of use in mobile and portable devices,” the ATSB added. “But all batteries contain stored energy and are therefore potentially dangerous.” Small faults can creep in during the manufacturing process, although most major companies are taking precautions and are working to create even safer batteries.
There are a few steps you can take to be safer:
- Avoid cheap electronics where possible
- Ensure that the product has passed testing by safety certification groups, such as UL.
Meanwhile, the ATSB took the incident as an opportunity to remind passengers of steps we follow during a flight:
- Batteries must be kept in an approved place unless in use.
- Spare batteries must be in your carry-on luggage and NOT in your checked luggage.
- If a passenger's smartphone or other device has fallen into the gap between the seats, locate the device before moving the seat.
- If the passenger cannot locate their device, they should refrain from moving seats and contact a cabin crew member immediately.
