SAFETY, FIRE & SECURITY
Sustainability without safety? The hidden risk in workplace mobility
As cities embrace sustainable transport, and workplaces champion greener commuting, e-bikes and e-scooters have become fixtures in office car parks and building lobbies. Jo Milne-Rowe, managing director at Codelocks, explores how secure transport storage facilities must be built and managed with fire safety front-of-mind
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lobally, there’s growing concern about the safety of some lithium-ion batteries. While the technology is mature, and incidents are typically rare, lithium
batteries are found increasingly often in mobility devices such as e-bikes and e-scooters. Fires in these batteries – often triggered by faults or during charging – can have devastating consequences. The London Fire Brigade (LFB) has recorded a record number of fires linked to e-bikes and e-scooters during the first three quarters of 2025 – one of which was fatal. In the US, lithium battery fires were the focal point of this year’s Fire Prevention Week. While the US campaign focused primarily on the home, lithium-ion battery fires occur in both residential and commercial settings. The implications are particularly significant for both apartment and commercial buildings. As e-mobility adoption accelerates, property managers and workplace leaders need to offer protective storage and charging facilities that are also safe.
Where ESG, the gig economy, and fire safety collide
The growth in e-bikes and e-scooters has at least in part been driven by the gig economy – riders and drivers serving major takeaway and same- day delivery networks. There’s a further growth in e-mobility among workers seeking alternatives for their daily commute – often supported by the employer. Forward-thinking firms see that cycling or scooting aligns perfectly with their environmental, social and governance targets. Fewer cars at the office means lower Scope 3 emissions, healthier employees and tangible progress towards net-zero commitments. But sustainability initiatives can’t exist in isolation from safety obligations. And when dozens of lithium-ion batteries are charging simultaneously in a storage room with inadequate fire protection, ESG targets cannot be the only consideration. True corporate responsibility means providing not just the encouragement to cycle and scoot, but the purpose-designed, properly specified infrastructure to make it safe.
Fire-rated hardware: the overlooked essential
It’s here that fire-rated hardware becomes an essential component of residential and commercial safety, and an important consideration in workplace sustainability strategies. Residents and workers rightly expect somewhere safe they can store and charge their bike or scooter. Equipping that space with certified fire doors is the crucial detail that protects both lives and property.
And yet, locking scooters and e-bikes away risks eroding the very freedoms they bring to residents and workers, along with their environmental benefits to a business. For e-mobility storage to be viable, it also needs to be accessible – and that requires the fitting of fire-rated locks that stand up to intensive daily use, and control access effectively without being needlessly obstructive. Coded locks are ideal for this job. Rather than
relying on easily lost keys, they offer a simple interface allowing authorised tenants and staff to gain access. Coded locks may offer features such as easy code sharing, and even temporary codes – ideal for controlling access in spaces with short-term tenants. They may offer further functionality designed to help fire safety – for example, Codelocks’ electronic locks can connect to building alarm systems, and automatically release in an emergency. Fire doors are only effective as complete systems. A timber door set rated for 30 or 60 minutes of fire resistance performs to that standard only when every component – frame, glazing, seals, closer and locking hardware – meets the same certification requirements. Yet in practice, fire door installations may fail on the details. Locks that aren’t fire-rated or hardware that prevents proper door closure compromise the door’s integrity. And during a fire, these weaknesses may become critical failure points. For e-mobility storage facilities, fire-rated locks help protect valuable equipment, control access to potentially hazardous charging areas, and maintain fire compartmentalisation. In multi- tenant buildings or co-working environments, they enable flexible access management – letting authorised users store vehicles safely, while ensuring the space remains off limits and fire-protected when unattended.
Understanding the liability landscape
Insurers and regulators are increasingly focused on lithium-ion battery risks, as fires can place lives and large amounts of property at risk. Poor fire door maintenance – including compromised seals, damaged closers, or non- compliant locking hardware – can invalidate fire certification and create liability for building managers and operators. Similarly, providing charging facilities without appropriate fire safety measures is likely to constitute a failure in duty of care.
During commercial property assessments,
insurers may now specifically question lithium-ion battery charging arrangements. Buildings that cannot demonstrate proper compartmentalisation and fire-rated separation may face higher premiums or coverage limitations – and they may be putting their occupants at risk.
26 BUILDING SERVICES & ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEER DECEMBER 2025
Architects and specifiers working on new builds or major refurbishments must now consider e-mobility infrastructure as standard. Progressive developers recognise that cycle storage and charging facilities have become home and workplace amenities that influence tenant decisions – particularly when competing for businesses with strong sustainability commitments. However, retrofit projects present particular challenges. Converting underutilised spaces – former plant rooms for example – into e-bike facilities requires careful consideration of fire safety. These spaces may not have been designed for regular occupancy, or for storing devices with the energy density of a lithium- ion battery.
In co-working and multi-tenant buildings, the flexibility of modern access control systems combined with fire-rated hardware enables sophisticated management of shared storage spaces. Different user groups can be granted appropriate access while maintaining security and fire compartmentalisation – making these spaces truly multiuser-friendly, and adaptable to changing needs.
Safety as an enabler, not a barrier
The growth of e-mobility represents positive change – for individual health, urban air quality, and climate goals. Buildings that accommodate this shift safely will become more attractive to occupiers, more insurable and more resilient to regulatory scrutiny.
When workplace mobility evolves, fire safety standards genuinely cannot be left behind. Appropriate fire-rated access control solutions help buildings embrace e-mobility without compromising on safety. By ensuring storage facilities maintain proper fire compartmentalisation, while enabling controlled, flexible access, it’s possible for landlords, building managers and workplace leaders to support sustainable travel and commuting.
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