B737-700
Flight Attendant Current
Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Hazardous Material Violation; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Published Material / Policy
Flight Crew Overcame Equipment Problem; General Maintenance Action
Human Factors; Procedure
During the pre-boarding phase of boarding a man comes on with a foldable mobility scooter and asks if he is able to stow it in the wheelchair compartment. I tell him yes; and then ask him if his mobility scooter has a lithium battery. The passenger tells me yes; so I asked him if it was removable; and he says yes. I call the B Flight Attendant who refers to the manual which says the battery must be stowed separately from the device. The passenger removes the battery; and stows the scooter in the wheelchair stowage compartment. I inform the Captain of what is going on and they refer to their manual; which appears to say that the lithium battery device should be stowed as checked baggage; so they call headquarters for clarification and [are] told that the battery should be separated and also taped on either side to avoid short circuiting. When the Operations Agent comes down I inform them of what is going on with the lithium battery and what headquarters said; and they call a Ramp Supervisor to come and look at the battery. The Ramp Supervisor approves of the stowage of the battery. I inform the Captain; who also agrees.I think a universal procedure between different work groups to identify and understand the proper stowage of lithium batteries would help to prevent this confusion and misunderstanding. Having the Operations Agent alert cabin crew to the presence and type of lithium battery prior to boarding could ensure that all departments are on the same page about procedures for lithium batteries; and that these procedures are being upheld consistently. Also; the wording in the manual about the different types of lithium batteries could be made more clear as to avoid the confusion about which devices are to be stowed where.
B737-700 Flight Attendant reported widespread misunderstanding between departments regarding the procedures for safe transport of Lithium Ion Batteries.