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Burn Prevention Strategies
- Burn Safety in the Kitchen
- Turn pot handles towards the stove, away from edges so they are out of a child's reach.
- Avoid leaving children unattended in the kitchen, or anyplace where food is prepared.
- Maintain distance from children while pouring hot drinks. Avoid pouring or drinking a hot liquid while holding a child or while a child is underfoot.
- Avoid leaving hot food or liquids unattended, or on the edge of a table or countertop. Young children might pull them down on themselves; older children might inadvertently knock it off the table or touch a hot pot or dish.
- Do not allow young children to handle hot liquids or foods. Teach older children that the kitchen is a dangerous place that requires responsible behavior. Do not allow older children to prepare hot food without supervision.
- Keep hot appliances out of a child's reach.
- Place a young child in a crib or playpen while preparing food.
- Make sure food and liquids are cool before allowing a child to handle them.
- Seat a child at a table once the food has been served as opposed to doing so during the serving process.
- Keep appliance cords out of the reach of children,
- Make sure that there is a working fire extinguisher in a visible accessible place in the kitchen. Be sure you know how to use it if necessary.
- Make sure to have a smoke detector in the food preparation area. Do not disable the battery.
- Exercise caution when frying in grease of oil. Hot liquid can splash out of the pan and cause a serious scald injury.
Burn Safety in the Bathroom
- Set water temperatures in the house no higher than 120 degrees Fahrenheit. Serious burn injury can occur in seconds at higher temperatures. Young children should not bathe in water hotter than 102 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Clearly mark the faucets "hot" and "cold" if they are not properly labeled, to avoid inadvertently turning on the wrong water temperature.
- When bathing a child, avoid sending the message that bath time is playtime by refraining to bring play toys into the bathtub.
- Avoid leaving a child unattended while bathing. It takes only a few seconds for an accident to occur.
- Face the child away from the faucet, to minimize the risk of a child reaching up and turning on the faucet.
- Do not run water while the child is in the tub. Test the water before placing a child in it.
- Avoid using electric devices in the bathroom, such as hairdryers, curlers or electric razors. If you must use them in the bathroom, make sure to use them away from the sink or tub. Purchase only products with interruption devices, which will disconnect power if the device is dropped in water.
- Avoid storing harmful chemicals, such as bleach, out of the reach of children.
Household Burn Safety
- Keep all matches and lighters out of the hands of children, at all times. Teach children that fire is dangerous.
- Devise a viable escape plan for the family, in event of fire. Make sure it is a viable plan, one that all members of the family can execute. If it involves window escapes, make sure that the window is easy to open, not painted shut or too heavy for a child or elderly person to lift. Practice the plan, as a family, once a month.
Smoke Detectors
- Studies prove smoke detectors reduce the chances of dying in a fire by
fifty percent. Install a smoke alarm on each floor of your
residential space, with one of them located by the sleeping rooms.
Avoid placing smoke alarms near the garage, by air vents, or too
close to cooking areas.
- Check your smoke detector once a month. Replace the batteries twice a
year. A good rule of thumb for remembering to replace the
batteries is doing so when you change the clocks twice a
year.
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Clean the
grillwork of smoke detectors with a cloth or vacuum. Particles of
dust can impair a detector’s function.
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Avoid painting a smoke detector.
- Choose smoke detectors that are tested and rated by Underwriters
Laboratories, or choose an AC-powered detector with a battery
back-up.
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