By Samuetta Hill Drew
National Burn Awareness Week is always the first week of February. Scalds due to cooking liquids, grease, and food, along with tap water and steam were responsible for 46 percent of all burns in 2012. Over 450,000 burn injuries occur yearly which require medical attention. The vast majority of scald burns happen in the home with the kitchen and bathroom being the two most common places of occurrences. Very young children and the elderly are the most frequent victims of scalding injuries. Eighty percent of all burns for children under the age of 8 are caused by scalding injuries. From 2007 – 2013, the number of burn center admissions due to scald burns increased from 29.8 percent to 33.7 percent. Let’s review some safety tips which can possibly help reverse this trend.
Burn Precaution Safety Tips:
- Cool a burn immediately by placing the burn area under cold running water for about 10-15 minutes and call 911 if the burn is serious.
- Create a “No Child Zone” in your kitchen when you are cooking or serving hot foods or beverages.
- Use the back burners and turn the pot handles inward so children won’t be able to pull them down. Children like to reach so we have to help keep them safe.
- Keep hot food and beverages away from the edge of a table or counter. If you have small children, you may want to avoid using tablecloths, runners and/or placemats.
- Use oven mitts when cooking and handling hot food or drinks. This includes taking food items out of the microwave as well as a conventional stove.
- Always supervise children in the kitchen and dining areas.
- It is recommended that you set your water heater at 120 degrees F/48 degrees C, just below the medium setting or the manufacturer’s suggested setting.
- Make it a practice to run your hand through the bath water to test it for hot spots. Run some additional cold water, if needed to make sure the water temperature is not too hot to cause a burn.
- NEVER hold a child while carrying a hot beverage in your hand or while cooking. Find a safe place visible to you in the kitchen to place your child. You may want to consider a high chair.
- Use a travel mug with a tight fit when traveling in your vehicle and drinking a hot beverage.
Let’s Keep an Eye on Safety this week by helping decrease the number of possible burn injuries, especially by the young and the elderly.
