Burns are not just caused by getting too close to a fire or accidentally hitting the inside edge of the oven when you are cooking. The 2020 Burn Awareness Week Campaign is Contact Burns – Hot Surfaces Damage Skin! Take a look at these surprising statistics related to this year’s theme.
- Roughly 70,000 people went to the hospital emergency department because of contact burns in 2018.
- Most burns associated with cooking in 2013-2017 were caused by contact with a hot object or liquid rather than by fire or flame.
- About one-third of contact burn patients are children under the age of five (5).
TIPS
• Supervise children around hot objects at all times.
• Keep hot foods and liquids away from table and counter edges.
• Have a “kid-free zone” of at least 1 meter around the stove and areas where hot food or drink is prepared or carried.
• Never hold a child while you are cooking, drinking a hot liquid, or carrying hot foods or liquids.
• Stand at least 1meter away from hot outdoor objects. Keep area clear of trip hazards. Limit alcohol consumption.
• Protect your feet from hot objects by wearing shoes when walking on hot pavement or sand. Keep pets off hot pavement too.
• Turn heating pads and blankets off before sleep.
• Have hot pads available whenever cooking. Long oven mitts are best when needing to reach in or over hot surfaces, such in an oven or over a grill. Assume all pots and pans are hot.
• Although tableware is not itself used for cooking, it often holds very hot food, soups or drinks, and may itself be very hot.
• Remember to treat items coming from the microwave as you would items from the oven. Limit microwave use by children.
• Unplug tools such as these when not in use, and always treat as if they are still hot. Keep out of reach of children
