Practicing Kitchen Safety
Home accidents account for over thirty percent of cases seen in most emergency rooms. Most home accidents involve falling down stairs or incidences with furniture. One of the most frequently occurring household accidents are situations that happen in the kitchen including grease fires, knife cuts, spills and falls on liquids in the floor and stove or ovens that are left on absentmindedly.
To decrease the likelihood of kitchen accidents, there are several things you can do to avoid problems in the kitchen and to practice kitchen safety:
1. Always monitor items that are on the stove. Never leave items cooking unattended, not even in the microwave. Set a timer to help you remember how long something has been cooking and check the temperature on the item as often as possible. It only takes a few seconds for a fire to blaze and get out of control.
2. Clean and store knives and sharp objects immediately after using them. This reduces chances of accidental cuts and the sharp objects falling onto the floor.
3. Never pour hot liquids, including oil, down the kitchen drain. Wait for the liquids to cool first before discarding them. The steam from hot water and hot oils can cause second degree burns on the body.
4. Keep a fire extinguisher and a first aid kit in the kitchen for emergency use. Make sure the fire extinguisher is within reach of but not too close to the stove area. The first aid kit should contain everything needed to take care of minor scrapes and burns like small cuts and bruises. Stock the kit with gauze, band-aids, anti-bacterial ointment and alcohol swabs. Go to the emergency room for any accidents that cannot be controlled using items in the first aid kit.
5. Taking items out of a hot stove should be done slowly and carefully. Decrease burns by using oven mitts and pot-holders to handle hot items. Make sure the material is thick and made for kitchen use.
It is also helpful to keep a short list of these safety tips in your kitchen to refer to on occasion. These tips can help you eliminate kitchen accidents and reduce hospital emergency visits.
