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Prevention and First Aid (Tips for the Home)
Tasmanian Burns Unit - Patient Information Brochure
"Cool the burn for at least 20 minutes under cool running water (no ice), keep warm and seek medical attention" |
Kitchen
- Do not carry a child on your hip, or nurse a baby or small child whilst cooking, drinking hot drinks or heating a baby's bottle.
- Always turn saucepan handles away from the edge of the stove.
- Always make sure that all hot liquids are well out of reach.
- Never leave a child unattended in the kitchen or bath.
- Ensure your upright stove is fixed to the wall
- Keep kettle cords out of reach of children.
- Always strain the hot liquid off microwave noodles before serving to a child.
- Hot food should be eaten at a table not from the child's lap.
- Food should only be given to children when it is cool enough to touch.
- Hot items and containers should be kept out of reach of children.
- Young children should not be involved in the preparation of hot food including the use of microwaves
- Older children should be closely supervised in the preparation of hot food.
- Do not allow young children in the kitchen when cooking.
- Cook on the hotplates at the back of the stove.
- Make people aware of hot items when removed from the oven.
- Keep hot items well away from the edge of the bench.
- Install an oven and cook top guard.
- Close oven door immediately after opening.
- Ovens are not to be used as heating sources.
- Always supervise children around BBQ's.
Bathroom
- Install a tempering device to regulate the temperature of hot water to 50°C throughout your home.
- Never leave a child unattended where a hot water tap is on or accessible.
- Install hot water tap protectors.
- Always test the bath water before putting the child in.
- When running a bath, avoid running the hot water tap on its own.
- Do not allow older children to bath siblings.
- Never leave a child unattended in the kitchen or bathroom.
Living Area
- Always use a guard around wood heaters, fireplaces, furnaces, radiators, electric heaters.
- Supervise young children at all times when a heater is in use.
- Ensure environment around heater is safe – rug corners are not lifting, toys are not lying around etc (tripping often results in burn injury).
- Do not allow young children to stoke, touch or stand close to fire places, wood heater, furnaces, radiators, panel heaters or electric heaters.
- Never leave an iron on the ground to cool.
- Never use an iron in the same area as a child.
- Store the iron well away from children.
- Ensure there are no cords hanging down to be pulled on.
- Store and use your treadmill away from young children.
- Always keep your treadmill unplugged when not in use.
- Always supervise older children if they are using a treadmill.
- When you buy a new treadmill choose one with protective covers and a safety stop switch.