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Scald and/or grease burns are usually caused by hot steam or liquids.
Here are some general guidelines to help keep you and your family
safe:
1. Keep hot drinks or food away from your child. A child's
skin burns four times more quickly and deeply than an adult's skin.
- Put a tight fitting lid on hot drinks, even when you are at
home.
- Make sure hot drinks or food are cooled before feeding or serving
your child.
- If you have hot serving dishes on the table, keep them out of
the reach of your child.
- If you must put hot drinks or food out be sure that your child
is supervised at all times.
2. Lower your water temperature. Hot tap water could burn
you or your child. A young child's or older adult's skin is thinner
and very sensitive to hot temperatures.
- Check your water temperature with a high temperature thermometer
such as for meat or candy, or obtain a water temperature measuring
card from your local Hospital Emergency or Children's Unit
- 49 degrees C (120 degrees F) is safe for household use, but
is still too hot for a bath. Remember to add cold water
- To lower your water temperature, adjust the thermostat on your
hot water tank to 49 degrees C. (Note that the adjustment valve
may be hidden behind a panel or cover plate). Wait 24 hours after
adjusting the temperature before re-testing with a hot water card
or thermometer
3. Buy an anti-scald guard. These are available for purchase
at most hardware stores.
- Install the anti-scald guard on your bathtub and sink spouts,
as well as showerheads
- When the water gets too hot, the valve will slow or stop the
flow of water
4. Install a valve in your water line to keep water at a safe
temperature.
- This can be done to specific lines or throughout your entire
home
- A licensed plumber can do this for you
5. Use caution when removing car radiator caps. Wait until
the radiator feels cool to the touch.
6. Be cautious in the kitchen
- Keep your child out of the kitchen when you are preparing hot
food or drinks
- Cook on back burners. 'Out of sight' means out of the minds
of young children
- Turn all pot handles toward the centre of the stove. A child
may be able to reach up and tip the pot onto themselves
- Keep hot drinks well back from the edges of tables or countertops.
A child could reach up and grab it
- Secure the bottom drawer of the stove. A child may pull out
the drawer, step up and touch the stove elements or turn the element
knobs on
- Do not use table cloths that hang over or come near the edge
of the table. It is better to use placemats, or better yet, nothing
at all. A child may pull on the skirt of the tablecloth and pull
a hot cup of tea or dish onto him or herself.
- Do not let the cords of appliances hang off of a counter. A
child may pull on the hanging cord
- Do not store foods that are attractive to children, such as
cerea, over the stove. Children may climb onto the stove to reach
for a snack
- Supervise children when they are ready to learn to cook
- Install a safety gate in the kitchen doorway to keep children
out when you are cooking
- Do not toss wet or freshly washed foods into deep fryers or
pans of hot grease. The grease will splatter
- Let microwaved foods cool before removing covers
- When using containers in the microwave, check to see if it is
microwave safe. Improper containers may melt or get very soft
& flimsy
- Remember that steam is hotter than boiling liquids, so remove
lids carefully. Always tip lids away from you when removing them
- Do not use wet pot holders as they do not provide any protection.
Sudden unexpected contact with the hot pot may cause you to drop
it, spilling the contents onto yourself
- Do not reach over burners on the stove
- Wear tight-fitting sleeves when cooking
- If you must have floor mats in the kitchen, ensure that they
are "non-slip"
- If a fire should occur in a pot while cooking, cover the pot
with a lid to smother the flames and call 911. Do not attempt
to lift the pot off the stove, as the hot handle may burn and
the grease, water or hot food may spill.
7. Be cautious in the bathroom
- Test bath temperatures by holding your elbow in the water to
determine if it is comfortable. Even if your hot water tank is
set at 49 degrees C (120 degrees F), you will need to add cold
water when running bath water.
- Never run water while a child is in the bathtub
- Install an anti-scald guard, which can be purchased at most
hardware stores. When the water gets too hot, the valve will slow
or stop the flow of water.
- Never leave your child unattended in the bathtub. They may turn
the hot water tap on.
- Install a tap guard so your child can't turn the bathtub tap
on. These are available at hardware or children's stores
- Do not keep any piece of furniture in the bathroom that your
child can easily move and use to stand on. A stool, step or metal
garbage can will enable your child to reach the countertop or
climb up on it and turn the hot water tap on.
First aid treatment
- Flush the burn area with low-pressure, running water
- Cover with a cool, clean, wet cloth for transport to emergency
care
- Do not apply anything such as butter, creams, petroleum jelly,
toothpaste, raw vegetable (ie: tomato, cucumber), ice or sunburn
products to the burn. Note that ice may cause the individual to
go into shock
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