Posted by Kitchen Design

Kitchen safety and accidents in the home

Statistics say that most accidents happen at home and most of these accidents occur in the kitchen. The best time to consider kitchen safety is when you are planning a new kitchen with your kitchen designer. After all, your kitchen is the heart of your family home and a having a safe kitchen will give you and your family peace of mind.

Here are some kitchen safety guidelines for you to consider.

• A medical kit should be included somewhere in your kitchen as cuts and burns are the most common types of accidents that occur in the kitchen.
• A fire extinguisher should be included in the kitchen preferably located near the cooking area. A fire blanket is a good idea too. It can be put over saucepans to extinguish fires (or to prevent the fire spreading, especially hot oil fires).
• Make sure your rangehood filters are clean and free from grease.
• Avoid placing cooktops too close to windows as this can be a fire hazard.
• Electric cooktops should have a 'Power On' indicator
• Gas cooktops should have a flame failure device
• A smoke detector should be included in the kitchen area
• Poisons, medicines and caustic cleaning agents should be kept in a lockable cabinet. A poisons reference chart and emergency phone numbers should be located nearby.
• Store knives and other sharp objects out of the reach of children.
• Set your hot water temperature to reduce the risk of burns and scalds.
• Make sure your kitchen power outlets are fitted with Ground Fault Circuit Interrupters (GFCI) or a Residual Current Device (RCD) to minimise the chance of electrocution.
• Keep work surfaces clean and free from contamination
• Promptly clean up spills on the kitchen floor

Tags: accidents in the home, emergency phone numbers, fire blanket, flame failure device, ground fault circuit interrupters, Kitchen Health & Safety, kitchen power, kitchen safety, lockable cabinet, medical kit, oil fires, power outlets, residual current device