Safety Tip Tuesday - National Burn Awareness Week

This is an excellent opportunity to increase burn awareness and prevent future fires from occurring. According to the American Burn Association (ABA), in the United States, approximately 400,000 people receive medical care for the treatment of burn injuries every year. In 2018 alone, there were 3,655 deaths from fire and smoke inhalation and another 40,000 people were treated in hospitals for burn-related injuries. The majority of these injuries, according to the ABA, are preventable.

The 2020 theme is “Contact Burns - Hot Surfaces Damage Skin!” A common risk of injury exists from touching hot surfaces such as pavement, stove burners, irons, and hair irons, fireplace doors, embers from campfires, and other hot objects.

Tips

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  • Supervise children around hot objects at all times.

  • Stand at least 3 feet away from hot outdoor objects. Keep area clear of trip hazards.

  • 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 as in an oven or over a grill. Assume all pots and pans are 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.

Facts

  • Roughly 70,000 people went to the hospital emergency department because of contact burns in 2018.

  • About one-third of the patients were children under the age of 5.

Safety, AnnouncementsAli Burgess