Cooking is an important part of holiday celebrations for many families, and children love to be a part of it. Take steps to keep them safe in the kitchen this holiday season: - Watch children closely in the kitchen. They must be supervised at all times when an electric or gas stove is within reach.
- Never leave the kitchen when something’s cooking. A fire or accident can happen in an instant.
- Keep children at least three feet away from all cooking appliances.
- Never hold a child while cooking or when removing hot food from the microwave, oven or stove.
- Turn pot handles in, away from reaching hands.
- Use the back burners on the cooktop whenever possible.
- Hot tap water scalds can be prevented by lowering the setting on water heater thermostats to 120 degrees Fahrenheit or below and by installing anti-scald devices in water faucets.
- Once your holiday meal is ready, check that the stove and oven are turned off and that other kitchen appliances are unplugged and out of reach.
Fast Facts: - In the U.S., injury is the leading cause of death among children and young adults, and nearly half of these accidents occur in the home.
- In 2009, ranges and ovens were involved in an estimated 17,300 thermal burn injuries seen in U.S. hospital emergency rooms. 36% of these burn victims were under the age of five.
- Two out of every five reported home fires started in the kitchen or cooking area.
- Children under five years old are almost one and a half times more likely to die in a home fire as the average person.
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