5 KITCHEN DANGERS 1 UNATTENDED ACTIVE BURNERS
HERE ARE FIVE THINGS THAT MAKE KITCHENS PARTICULARLY DANGEROUS: UNATTENDED ACTIVE BURNERS Unattended cooking is the leading cause of kitchen fires. People may step away to make a phone call, use the bathroom or check on the kids, thinking they have plenty of time to return to whatever is simmering on the stove. That mistake, all too often, turns out to be a costly one. Hot oil can catch on fire quickly and if not suppressed immediately, will quickly spread. COMBUSTIBLE ITEMS NEARBY Potholders, kitchen towels, paper towels — the kitchen is home to many materials that can help fuel a fire once it starts. And since most people want to make their kitchen setup convenient for when they cook, it’s no surprise that they often put such things near the stovetop. CHILDREN, PETS OR TOO MANY PEOPLE IN THE KITCHEN The kitchen is famously popular as the hub of the house; how often have you attended a party that ends up in the kitchen? It’s the center of the home, the place to find food and drink — but when food is being cooked, it’s a hazard zone. Just a few of the accidents that can happen in the kitchen in these situations are having a pan of hot water, grease or food pulled off the stove by a child; tripping over a pet or small child and falling onto the hot range; or getting clothing too close to an open flame and catching on fire. It’s important to note that clothing catching on fire only happens in 1% of kitchen cooking-related fires, but it is responsible for 16% of all cooking fire deaths. HOT PANS OR HANDLES Grabbing a hot handle or pan can lead to dropping it or spilling its contents. And, if people use a damp towel or pad to pick up a hot pan by the handle, it transmits the heat and can lead to burns, dropping the pan and/or spilling the oil.
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COMBUSTIBLE ITEMS NEARBY
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CHILDREN, PETS OR TOO MANY PEOPLE IN THE KITCHEN
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HOT PANS OR HANDLES
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GREASE OR OIL RESIDUE
As soon as that hot oil makes contact with a flame or hot burner, it can quickly ignite. If oil is poured out of the pan and some drips down the side — and then the pan is returned to the burner — that also can start a fire. GREASE OR OIL RESIDUE All grease spills and drips should be cleaned up as soon as they occur, because if ignored, they could lead to a fire the next time the stovetop or oven is turned on. Drip pans, a greasy exhaust hood or burner and even cookware with oil on the bottom can catch fire pretty quickly once a burner heats up. Adding to the danger is that many people do not know how to react to a kitchen cooking fire. The NFPA reports that 3 out of 5 people who are injured during cooking fires received those injuries from trying to fight the fire themselves.
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