Child safety: Burn prevention

Alarmingly, ChildSafe says that 256 children suffer burns every day in South Africa led by scalds and hot liquid burns. Sadly, most of these burns are preventable, and keeping your child safe from these injuries starts in the home.

Flame safety

Despite all our electric appliances, fire-related injuries remain prevalent. And when households have both loadshedding and winter to deal with, the risk rises dramatically. 

• Matches and lighters should always be stored out of the reach of children, preferably in a locked cupboard or drawer. 
• Children should never be left unattended around open flames, no matter how small or seemingly controlled. This includes gas heaters, braais, gas and paraffin stoves, candles, lamps and fireplaces. 
• Never pour flammable liquids on open flames as the resulting flame may be larger than you anticipated and could jump to surrounding surfaces and structures. Your child could also mimic your actions at a later stage with disastrous consequences. 
• Similarly, pressurised spray cans and fabrics should always be kept far away from open flames to prevent explosions and fires from spreading out of control. 
• Ensure your braai is located away from structures or furniture that could catch alight.
• If you have a fireplace, get a proper shield to prevent sparks from causing damage to people and furniture or resulting in a house fire.
• Make sure fires are properly extinguished and safe before leaving the area or going to bed. 
• Never smoke in bed as bedding can quickly ignite and put the whole family at risk of smoke inhalation and death. 

Wet burns

Whether it’s from food, liquid or steam, scalds happen in an instant, can cover a large area of the body and are extremely painful. They are also largely preventable.

• Always keep hot foods and liquids in the middle of the table and out of the reach of little hands. 
• Make sure that your kettle, cooker and microwave cables are stowed away and secured against the wall so that children aren’t tempted to pull or hang on the cable. 
• Never leave a hot stove or oven unattended and make sure pot and pan handles are turned towards the back of the stove.
• Always run cold water into a bath first and never leave the hot water tap running unattended. 
• Where possible, make sure that hot water taps are closed tightly enough for it to be difficult for children to open.

Dry and electrical burns

Dry burns tend to be smaller than other types of burns, but this does not make them less painful, especially for children. Electrical fires, on the other hand, are less common but spread quickly and are difficult to extinguish. 

• Children should never be left unsupervised around hot items, particularly those that can cause instantaneous damage. This includes heaters, stoves, ovens and irons. If you need to step away from the kitchen, close and lock the door behind you. 
• Fabrics are often flammable and should always be kept away from hot surfaces, especially heaters, to prevent accidental fires.
• Overloading plug points and using faulty electrical cables or appliances can cause electrical fires which spread rapidly. Pay attention to the health of your electrics by purchasing appropriate multi-plugs with surge protection and refraining from using faulty items until they have been repaired.
• Never use water to put out an electrical fire or near plugged-in appliances as this could result in electrocution. Turn the power to the house off at the mains as soon as possible. If the fire is small, you may be able to smother it with a heavy blanket, but ideally, a fire-extinguisher labelled as ABC should be used. 
• Cover unused power points with safety plugs.

Emergency measures

Given the extensive damage fires and burns can do to your family and your home, preparation should be done for such incidences. 

• Keep a properly stocked burn kit in the home and go to the emergency room immediately to avoid complications.
• Get fire extinguishers and smoke alarms for the main areas in your home such as the kitchen, lounge and hallways. 
• Teach your children what to do if there is a fire and make a point to practice your fire evacuation plan regularly.
• Read our Fire safety tips for the home for more information on how to protect your family, home and property against devastating house fires. 

Life lessons

It is important for us as parents to continuously teach our children how to behave around fire, hot surfaces, liquids and foodstuffs and why. It’s also worth noting that our children learn more from watching our behaviour than our words. When it comes to burn prevention, setting a good example is a critical tool in teaching our children to respect fire and heat.