How Safe Is Your Kitchen?

 

 

The kitchen is often referred to as the heart of the home; we cook in it, eat in it, entertain guests in it and live in it on a daily basis. It is the most used room in the home but it is also the most dangerous, making it incredibly important for us, and our families, to take caution when using it.

Follow these 6 simple rules when using your kitchen to ensure your entire family are kept safe:

1. Wear Sensible Shoes

It may seem odd to wear shoes inside as we usually take them off to keep our floors clean but wearing shoes in the kitchen is vital to protect your feet from dropped knives or split boiling water.

Wearing sturdy, closed toe shoes is the best way to keep your toes and feet safe whist cooking in the kitchen.

2. Wear Natural Fibres

Wearing synthetic clothing whilst cooking can be extremely dangerous as synthetic fibres are often highly flammable and can melt onto the skin causing severe damage during fires.

Natural fibres are far safer to wear whist working in the kitchen – an area which is highly susceptible to fire.

3. Wear Long Sleeves

Kitchens are usual particularly warm areas of our homes especially when cooking due to the use of numerous heat emitting appliances.

Despite the warmth, it is vital to wear long sleeved clothing at all times in order to cover your arms and protect them from burns, spitting oil, splashes of boiling water and other airborne nasties.

4. Wash Your Hands Regularly

The kitchen is full of germs, so it’s important to regularly wash your hands whilst preparing food to avoid cross-contamination.

It is easy to spread bacteria around your kitchen so keeping your surfaces and your hands clean is a vital step to help keep you safe.

5. Keep Your Fridge Cold

Harmful bacterial can quickly grow on your food if it is not stored at the correct temperature in the fridge. This particularly applies to meats such as chicken and beef.

To avoid any mishaps of food poisoning be sure to check you fridge is working properly regularly.

6. Know How To Tackle A Small Fire

With gas and electric used to cook food every day, it comes as no surprise that kitchen fires are a regular occurrence. It is important to stay calm and think rationally if one breaks out in your kitchen. Grease fires are the most common form of fire in the kitchen and they must be handled carefully.

Follow these simple rules to ensure you know how to keep a grease fire under control:

• DO NOT pour water on it, this can be a deadly mistake and lead to explosion.
• DO NOT use sugar or flour to combat the flames, this can lead to an explosion the strength of dynamite.
• BAKING SODA can be used to tackle this fire however a lot is needed so this may not be a viable option.
• The best way to tackle a grease fire is to SUFFOCATE IT using a non-glass lid.
• If the fire if too large for you to combat safely EVACUATE and RING 999.

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