By HILARY JOHNSON
Keeping the Kitchen Safe
It’s important that we all practice good safety everywhere, but especially in the kitchen. Awful accidents have happened in kitchens, and it’s essential that we prevent them from happening to ourselves. Below is a list of tips to follow to ensure you’re being as safe as you can be in the kitchen.
1. Make sure that there aren’t any frayed wires, cords, and plugs on your appliances. Frayed wires can cause fires and destroy everything you own. Regularly checking the cords and plugs on your kitchen appliances, and replacing them when needed, could save you from having a lot of heartache.
2. Don’t use extension cords. Instead, use a junction box. Using one will provide you with more space when cooking, helping to prevent burns, spills, or things breaking. It also prevents overloading of the circuit.
3. Put a childproof lock on any cabinets that contain medicines and/or cleaning supplies. If you have little ones, they’ll get curious about what’s inside and could get poisoned. By locking up the cabinets, you’re keeping young children safe.
4. Don’t leave the kitchen with pots and pans boiling on the stove. If you do, it can cause a fire and damage to your kitchen and home. If you must leave the room while cooking, then turn off the stove-top.
Keep your dish towels, oven mitts, and anything else like that away from the stove. They could catch fire and cause damage.
6. Keep a fire extinguisher by or near your kitchen. In case a fire were to ever start, it’s good to have a fighting chance against it and protect your home and your loved ones.
7. Scalding is one of the most common injuries that take place in kitchen. Ensure that when handling hot pots and pans you use an oven mitt. To help prevent an injury to your child, ensure that the pan’s handle is not hanging off of the stove. If your little one can reach it, move it. And if burner knobs are not on the back of your stove, then make sure you use knob covers to prevent a small child from turning the burner on.
8. Know how to handle knives. If you are not sure what to do, here are some tips for you to remember:
* When cutting, cut away from your body. If the knife were to slip, you’d be in a lot of pain with a large chance of suffering major blood loss.
* Always use a cutting board to protect your counter tops.
* Keep the blades sharp. This will make it easier to cut through the foods.
* Keep your knives clean. Any slippery handles could cause injuries while cutting.
* Don’t attempt to catch a knife if it falls. In the process of catching it, you could cut your hand open.
* Wash and dry keeping the blade pointed away from you.
9. If anything has spilt onto your floors, clean it up immediately. If you don’t, someone may fall and hurt themselves.
10. Use a step stool when trying to reach things that are high up. Any other method you may use to reach the objects on the top shelf can lead to things breaking or you getting hurt.
Being safe in the kitchen is one of the most important things to keep in mind at home. Follow these tips to help prevent injuries from happening.