Do You Know How Most Children Get Burned?

About 90 percent of all serious burns happen right at home, and half of these victims are children. Scalding water can inflict serious burn in a matter of seconds. Hot tap water is often the source.

The average temperature setting on most home water heaters is 145 degrees Fahrenheit, a temperature that cause a serious burn if skin is exposed to it for just three seconds. A water temperature turned down to 120 degrees Fahrenheit would require five minutes of exposure to produce a serious burn. A setting of 120 degrees Fahrenheit and proper supervision could reduce child burns in the United States up to two-thirds.

Follow These Safety Rules.

Check the temperature of your hot water heater. Turn it down if the setting is too high. You may prevent a serious burn to a child or to you---not to mention the energy you’ll save.

Supervise your children’s use of water in the bathroom and kitchen, especially when drawing water for baths and showers.

Never leave children unattended when the stove is on.

When cooking, turn the handles of pots and pans toward the center of the stove. This can keep children from pulling the handles and dumping the pot’s hot contents on them.

Should someone in your household suffer a burn, remember that the Health Alliance emergency departments can help you. No matter what part of town you live in, The Christ Hospital, The University Hospital, The St. Luke Hospitals and The Jewish Hospital are nearby and ready to care for you.