The kitchen is the heart of the family home.

It’s where we gather with relatives and friends alike to share time preparing and consuming meals. It’s a place of bonding where conversations are fostered, secrets are shared, problems are solved and life-long memories are made.

It’s a safe place. Keeping it safe is a matter of making certain the kitchen does not become the scene of an unwelcome event.

Yet with hot stoves and boiling liquids, the chances of injury in the kitchen – particularly to children – are great. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that every day, over 300 children ages 0 to 19 are treated in emergency rooms for burn-related injuries, with younger children more likely to sustain injuries from scald burns that are caused by hot liquids or steam.

In addition to having working smoke detecters on every level of your home and making certain your water heater’s thermostat to 120 degrees Fahrenheit or lower, some particular attention should be paid to kitchen burn and scald prevention. Here are tips from the U.S. Fire Administration:

  • Use the back burners when you cook, if possible, and/or turn pot handles away from the stove’s edge. This will prevent spills from overturned pots and pans containing hot food or liquids.
  • All appliance cords need to be kept coiled and away from counter edges.
  • Use oven mitts or potholders when moving hot food from ovens, microwave ovens or stovetops. Never use wet oven mitts or potholders as they can cause scald burns.
  • Replace old or worn oven mitts.
  • Open heated food containers slowly, away from the face to avoid steam burns. Hot steam escaping from the container or food can cause burns.
  • Foods heat unevenly in microwave ovens. Stir and test before eating.
  • Keep young children at least 3 feet (1 meter) away from any place where hot food or drink is being prepared or carried.
  • Keep hot foods and liquids away from table and counter edges.
  • Never hold a child while cooking, drinking or carrying hot foods or liquids.
  • Teach children that hot things burn.
  • When children are old enough, teach them to cook safely. Supervise them closely.

If an accident does happen, and the burn is severe, call 9-1-1 immediately

Mild burns may be treated at the Hartford HealthCare-GoHealth Urgent Care location near you.