This time of year is one of the riskiest in Hollywood, Miami, and across South Florida when it comes to fires and burn injuries. During the holidays, more people are cooking at home, trying new recipes, and trying to cook multiple dishes at once. This can increase the risk of cooking fires and serious burns.
Fortunately, there are several things you can do to reduce your risk of burns:
- Never leave cooking unattended: According to the American Red Cross, most cooking-related fires are caused by unattended cooking. Whether you have a pot on the stove, a grill fired up, or something in the oven, stay nearby and keep an eye on your food and cooking area.
- Use extra caution when frying: When oil is heated up to high temperatures, there is a risk of fires. If you notice smoke or the oil bubbles, turn off the heat and get the pot away from the heat.
- Wear the right clothing: Wear sturdy shoes when cooking and avoid any baggy or dangling clothes which can catch fire. Using an apron can also help protect your clothes from stains and can offer extra protection for your skin from burns.
- Keep your cooking area clean: If you have crumbs and debris on the bottom of your oven or baked-on matter on your stove, this can catch fire. Regularly clean down your cooking surfaces.
- Keep your cooking area free of everything: Any food packaging, dish towels, curtains, paper, cookbooks, and all over items should be well away from your stove, grill, or other cooking surface to avoid a fire.
- Never allow children and pets near your cooking area: Keep them in a different room, ideally, or at least three feet away. Both children and pets can be curious about cooking and can accidentally start a fire or suffer a serious burn.
- Do keep a cookie sheet or large pot cover near you when you cook: If your pot or a pan catches on fire, you can smother the flames if you place the lid or cookie sheet over the pot very firmly as soon as a flame emerges. Keep the lid or cookie sheet on the pot and turn off the heat. Wait until the pot is completed cooled before removing the lid.
- Make sure your kitchen is equipped with smoke detectors and fire extinguishers: If you ever do have a fire, you’ll want to be alerted of smoke and you’ll want to have a way of putting out the flames.
Burn injuries are among the most painful and difficult. Severe burn injuries may affect your sense of confidence and mobility and can cause severe pain. Treatment can involve lengthy hospital stays, expensive surgery, and painful treatments. Getting fair compensation for your injuries, if you qualify for a legal claim, can help.
If you have suffered a burn injury due to a defective kitchen appliance or due to someone’s negligence, you may have a claim. Contact Flaxman Law Group at 1-866-352-9626 (1-866-FLAXMAN) for a free accident consultation to discuss your situation and to determine whether you have a case.