Even if we are in the most beautiful place on earth, at the end of the day we would like to go back to home to relax and take rest. This is why we say “Home sweet home”. We feel that we do not get that comfort anywhere else other than our own home. We feel safe, secured, and comfortable in our home. But just because we are in our home, does not guarantee us safety, as accidents can happen in our home also. Mishaps can happen right in the living room, kitchen or in the bathroom. And among the many could-happen accidents at home, the most common one is burns. Burns can be the most painful and traumatic injury a person can endure. Sometimes, they take several months or even years for ongoing care and rehabilitation. It is not uncommon to get minor or major burns while at work or at home. Few common ways of getting burns at home are
- Getting close to a hot stove, oven, barbecue, grill, and hot plates
- Hot iron
- Wet or steam burns (scalds) from hot water bath or hot vapors, tipped over coffee cup, spilling of hot cooking fluids
- Chemical burns from spilling bleach on the skin
- Electricity shock or fire
- Exhaust pipe in car
- Gasoline opening
- Engine casing
- Sipping hot coffee, soup, or eating hot pizzas
Fire safety
There are many precautious way that can be taken to keep burns at bay. Below presented are few fire safety tips that should be followed at home
- Install a smoke alarm in the house. Check it every month and change the batteries every 6 months
- Atleast every 10 years have all the electrical wiring checked by a professional electrician
- Clean the chimney or fire place every year
- Discuss with the family member and make a plan to get out of home in case there is a fire
- Learn to use a fire extinguisher and have one at home
- Avoid overloading an extension cord
- Fit home with ground-fault circuit interrupter and arc-fault circuit interrupter, these help to prevent fire and electrical shock by shutting off faulty circuits
- Immediately replacing any electrical appliance that spark, smell or overheated unusually
Preventing fire & burns at home
There are quite a number of people visiting hospitals very year for house-hold burns. Few simple precautions can help prevent fire and burns at home.
- Never wear loose, hanging, and nylon clothing while cooking or near fire
- Turn pot-handler towards the back of the stove
- Putting cover on electrical outlet that are within the reach of children can prevent electrical burns
- Discard all the frayed away and damaged cords at home
- While handling chemicals wearing hand gloves or other protective clothing can prevent chemical burns
- Chemicals should be kept out of reach of children
- If using a humidifier or steamer, use cool-mist model rather than hot-steam one
- Space heaters, match-box, and lighter should be used carefully and kept out of reach of children
- Check how hot the car seat cover and seat belt are before making a child sit on it as they can cause second degree burns
- Do not heat baby bottle in microwave oven as oven heats unevenly and it can scald the baby’s mouth
- Check electronic toys for spark, smell or damage. Replace or discard them immediately
- Make the kids wear flame-retardant sleepwear (polyester or treated cotton)
- Never leave a candle burnt, blow it off when not in use
- Do not smoke inside the house, especially on the bed. Remember to put off the cigarette after smoking
- Avoid taking kids near the stove or lifting them while cooking
- Remember to unplug all electrical appliance after use
- After use of clothing iron or curling iron unplug it and keep it out of reach of children
- Always test the bath water by dipping elbow in it before taking bath
- Make sure that night lamp or other wiring does not touch any clothing or curtains
- Tie-up all the hanging or excess wire to prevent accidents or fire that occur by chewing the electrical cords
- Never run a electrical wire under a rug or carpet
- Avoid using a table cloth as the child can hold it to pull himself up and drop something heavy or hot on himself
In case of burns
Burns can result in blisters, swelling, redness, and scarring. In case of burns with intact skin, the person should immediately keep the burnt area under gently running cold tap water. Keep the area under water for more than 3 minutes. Never apply ice, butter or any other lotions immediately, as it can worsen the burn. Contact the doctor if the burn looks worse and severe. Later doctor might prescribe a topical lotion like Neosporin to prevent infection. Neosporin provides a cooling effect in the burnt region. If the burnt area is paining, then over-the-counter medication like aspirin or ibuprofen helps to reduce pain, redness, and swelling. Never wrap the burnt area tightly as they prevent air-flow and leakage of the fluid, and breed bacteria. Do not apply butter as they block the pores on the skin and delay healing process. Make sure that the person has a tetanus injection.
Things to do when fire in home
Fire accidents occur unexpectedly and can occur anywhere anytime. Therefore, it is important to have a fire escape plan prepared already. Look into every room and think about the possible escape route, see that there are two escape routes in each room, in case of one is blocked by fire. Keep the furniture and other heavy object away from windows, and see that the window doors are not nailed or difficult to open as these are the major route of escape during fire. If living in an apartment see that atleast one of the safety bars in the window can be removed easily. If living on top floor on an apartment, then it is must to have an escape ladder that is made of aluminum. The fire escape plan should be discussed with all the family members including maids and babysitters. It is important to know that most fire deaths are not due to burns but due to inhaling the poisonous smoke from the fire. If there is a fire at home, stick to the fire escape plan and meet at a particular place. Immediately cover the mouth and nose with a wet towel or cloth. As smoke always tends to rise, it is safer to crawl under the smoke and stay as low to the ground as possible. Before opening any door touch it to see if it’s hot, and if it is, then move to another exit. Close the door behind to separate from fire and smoke. Find the nearest stair or way marked “Fire exit” and never use an elevator during fire. Do not stop to take any personal belongings and never enter into the house once safely out. If clothing catches fire, do not panic; immediately stop, drop, and roll on the ground to extinguish fire
Conclusion (ma’m as it is exclusively for Indians the below survey should b kept or not ?)
A survey shows that almost about 3,500 Americans die due to fire accidents and about 18,000 individuals face major fire injury. And among them a major number of fire accidents occur in home. There are many time-tested ways to prevent fire accidents and avoid severe fire or burn injuries. Remember preventing or escaping from fire mishaps is not a matter of luck; it is a matter of planning ahead and acting sensibly.
