Navigation
About this site | Directories | Site Index | Contact us
- Is your home safe?
- Fire safety equipment
- Children
- Outside your home
- Prevention
- Escape
- After a fire
- Getting help
Safety in the kitchen
Most fires in the home start in the kitchen as a result of people being careless with appliances or being distracted for a moment while cooking. Nearly 20 people a day are killed or injured in kitchen fires.
- When cooking, take care if you're wearing loose clothing as it can easily catch fire. Keep electrical leads, tea towels and cloths away from the cooker and hob.
- Never leave children alone in the kitchen. Keep matches, lighters and saucepan handles where children can't reach them and fit a safety catch on the oven door.
- Keep the oven, hob, toaster and grill clean - a build-up of fat, crumbs or grease can easily catch fire.
- Don't use matches or lighters to light gas cookers - spark devices, which you can buy from hardware stores, are safer.
- Don't leave pans on the hob when you're not around. Take them off the heat if you have to leave the kitchen.
- Angle saucepan handles so they don't stick out from the hob, or over a naked flame.
- Don't put anything that is made of metal or is metallic inside the microwave.
- When you have finished cooking, make sure you switch off the oven and hob.
- Keep electrical leads and appliances away from water.
- Turn off electrical appliances when they're not being used and service them regularly.
- Check that the toaster is clean and empty the crumbs regularly. Make sure it's not near curtains, blinds and kitchen rolls.
- Don't overload electrical sockets. Only have one plug in each socket. If you need more plugs than there are sockets, use a 'bar type' fuse adaptor and keep the total amps of all plugs in the adaptor to 13 amps or less. Also, remember that higher-amp appliances such as washing machines always need a socket to themselves.
 |
 |
- If you regularly deep-fry food, consider buying an electric deep-fat fryer. They have thermostats fitted so they can't overheat and are safer to use.
- Dry food before putting it into hot oil, to prevent the oil from splashing and burning you.
- If you don't have an electric deep-fat fryer and are using an ordinary pan, never fill it more than one-third full.
- If the oil starts to smoke, it's too hot. Turn the heat off and leave it to cool.
 |
 |
Don't take any risks - get everyone out of your home and call the Fire & Rescue Service.
- Don't move the pan and never throw water over it.
- Turn off the heat under the pan (if it's safe to do so) and allow it to cool completely.
 |
 |
If a burn is bigger than a postage stamp, you should get medical advice from your doctor or call an ambulance. If a burn is smaller than a postage stamp, run cold water over it until the pain reduces and then cover the burn with clean, non-fluffy material.
Privacy statement | Terms & conditions | Photo credits | Accessibility | Crown copyright