How Safe Is Your Kitchen?

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Enough emphasis can never be placed on the need for safety measures in the home; most especially in the kitchen. Kitchen hazards are often recurrent and safety measures cannot just be overlooked while thinking you are careful enough - There is nothing as being ‘too careful’.

We often take important note of the way we handle food in terms of hygiene but forget to consider the importance of our safety in the kitchen. Kitchen appliances can lead to fires, cuts, burns, scalds and so many more… even death in worst case scenarios.

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In a home with little kids, kitchen safety is paramount in the home to prevent children from getting hurt; in the real sense of it, kitchen safety is not discriminating and applies to both young and old. Here are some tips to keep your kitchen safe and free of plausible hazards:

• The first and best way to avoid hazards in the kitchen is to pay maximum attention in the kitchen. Cooking something? Don’t be far from it! Cutting something? Don’t leave the knife unattended to! Paying attention to the ongoing activities in the kitchen decreases hazards drastically.
• Always be prepared for emergencies, have first aid kits and safety tools like fire extinguishers, child proof locks, smoke detectors and ensure they are functioning always by inspecting them from time to time.
• Kitchen appliances like kettles, glass wares, ceramics, and knives should be checked for their strength and functionalism. Broken appliances can cause damages if not disposed of or repaired in some cases.
• Ensure that the trash can is emptied regularly to avoid the spread of germs or cause fires in case of flammable cans being disposed of in the bins
• Store all sharp objects in cabinets that cannot be reached by children and cannot drop by accident.
• Always keep flammable items like linen, oven mittens, compressed cans of cooking spray oils and so on away from the stove.
• Never wear loose fitting clothes in the kitchen as they can catch fire while you are going about your duties in the kitchen.
• Ensure you always turn off the gas outlet when you are done the cooking and are about leaving the kitchen. It never hurts to double check all gas outlets for possible leakages in the kitchen before leaving the kitchen. Gas explosions don’t happen at gas stations alone but can also happen at home if proper safety measures are not taken.
• Electrical appliances should be unplugged before cleaning or dipping your hands or cutleries in them. For instance, blenders should be turned off and unplugged before putting your hand in (you probably want to check the texture of what you are blending). Leaving it on while dipping cutleries or your hand in can result in cuts, electrocution or breakage of the utensil placed in it; this can lead to a spring of the broken parts which can hit an unsuspecting presence in the kitchen.
• Never leave a pan of oil or boiling water unattended to. Continuous heating of such pans can lead to a burst of flames. This is highly hazardous and there have been cases where the whole house has been burned down to nothing as a result of this.
• The gas cylinder is advised not to be in an airtight place /room without proper ventilation
• Water spillage on the kitchen floor should be cleaned immediately to avoid slippering