At 65°C – probably the temperature of the hot water in your tank – water will badly scald a child in just half a second.
Last year the equivalent of five busloads of children were admitted to hospital with hot water and food scalds. But there are simple steps you can take to make your home ‘hot water safe’.
How do most scalds happen? For children under 5, scalds are usually caused by hot drinks, kettles, cooking and hot food and hot tap water.
With hot drinks, a child may be reaching for your cup or pulling on the tablecloth, or they may simply bump your cup while you’re holding it. It’s the toddlers aged 1 to 2 most often hurt, and usually with adults very close by.
In the kitchen, it’s often kettles and saucepans or plates of hot food being pulled down. A full, just-boiled kettle can do horrifying damage. Food fresh from the microwave can burn too.
Most scalds from the hot water tap are in the bath. Either from a bath that’s been filled or when the child turns on the hot tap. If the temperature in your hot water tank is turned down to 50°C – as in all new homes – the hot water will take 5 minutes to cause a major burn, rather than half a second.
If your child is scalded, cool the burn straight away under cool running water for at least 20 minutes. Don’t use ice, butter or ointment and remove any clothing not stuck to skin. Take your child to your doctor or hospital or in an emergency call 111 for an ambulance.
4 simple steps to help keep kids safe from scalds:
1. Keep hot drinks up high, out of reach.
Use a heavy mug, put it in the middle of the table and use a non-slip placemat, not a tablecloth.
2. Keep kettles out of reach.
Use a cordless kettle or keep the cord hooked up, not dangling within reach.
3. Keep kids out of the kitchen while you’re cooking.
Fit a stove guard to stop children pulling saucepans off the stove; use the rear hot plates when you can, and turn pot handles in and away from the front.
4. Turn your hot water tank down to 50°C.
Call your registered plumber to tell you how. Don’t leave kids alone in the bathroom and always check the temperature of bathwater with the inside of your wrist.
Further information
The New Zealand Fire Service has information and fact sheets on their website, including information targeted at children.
The ACC website offers a fact sheet and tips on avoiding scalds in the home.
You can enrol in a first aid course and purchase first aid kits from St John's New Zealand.
Helpful Hints
Kitchen:
- Keep children out of the cooking area.
- Your kettle should be cordless or have a ‘curly cord’ or ‘cord coiler’.
- Make sure your stove is securely fixed to the floor.
- Fit a stove guard to the front edge of your stove.
- Use the rear hot-plates on your stove before the front plates.
- Turn saucepan handles away from the edge of the stove.
- Make sure you have bench space beside the stove, so you don’t have to carry hot pans across the kitchen.
Living areas:
- Use placemats (or nothing) instead of tablecloths.
- Put your hot drink in the middle of the table, not at the edge.
- Use a heavy, flat-based mug, not a cup.
Bathroom:
- Make sure your hot tap water is no hotter than 50°C.
- Test the temperature of the water with your wrist before putting a child in the bath. Always run the cold water first and turn it off last.
- Turn taps off tightly and keep the bathroom door closed when noone's in there.
- Don’t leave children alone in the bathroom, even in the care of older children