Yes, You Can … Prevent Kitchen Mishaps!
By Arlene Bascom
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) states that the death rate from unintentional injuries in the home is approximately three times greater for older people than for the younger population.
Many of these accidents can be prevented with just a little forethought. Often, accidents are caused by hazards that have been simply overlooked or unrecognized. A kitchen can be one of the home’s most dangerous areas, especially for seniors. Cooking and electrical fires, spills, and spoiled food are just a few of the hazards. Luckily, steps can be taken in order to eliminate, or at least greatly reduce, the chance of an accident in the kitchen. Take a minute to review the following safety tips.
When you are cooking in the kitchen, never leave your food unattended. Although it may seem like a quick minute, that minute can allow for food to boil over or for grease to catch fire.
Do not start cooking when you are tired or preoccupied. Casualness causes casualties. Don’t answer or talk on the phone while cooking—you can become distracted, and injuries can result. Whenever you cook, it is a good idea to set a kitchen timer to remind you to shut off the oven, or take a pot off the stove.
Make sure potholders and oven mitts are easily accessible but located away from heat sources. If they are close at hand, you will be more likely to wear oven mitts when you take your meals out of the oven or microwave or when you remove pans from the stove. Scalding is one of the most common injuries in the kitchen. Make sure to turn pot handles away from the front of the stove where they can be bumped into and spilled, and use caution in picking up pots with hot food in them. Scalding can occur from hot steam as well. Be careful when lifting lids from hot food—including opening that hot bag of microwave popcorn!
Replace any electrical cords showing signs of wear and tear. Remove cords from high-traffic areas, where you may trip on them. Never stick a fork in a toaster to retrieve trapped toast—you may get shocking results. Rather, unplug the toaster, turn it upside down, and use a kitchen knife to retrieve the errant toast.
Make sure you have adequate lighting in the sink, range, and countertop area. Consider installing under-cabinet lighting.
If you have a gas stove, be sure it has an automatic shut-off feature, in case the pilot goes out. You can have someone from the gas company check this for you if you’re not sure. Or, ask the gas company to modify your stove to provide a gas odor that is strong enough to alert you if the pilot light goes out.
Make sure there is a working smoke detector in the kitchen, and check the batteries at least twice a year.
Wear short sleeves, or fasten long sleeves back with elastic bands when cooking to avoid having clothing catch on fire. Also, remove any towels or curtains that are hanging near the stove, where they may catch fire.
Keep a fire extinguisher handy, and make sure that you know how to use it properly.
To avoid cuts, be sure appliances, such as blenders, can openers, or mixers, are unplugged before touching sharp edges. Be aware and careful with other sharp edges: scissors, broken glass, or a potato peeler.
When handling knives, follow these rules.
Always cut away from your body.
Always use a cutting board.
Keep blades sharp, and clean (including the handle—slippery handles can cause injuries.
Don’t put knives in a sink of soapy water; they may not be seen as you dip your hand into the water.
Wash and dry knives carefully, keeping sharp edge away from your hands.
Always lay knives flat, never on the back or edge.
Don’t attempt to catch a knife as it falls—better it hits the floor than cut your hand.
Keep a sturdy stepladder in the kitchen area, one with a handrail, to reach higher cabinets. This should be used sparingly, though. Everyday cooking items should be within reach without the use of a ladder.
Spills should be cleaned up immediately, using nontoxic cleansers. To prevent slips and falls, place a water-absorbent, non-skid mat in front of the sink. Check the refrigerator for leaks that could create puddles. To reduce spills, use pots with handles on both sides as much as possible.
Finally, for toxicity issues, once a week, go through food in the refrigerator and throw out anything that is more than two days old to avoid food poisoning from spoiled food.
As you reviewed these tips, did you notice changes you can make to your habits or kitchen set-up that would reduce the chance of an accident in your kitchen? What do you plan to do about them? Make a list of the things you personally need to do, and you increase the probability that you will actually take action and make the changes.