Currently, we are approaching a period when increased caution is generally advised. Summer holidays mean more free time for children, and this goes hand in hand with an increase in potentially risky situations. Perhaps you have a little aspiring chef at home who never misses an opportunity to assist you or grandparents at the stove. And now is the time to be vigilant! Fortunately, special protective equipment available on the domestic market can help you with this.
Households Full of Hazards
Burns are generally considered to be a type of injury with some of the most serious consequences, in extreme cases, the treatment is lifelong. Doctors in the country examine about 9,000 children with various degrees of burns annually, one-third of which are scalded toddlers. Of these child patients, approximately 1,200 end up hospitalized, which corresponds to about 2.5% of all recorded child injuries. Especially in their case, it holds true that most hazards lurk in the seemingly safe environment of homes.
Smaller children under one year old most often burn their hands or palms due to contact with a hot object, such as a kitchen hob, iron, or heated fireplace. For older children, up to about three years of age, boiling water is problematic – pouring it can cause life-threatening burns to the face, chest, or again the hands. As they grow older, injuries caused by burning clothing increase. Grim statistics indicate that burns are the third most common cause of child deaths worldwide, and neglected prevention is usually to blame.
“In up to 90% of cases, burns can be prevented with effective prevention. Given that the vast majority of injuries occur in the kitchen or bathroom, even a small change can make your home safer,” warns Robert Zajíček, head of the Burn Medicine Clinic at the University Hospital Královské Vinohrady in Prague (FNKV), where the 3rd Faculty of Medicine of Charles University also operates.
“It is good to realize that, for example, tea or coffee is about 70°C three minutes after pouring. It takes just one second of contact for a child’s skin to develop a serious burn. This implies that a painful tragedy can occur very suddenly and quickly,” adds the doctor, who is also behind the awareness campaign 70°C, which aims to prevent this type of domestic injury.
Basic guidelines for preventing burns exist – with a little thought, we can deduce most of them using common sense. For example, that children need to be prevented from contacting hot oven doors or that we should primarily cook on the back burners and turn pots and pans so that little chefs cannot reach the handle. Cooking with a child in your arms or in a carrier and leaving matches in places easily accessible to a child are also big no-nos. These are just some of the basic principles.
Where Common Sense Falls Short, Technology Must Step In
Especially in today’s times, it is desirable to further enhance safety with the help of modern technologies. There is a wide range of kitchen aids available on the market designed to protect against burns. These include various fire extinguishers (mainly powder) or fire blankets. Since last year, a special kitchen mitt has also been available, introduced as part of the Safe in the Kitchen project by Aramark, the largest catering service provider in the Czech Republic, and the premium kitchen equipment retailer Potten & Pannen – Staněk, in collaboration with the Burn Medicine Clinic FNKV in Prague and its head Robert Zajíček.
In stores and on the e-shop, you can recognize this aid by the hand palm logo – as it represents one percent of the human body, which is also the dimension used for the initial estimate of the extent of burns and the area that can be actively cooled in children in case of injury.
“We greatly appreciate the work of the specialists at the Burn Medicine Clinic FNKV in Prague and are pleased to actively support it with this project. Our company, given the field we operate in, also has past experiences with unpleasant burn injuries, and the new mitt is a way to strengthen safety standards in our operations, as well as in households across the Czech Republic,” describes Vladimir Staněk, CEO of Aramark, the intention behind the product development, which also involved the sheltered workshop ERGO Zlín and stress tests conducted by the Technical University in Liberec (TUL). “Our intention is to expand its use among other restaurant entities or hotels in the Czech Republic and thus jointly help both awareness and regular contributions to the clinic,” added Vladimir Staněk.
“Most burns occur in the forearm area, which classic kitchen gloves do not protect. Our mitt has an extended length of approximately four centimeters, consists of four protective layers, and meets all fire safety standards. A safe environment in the kitchen is fundamental – unfortunately, we often do not pay as much attention to this issue as it deserves. However, we can all agree that our primary concern is the protection of our loved ones,” continues Miloš Staněk, CEO of Potten & Pannen – Staněk, whose stores and e-shop pottenpannen.cz offer the unique aid for purchase. Since the launch of the Safe in the Kitchen mitt on the market, 2,000 pieces have been sold.
The Safe in the Kitchen campaign aims to highlight the risks associated with burns. Both companies have also decided to financially support the Burn Medicine Clinic FNKV. They have now handed over a second check for 100,000 crowns. Its doctors thus receive the necessary resources for implementing demanding medical procedures in intensive care units, for long-term care of scarred injury consequences, as well as reconstructive surgery or laser therapy. Moreover, by purchasing the mitt and increasing home safety, you can now, for example, celebrate the upcoming International Children’s Day!
