Basic Kitchen Safety Tips for Kids and Adults

How often do we emphasize on kitchen safety? Well, most of us may not even realise that sometimes accidents and fatalities can occur in our kitchens too! There are many objects – sharp knives, electrical appliances, gas stove etc., which if handled without care and caution, may cause serious consequences and injuries. Therefore, it is very important to exercise basic kitchen safety to ensure there are no mishaps. We shall be acquainting you with some safety tips that will help you to create a safe cooking environment. Read this article to know these safety measures!

General Kitchen Safety Rules and Tips

Danger is always lurking in our kitchens; however, if you are smart enough to take the preventive measures, you can stop major mishaps from happening. Here are some general kitchen safety rules and regulations that you should abide by:

1. Be Attentive

Being casual can cause casualties, and therefore the first and foremost thing that is required on your part is to be attentive. Whenever you are alert, and you know what you are doing, it reduces the chances of mishaps. Most mishaps usually occur when we are not paying heed to what we are doing. Do not take your kitchen lightly because it is similar to any workplace, which means it requires attention and concentration on your part for the effective results and in this case, the effective results would be safety.

2. Take Care Of Your Attire

Yes, a kitchen is not a place to party and to dress up in your fineries. However, you must pay heed to what clothes you wear while cooking. Loose-fitted clothes, polyester or silk clothes are a big no-no while working in the kitchen. These kinds of clothes put you at an added risk of catching accidental fire. Therefore, you should wear well-fitted clothes, preferably made of cotton fabric. Make sure your hair is tied up, not only for safety reasons but also for hygienic reasons. Also, refrain from wearing any dangling jewellery.

3. Take Care of Electrical Safety

We use a variety of electrical appliances in the kitchen while cooking. It is very important that we pay utmost heed while managing these appliances. Make sure the plugs and cords are in good shape, and there are no loose or exposed wires. When not in use, keep the appliances unplugged or in switched off mode. Refrain from using extension cords for plugging in multiple appliances at the same time; this could lead to short circuit. Do not keep any electrical appliances close to the water source as any water spills may lead to accidents. Also, never handle electrical appliances with wet hands because wet hands may lead to electrical shocks.

4. Take Care Of Fire Safety

Take proper care while cooking on the gas stove. Always turn off the knobs of the stove, when not in use. Keep a fire extinguisher handy in the kitchen. Water is great for extinguishing a fire; however, grease fires cannot be put off by water. For such fires, salt, baking soda or simply covering the fire may help in preventing oxygen supply and thus may help in putting off the fire.

5. Handle Knives With Care

Mishandling of knives can lead to serious injuries; therefore, it is important to exercise utmost caution while handling knives and also ensure you are not engrossed in anything else when you are working with a knife. Make sure you use a chopping board to chop vegetables. To get a better grip make sure you hold the vegetables or fruits with a towel or mitten. Be extremely careful while cleaning the knives and do not leave them in soapy water or along with other utensils, where it may be difficult to place them, which could lead to accidents.

6. Take Care Of The Handles

We may sometimes accidentally bump onto the handles of utensils, which may lead to spilling hazards. This can be very dangerous if the food is extremely hot. Always make sure that handles are turned away from you when placed on the stove. Also, if you are using multiple cooking vessels on the stove, ensure proper positioning of the handles to avoid spilling accidents. Make sure that use kitchen towels or napkins while handling hot handles or when you are lifting hot items. Ensure your grip is strong and firm on the handles.

7. Keep The Kitchen Floor Clean

A kitchen is a place where you are handling too many liquids, and it is very common that once in a while spills may take place. Do not delay in cleaning these spills as it may lead to slipping incidents, which may sometimes be fatal. Keep the kitchen floor clean and dry for hygiene reasons too.

8. Use a Step Stool

There may be areas in your kitchen that may be difficult to access, and you may want to use a stool or table to reach those areas. It is not a good idea to do so; instead, use a step stool as it is not only studier but may prevent the risk of falling too. Keep a step stool in the close vicinity so that you have easy access to it, if you have a pantry in your kitchen, you may keep it there too.

9. Be Careful With The Containers

Always place heavy contains in the bottom cabinets rather than placing them on higher cabinets, which may lead to mishaps. Do not forcefully open containers that have sharp edges; this may cause cuts and bruises. Be extra careful and cautious while opening tin containers and cans any negligence may lead to accidents. We may not realise, but mishandling containers may also sometimes lead to accidents.

10. Child-proof The Kitchen

If you have toddlers or younger kids at home, it is highly recommended to child-proof your kitchen. Younger children find a kitchen and other objects in the kitchen to be fascinating and may try to fiddle with them. This can put your kid at a great danger because there are many objects lying around in our kitchens that may harm young kids. Child-proofing the kitchen will help in ensuring safety for your little.

These are some kitchen safety and hygiene tips that you should try to follow to ensure a safe and healthy cooking environment.

Kitchen Safety Measures for Children

You may think that the kitchen is your domain, but that is not true. If you have young children in the house, sometimes they would insist to be present in the kitchen while you do your chores. So, what should you do during such times, well, all you have to do is be alert and cautious. Adopting some of the following measures or kitchen safety do’s and don’ts may help in ensuring better kitchen safety for toddlers and younger kids:

• Make sure there are no open sockets or plugs in the kitchen. Also, check for any damaged wires or loose wires.

• If you keep medicines, cleaning supplies or other such things in the kitchen cabinets, make sure they are out of reach of your child or placed in locked cabinets.

• Make sure your child is not close to hot pans or other hot utensils.

• If your child is handling food, ensure that his hands are properly cleaned.

• Ensure your child is not wearing any loose-fitted or ill-fitted clothes, while he is in the kitchen.

• Make sure the matches, lighters or any inflammable stuff is out of reach of your kid’s little hands.

• Ensure there are no sharp objects like knives, grater, peeler etc. in the close vicinity of your child.

• Never make your child sit on the kitchen shelf; this may lead to serious accidents and mishaps.

• Never leave your child alone in the kitchen even for a few minutes. This is a basic kitchen safety for preschoolers and toddlers. Leaving them unattended means giving a chance to cause serious trouble.

• Young children should never be allowed to use any electrical appliances of their own as it could lead to injuries.

Making use of the measures mentioned above may help better kitchen safety for the adults as well as kids. However, you must keep a first aid kit handy in the kitchen, in case of unpredicted accidents.

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