30 babies and toddlers go to hospital with a hot drink burn every day.
In addition to this shocking daily figure the SafeTea campaign highlights that 60% of all under 3 paediatric burn attendances to Accident & Emergency Departments are due to a hot drink burn. These figures are even more disturbing when the vast majority of these accidents are entirely preventable by simply keeping hot drinks out of reach. A burn injury is for life, the scars are physical as well as psychological, and can present life-long challenges for the individual and their families.
Prevention of hot drink burns is easy using simple SafeTea rules:
- Keep hot drinks out of reach of young children
- Never carry a hot drink whilst carrying a baby
- Never pass a hot drink over the heads of young children
Ways to keep hot drinks away from children:
- Place hot drinks at the back of the kitchen surface
- Don’t place a hot drink on a table cloth or cloth that hangs down so that a small child can reach and pull it down
- Make a safe place… a SafeTea zone for hot drinks… in your home where you and members of the family and visitors can keep hot drinks from young children
- Avoid drinking hot drinks around small children
- Always remind visitors to your home to ‘Keep hot drinks out of reach of the young children’
COOL, CALL, COVER FIRST AID ADVICE FROM THE BRITISH BURN ASSOCIATION
1. Cool the burn with running cold tap water for 20 minutes and remove all clothing and jewellery (unless it is melted or firmly stuck to the wound).
2. Call for help for any burn larger than a 50p coin: 999, 111 or local HGP for advice.
3. Cover with cling film or a sterile, non-fluffy dressing or cloth. Make sure the patient is kept warm. Run COLD water first in the bath or sink before adding hot water – test the temperature.
