This is a guest post by Amelia Wood. If you want to guest post on this blog, see the guidelines here.
Every year, millions of Americans are injured or killed in accidents that occur at home. This kitchen is one of the least safe rooms in the typical home, especially for children. Every year, 67,000 children have a medical accident in the kitchen, and 43,000 of these are children under the age of four. Although there is no way to predict and prevent a single emergency, there are ways you can build your kitchen to make it as safe as possible and reduce the potential for medical problems.
Here are some of the most important things to do if you want to design a safe kitchen for your family:
1. Watch the placement of sharp objects.
Most parents automatically keep sharp objects away from their children, but there’s a lot more to preventing injury from sharp objects than just keeping them out of reach. Make sure that items are not stored above eye level in such a way that they can easily fall on someone who reaches them. If you are storing breakable items, such as vases or china, consider storing them either below eye level (so there is no potential for them to fall onto a reacher) or store them high enough that children will need the help from a parent to have access. the area. Make sure the corners of your countertops are rounded and won’t be sharp enough to damage or impale a family member who accidentally falls into them.
2. Separate water and electricity areas.
When setting up your kitchen plan, try to keep your sink and any major electrical areas separate. Place the kitchen in such a way that the majority of food preparation and cooking is done in an area separate from the sink. It’s good to have electrical outlets near the sink, just in case, but install a childproof cover so no water can get in and no one is tempted to use outlets with wet prongs.
3. Keep your fire extinguisher in the most logical place.
It is definitely important to keep your fire extinguisher as close as possible to any heating elements. However, have you actually thought about the path to the fire extinguisher in case something catches fire? Does the stovetop sit directly between commonly used areas and the location where the fire extinguisher is stored? Make sure your fire extinguisher is close enough to access in an emergency, but not so close that a fire could potentially obstruct access. Better yet, keep several fire extinguishers in your home, located in different areas.
4. Install non-slip flooring and carpets.
Many kitchen accidents happen after slipping on a wet laminate floor. Instead of choosing the conventional kitchen floor, look for a non-slip floor and make an investment there. It will be worth the peace of mind to know that your family will be much less likely to fall into this dangerous area. You can also use non-slip double duty mats. Look for industrial-style restaurant rugs, and place them under the sink and near the stove.
5. Install bright lights in work areas.
If you know there will be a place where a good amount of chopping, mixing and heating will be done, make sure the area is well lit. The kitchen is not a place for romantic lighting. This is a workspace, and, to keep things as safe as possible, it needs to be built to make food preparation as easy as possible.
Amelia Wood contributed to this guest post. She pursues freelance writing projects in the medical billing and coding niche. She especially loves hearing back from her readers. Questions or comments can be sent to wood. amelia1612 @ gmail.com.
