Cooking safety

Unattended cooking remains a leading cause of U.S. home fires  

Leaving an unattended skillet sizzling on the stove is a good way to burn your food, not to mention the chance of burning down your house.

According to U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) statistics, almost 30 percent of all reported home fires start in the kitchen, and of those, most involve the range-top. That is why the CPSC, the National Safety Council (NSC), UL and the Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers (AHAM) are teaming up over the holiday season to spread the word about prevention of cooking fires.

“In 2003, there were more than 130,000 fires, 240 deaths, nearly 3,600 injuries and $450 million in property damage associated with cooking equipment. To help reduce these fires and tragic deaths, CPSC encourages everyone to take the necessary precautions, especially while cooking during the holidays,” said CPSC Acting Chairman Nancy Nord.

Donna Stein-Harris, National Safety Council Director, Home & Community Partnerships and Initiatives, adds, “Being alert and attentive while cooking could help prevent numerous deaths that occur each year from cooking fires.”

“The sad truth is that in nearly 75 percent of reported home fires, especially those originating in the kitchen, the person responsible for the fire was not in the area when it started,” says John Drengenberg, Manager of Consumer Affairs at UL. “We urge everyone to pay attention to what’s cooking, especially during the busy holiday season.”

Jill Notini, AHAM’s Director of Communications said, “Because most cooking fires are caused by unattended cooking or human error, it’s important to use common sense. Stay in the kitchen when cooking to help minimize the risk of a fire.”

The three organizations and the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) offer these tips to help prevent kitchen fires this holiday season:

• Smoke alarms save lives. Make sure smoke alarms are installed and working. Never disconnect a smoke alarm while cooking.
• Supervision is key. Never leave food unattended while cooking. Keep children and pets away from the cooking area.
• Roll ‘em up. Wear short, close fitting or tightly rolled sleeves when cooking. Loose clothing can dangle onto burners and catch fire.
• Too hot to handle? Use thick, dry, flame-resistant potholders when handling lids and pans. When removing pot and pan lids, tilt them away from you to protect your face and hands from steam.
• Keep away from the heat. Turn the handles of pots and pans in, but away from hot burners.
• It’s not a closet. Never use the oven for storage.
• It’s made for food. Never use an oven or range to heat a room.
• Keep it clean. Keep the cooking area clean and clear of anything that can burn.
• Keep a cool head. In the event of a small range-top fire, turn off the burner, put on an oven mitt and smother the flames by carefully sliding a lid onto the pan. Leave the lid in place until the pot or pan is cooled. Never use water or flour to extinguish a grease fire and never carry the pan outside- you could spread flames throughout the house.
• Use the right tools. If you’re familiar with using a multi-purpose fire extinguisher, keep one handy in the event of a grease fire. Baking soda is effective for extinguishing small food fires, but not grease fires.
• Prevent flame spread. If you have an oven fire, immediately turn off the heat and keep the oven door closed.
• Call for help. If you can’t immediately extinguish the fire yourself, leave your home, call 9-1-1, and wait in a safe place until emergency personnel arrive.

Consumers can receive a free brochure with safety tips by calling 1-888-785-7233 (SAFE).

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission is charged with protecting the public from unreasonable risks of serious injury or death from more than 15,000 types of consumer products under the agency's jurisdiction. Deaths, injuries and property damage from consumer product incidents cost the nation more than $700 billion annually. The CPSC is committed to protecting consumers and families from products that pose a fire, electrical, chemical, or mechanical hazard or can injure children. The CPSC's work to ensure the safety of consumer products - such as toys, cribs, power tools, cigarette lighters, and household chemicals - contributed significantly to the 30 percent decline in the rate of deaths and injuries associated with consumer products over the past 30 years. For more information, visit http://www.cpsc.gov/.

UL is an independent, global product safety certification organization that has been testing products and writing Standards for Safety for over a century. For more information, visit http://www.ul.com/about/.

The Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers (AHAM) is not-for-profit trade association representing manufacturers of major and portable home appliances, floor care appliances and suppliers to the industry and is headquartered in Washington, DC. You can visit the AHAM web site at http://www.aham.org/.

The National Safety Council is a nonprofit, nongovernmental, international public service organization dedicated to protecting life and promoting health. Members of NSC include more than 50,000 businesses, labor organizations, schools, public agencies, private groups and individuals. Founded in 1913 and chartered by the U.S. Congress in 1953, the primary focus of the NSC is preventing injuries in the workplace, on roads and highways, and in our homes and communities. For more information, visit http://www.nsc.org/.