Young children are at high risk of being burned by hot food and liquids. Keep children away from cooking areas by enforcing a "kid-free zone" of 3 feet (1 meter) around the stove.
Keep young children at least 3 feet (1 meter) away from any place where hot food or drink is being prepared or carried. Keep hot foods and liquids away from table and counter edges.
When young children are present, use the stove's back burners whenever possible.
Never hold a child while cooking, drinking, or carrying hot foods or liquids.
Teach children that hot things burn.
When children are old enough, teach them to cook safely. Supervise them closely.
What to do when you get a burn or a scald at home:
Treat a burn right away by putting it in cool water. Cool the burn for three to five minutes.
Cover burn with a clean, dry cloth. Do not apply creams, ointments, sprays or other home remedies.
Remove all clothing, diapers, jewelry and metal from the burned area. These can hide underlying burns and retain heat, which can increase skin damage.
If the burn is bigger than your fist or if you have any questions about how to treat it, seek medical attention right away.
See your doctor as soon as possible if the burn does not heal in two to three days.
Fire Deaths and Injuries: Fact Sheet
Deaths from fires and burns are the third leading cause of fatal home injury
On average in the United States in 2010, someone died in a fire every 169 minutes, and someone was injured every 30 minutes.
Most victims of fires die from smoke or toxic gases and not from burns.
Cooking is the primary cause of residential fires
Fire and burn injuries represent 1% of the incidence of injuries and 2% of the total costs of injuries, or $7.5 billion each year (Finkelstein et al. 2006).