Families all over Orange County will be preparing lavish meals for loved ones throughout the holiday season. While these celebrations are certainly joyful, home chefs must also take the proper steps to prevent serious injury befalling themselves or others in the kitchen. Fortunately, the following safety tips will help create a safe and secure environment in your home during this holiday season.
According to Everyday Health, you should never leave your oven unattended while cooking. It’s easy to get distracted during the holidays, especially with a house full of people, but it’s imperative that you stay focused on the task at hand when the oven is on. This is especially important if you have small kids in the house, who can easily get burned or even inadvertently start a fire.
In the same token, make sure your smoke alarms are working. It’s recommended that alarms are tested at least once a month and that the batteries are replaced once per year. If it’s been a while since you last tested your alarms, doing so before cooking and having guests over is a must. Also, never turn off your smoke alarm while cooking. In terms of deaths resulting from house fires, it’s estimated that two-thirds occur in homes without working fire alarms.
Allstate Insurance recommends having a fire extinguisher on hand in case a fire does break out. Because there are different types of extinguishers, make sure the one you have can be used on grease and electrical fires, which are most common in the kitchen. Also, make sure that both you and your family know how to use the fire extinguisher before you need it.
