Hot Equipment Can Cause Painful Burns

Burns caused by hot equipment such as radiators can be severe and can occur quickly.

Car Radiators
A normally operating car radiator runs between 195 to 220 degrees Fahrenheit.  Those are temperatures that can cause serious burns in less than one second.  So, when you’ve been sitting in traffic on a hot summer’s day and your car starts to overheat the temperature of your car radiator becomes even more dangerous.

Yet, many frustrated motorists who are unaware of the dangerous, open the hoods of their cars and decide to take a look at the overheated radiator.  This can lead to three different causes of burns.  First, the heat of the radiator alone is enough to cause significant burns.  Second, the radiator contains very hot liquid that is under a lot of pressure and can explode causing hot liquid burns.  Third, the radiator contains antifreeze which can cause chemical burns.

Accordingly, it is important never to investigate your car’s radiator while it is still hot.  If an accident does occur you should immediately remove any wet clothing to prevent further burning and you should call for emergency medical services.

Home Radiators
Home radiators are particularly risky for children. Radiators run hot some of the time and cold at other times.  Therefore, some young children may not learn to stay away from them. Of course, radiators might also be a tantalizing fixture because adults are continually urging children to stay away from them.

However, home radiators can cause significant burns in young children when they are hot.  Therefore, it is important for parents to take adequate steps to protect their children against this danger.  Many parents choose to use radiator covers that surround the hot radiator and do not get hot enough to cause burns.  These coverings must be secure and not moveable by children in order to be effective.

Other Hot Equipment
Hot items other than radiators can also cause significant burns.  One of the most common rooms in the house for people to get hurt on hot equipment is the kitchen.  Ovens, hot pots and pans and coffee pots can all be dangerous.

It is very easy, for example, to think that a pan is cool and reach out and grab a handle only to find that someone else in your house had just taken it out of the oven.  The palm of your hand might experience significant burns as a result.

Hot equipment and radiators can be very dangerous.  Accordingly, it is important to always take appropriate safety precautions so that everyone can stay safe from burns.