How To Avoid Burn Injuries This Winter

Burn injuries can lead to significant pain and suffering, along with major medical expenses. Unfortunately, there are some causes of burn injuries that tend to increase in frequency during the winter months, particularly as individuals do everything they can to stay warm. Here, we want to discuss how you and your family can avoid burn injuries during this winter season.

Why Burn Injuries Increase in the Winter

Burn injuries can occur in a wide variety of ways, and certainly not only during the wintertime. Individuals typically suffer burns after coming into contact with hot objects, a burning flame, or coming into contact with a live electrical current. Burns can also occur due to contact with strong chemicals comma as well as prolonged exposure to the sun.

In the winter, though, there are certain activities that increase the risks of burns and fire. According to the National Fire Protection Association, we can see various data to back this up:

• Heating sources are the leading cause of house fires, and this is mainly due to the use of space heaters.
• Between the years 2015 and 2019, fire departments in this country responded to around 160 Christmas tree-related house fires each year.
• Electrical equipment contributed to approximately 45% of Christmas tree fires.
• Holiday decorations close to heat sources contributed to around 45% of winter fires.
• Fires caused by candles peak in December and occur around three times the daily average on Christmas Day than any other day of the year.
• A significant percentage of firework fires occur between December 30th and January 3rd.
• Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day, and the days before those two holidays represent the peak days for home cooking fires.

Avoiding Burn Injuries During the Holiday Season and Winter

There are various steps that individuals can take to avoid burn injuries during the winter period this includes:

1. Ensure that all heating equipment is in good working condition and keep any flammable material at least three feet away from space heaters.
2. Use space heaters with automatic turn-off switches that turn the machine off when the heater is knocked over.
3. Read the directions before using any electrical decorations to ensure that you do not overload circuits.
4. Keep Christmas trees at least three feet away from heat sources and not block any exits with the tree.
5. Turn off all portable heaters when leaving your house, leaving a room, or going to bed.
6. Only using oil fryers outside and well away from any flammable buildings or equipment.

If you or somebody you love does sustain a burn injury during the winter, your number one priority must be seeking medical care as soon as possible. Even though a burn injury may not seem severe right away, that may be because of extensive nerve damage. Let a medical professional examine the burn injury and determine the best course of treatment.

If you have sustained a burn injury caused by the negligence of another individual or company, seek out assistance from an injury lawyer in Orange County who can examine the facts of your case and help determine the best steps moving forward. You may be entitled to compensation for your medical bills, lost wages, and pain and suffering damages.