Burn injuries are a very common household injury and can happen in a surprisingly large number of ways. It can be very easy to burn yourself due to lack of care and attention. Burns are very painful, but serious burns are also very dangerous. Unlike cuts, burns damage a much larger surface area of the skin. This makes them a lot more difficult for the body to repair naturally. The reported incidents of burn injuries in the U.K. last year was 79, 882. Fortunately, being aware of some of the most common causes of burns is the first step to avoiding them.

Fairly obviously, the most common causes of burns are household appliances that get very hot, such as cookers and irons. One of the easiest ways to get burnt on the cooker is whilst removing food from under the grill. Lots of people use a tea-towel instead of an oven glove, which is fine as long as you are extra careful. Unlike an oven glove, a tea-towel can fall loose from your hand. It is very easy to burn the top of your hand on a hot oven component when removing food in this manner. NEVER use a tea towel in place of a proper flame retardant oven glove if you have a gas grill. Unlike oven gloves, tea towels are flammable; getting one too close to the open flame of the grill can cause it to catch light – this can lead to very serious burns.

Steam is often underestimated as a cause of burns. Large amounts of steam rising from a boiling pan or kettle can scald the skin as badly as hot water. When boiling water in a pan, always leave the lid slightly off, to allow steam to escape more gradually and always protect the hand with a towel or oven glove when removing the lid.

Boiling water is an obvious risk, but a lesser known cause of scalding burns is cafetieres. When making coffee using a cafetiere, always ensure the plunger is pushed to just below the level of the water. If left above the water level, the rising steam will become trapped and build pressure. Then, when you come to push the plunger down, this built-up pressure will exert enough force to push the scalding coffee out of the spout in a spray.

Not all burns happen around the home and one of the most common burns of all is the one that is so often forgotten – sunburn! Suffering repeated instances of pronounced sunburn (when the skin peels) is proven to dramatically increase the chances of developing malignant melanoma. People who are fair haired and pale skinned, or those with a large amount of normal moles, need to be particularly careful. Apply a high factor sun cream at least twenty minutes before going into the sun and try to stay in the shade when the sun is at its highest and hottest (midday until 3pm).

Knowing what causes burns is the best way to avoid them. Nevertheless accidents do happen. After receiving a burn, run the burnt area under a cold tap for at least five minutes (this helps to prevent blistering). If the burn is serious, or painful for a long time seek medical advice straight away.