Article for Progress Magazine
The last place anyone expects deadly accidents to occur is in the bathroom or kitchen of their own home. But the shocking truth is that people do die in their homes from scalding accidents, due to uncontrolled hot water.
At the Bathroom Manufacturers’ Association, we have an active role to play in helping you understand the importance of reducing the chances of injury from scalding accidents. We are working with The Children’s Trust on their “The Hot Water Burns Like Fire” to stop scalding accidents and deaths by raising awareness of the dangers of hot water.
Did you know 5195 children under 5 were so badly burnt by hot water in 2015 that they had to be admitted to a specialist burns service? That’s 14 toddlers every single day (source Children’s Burns Trust). The impact of a scalding accident on the individual and their families is devastating. And it’s the very young and very old (those with thinner skin) who are the most vulnerable.
To eliminate the risks of scalding, The Hot Water Burns Like Fire campaign promotes the use of simple thermostatic devices. A thermostatic mixing valve, or TMV, is an inexpensive way to ensure the hot water delivered to a bath or washbasin does not exceed a fixed temperature of 43°C. A simple and effective TMV costs less than £30 and can be retro-fitted to the pipework of your existing bathroom. They are hidden away from view, quietly and efficiently preventing scalding. These days, water using bathroom products, like taps and showers, are manufactured with built-in thermostatic devices to prevent scalding accidents ever occurring.
TMVs are required by law in all newly built domestic properties in England, Wales and Scotland. But the Hot Water Burns Like Fire campaign is pushing to have them fitted retrospectively into existing properties. As well as the use of TMVs in homes, the campaign recommends their use in hotels, care and residential homes, and that they’re installed by a competent installer. This will ensure the water temperature of taps and showers is monitored and regulated in line with industry best practice, based on Health and Safety Executive (HSE) regulatory guidance and NHS healthcare guidelines.
As patron of the Children’s Burns Trust, Amanda Redman MBE, is “delighted with the latest Hot Water Burns Like Fire Campaign; it is particularly heartening to see industrial, academic, medical, regulatory and social organisations working together to raise awareness and work towards a solution.”
Yvonne Orgill, CEO of the BMA, commented ‘We need to make everyone aware that the TMV can be fitted in ALL homes and will prevent scalding particularly in the elderly and very young,”
The message is simple. Scalds can be prevented.