Each year, many people suffer short- and long-term pain from a contact burn: when your skin comes in contact with a hot object. One national reporting system indicates roughly 70,000 people went to a hospital emergency department because of contact burns in 2018, and of this number almost one third were children under the age of 5. In many cases, the burns are preventable if simple steps, some precautions and common sense are followed.

In recognition of National Burn Awareness Week (February 2 - 8, 2020), please keep the following tips and facts in mind as your good health is important to us:

• Supervise children around hot objects at all times.
• Stand at least 3 feet away from hot outdoor objects. Keep the area clear of trip hazards. Limit alcohol consumption.
• Protect your feet from hot objects by wearing shoes when walking on hot pavement or sand. Keep pets off hot pavement too.
• Turn heating pads and blankets off before going to sleep.
• Have hot pads available whenever cooking. Long oven mitts are best when needing to reach in or over hot surfaces, such as in an oven or over a grill. Assume all pots and pans are hot.
• Remember to treat items coming from the microwave as you would items from the oven. Limit microwave use by children.
• Unplug tools when not in use and always treat them as if they are still hot. Keep tools out of reach of children