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admin
Admin
24 Posts
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 Posted -
12/04/2010
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13:48
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An Easter holiday move which will prevent hundreds of children and older people suffering horrific bath water scalds each year is being welcomed by the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents.
From Tuesday, April 6, the temperature of bath water will be limited to 48°C in new homes in England and Wales. The change is coming about thanks to an amendment to the Building Regulations, Part G. It will mean bath water is still more than hot enough for domestic use, but the potential for the most serious scald injuries will be removed. Northern Ireland will also adopt the amendment, but at a slightly later date. A similar change happened in Scotland in 2006.
RoSPA has campaigned on hot water safety for a number of years in light of accident figures which showed nearly 600 people were being severely scalded by bath water in the UK each year.
While three-quarters of hot bath water victims are under the age of five-years-old, older people are at particular risk of dying as a result of hot tap-water scalds. Mortality figures show that in 2008, 17 people died in the UK after contact with hot tap-water, of whom 13 (76 per cent) were over the age of 65.
Before use, water is heated to a temperature of 60°C or above in order to kill legionella bacteria. The Building Regulations amendment means water coming out of bath taps will be limited to 48°C by the use of a thermostatic mixing valve (TMV), which blends hot and cold water, or by another type of temperature control device.
Tom Mullarkey, RoSPA chief executive, said: “This has been a long-fought campaign and we are delighted that such a positive step forward in home safety is being taken.
“It can take a matter of seconds for a severe scald to be sustained, but the suffering can endure for many years. In water at 60°C, a child could suffer a third-degree burn in just one-and-a-half seconds. Some children require numerous skin grafts as they grow, and the initial costs of treating a severe bath water scald have been put at £250,000.
“As TMVs begin to become commonplace in UK homes, the most vulnerable members of our community will be less likely to suffer the horrific and enduring consequences of a hot bath water scald.”
Young children have been severely scalded by excitably jumping into hot baths or while they were left alone in the bath and turned on the hot tap, sometimes while their mum or dad fetched a towel or clean clothes. Older people have been injured when they have got into a bath that has been too hot and have been unable to climb out.
In 2003, the fitting of TMVs was among 10 recommendations in RoSPA’s pioneering policy document “Can the home ever be safe?” In 2006, the safety charity joined other organisations in becoming a member of the Hot Water Burns Like Fire campaign, which was set up to focus attention on the issue and has been led in Parliament by Mary Creagh, MP for Wakefield.
The Building Regulations amendment is being brought in by the Department of Communities and Local Government, and was announced last month by Housing and Planning Minister John Healey.
See www.rospa.com/About/CurrentCampaigns/hot-bath-water-safety/ for more information about the hot bath water campaign.
TMVs reduce, but do not completely remove, the risk of scalding. Therefore: - When running a bath, always run cold water before hot
- Carefully test the water temperature before you get into the bath or before you place your child in the bath. Remember that a baby’s skin is particularly delicate, so test the water temperature with your elbow
- Supervise young children around baths at all times
- Talk to children about hot water safety from an early age – help them to learn about the risks.
Other tips for preventing scalds: - In the kitchen, always use the cooker’s back ring first and position pan handles so they cannot be pulled over
- Keep hot drinks out of the reach of children
- Do not drink a cup of hot liquid while holding a baby.
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EASTER BRINGS ACTION ON BATH WATER SAFETY
