Cooking
More than half of accidental fires at home are started by cooking - follow our cooking safety advice to stay safe in your kitchen.
- Avoid leaving children in the kitchen alone when cooking on the hob. Keep matches and saucepan handles out of their reach to keep them safe.
- Make sure saucepan handles don’t stick out – so they don’t get knocked off the stove.
- Take care if you’re wearing loose clothing – this can easily catch fire.
- Keep tea towels and cloths away from the cooker and hob.
- Double check the cooker is off when you’ve finished cooking.
- Take care if you need to leave the kitchen whilst cooking, take pans off the heat or turn them down to avoid risk.
Take care with electrics
- Keep electrics (leads and appliances) away from water.
- Check toasters are clean and placed away from curtains and kitchen rolls.
- Keep the oven, hob and grill clean and in good working order. A build-up of fat and grease can ignite a fire.
Deep fat frying
- Take care when cooking with hot oil – it sets alight easily.
- Make sure food is dry before putting it in hot oil so it doesn’t splash.
- If the oil starts to smoke – it’s too hot. Turn off the heat and leave it to cool.
- Use a thermostat controlled electric deep fat fryer. They can’t overheat.
- If your pan catches fire, turn off the heat if it is safe to do so. Never throw water over it.
Outdoor cooking
- Enjoy yourself, but don’t drink too much alcohol if you are in charge of the barbecue or any cooking!
- Keep a bucket of water, sand or a garden hose nearby for emergencies.
- Follow the safety instructions provided with disposable barbecues.
- Never use a barbecue indoors.
- Never use petrol or paraffin to start or revive your barbecue; use only recognised lighters or starter fuels on coal.
- Never leave a barbecue or any cooking unattended.
- Make sure your barbecue is well away from sheds, fences, trees, shrubs or garden waste.
- Empty ashes onto bare garden soil, not into dustbins or wheelie bins. If they’re hot, they can melt the plastic and start a fire.