When getting into a shower or bath, people rarely think about getting burned. In fact, more than 75 percent of adults have little or no concern about hot tap water as a home danger, according to research conducted by Kelton on behalf of H2otStop and the national nonprofit Home Safety Council. However, each year approximately 3,800 injuries and 34 deaths occur in the home due to scalding from excessively hot tap water.

The new national survey clearly demonstrates the public’s lack of knowledge about hot water dangers, as the majority of American families fail to take simple steps needed to protect themselves and loved ones from tap water burns. H2otStop and the Home Safety Council are working together to raise awareness of hot water risks and reduce scald injuries at home.

“Most hot tap water burns happen to children under five and older adults,” said Jill Fuller, vice president of sales and marketing at American Valve, manufacturers of H2otStop. “By making a commitment to use safe hot water products and practices, caregivers can drastically reduce the number of scald injuries that occur in homes across the nation every year.”

Key Findings:
Although nearly one in five (14 percent) respondents stated that they or one of their family members have been burned while bathing, more than 40 percent of adults do not worry about hot water burns at all.

“Many people don’t know that hot water can burn like fire. It takes only one second for a child under the age of five to receive third-degree burns from water that’s 140 degrees Fahrenheit or hotter,” said Meri-K Appy, president of the Home Safety Council. “Whether cooking, handling hot drinks or bathing, parents and caregivers must take action to protect their children and older loved ones from dangerously hot water.”

Families Uninformed about Serious Risk of Hot Water Burns

• While it can take only seconds for a child to be injured by 140 degree Fahrenheit water, nearly half (49 percent) of respondents underestimate how fast a scald can happen.
• When asked about the correct temperature for their hot water heater, only 38 percent of adults were able to cite the proper setting of 120 degrees Fahrenheit. Nearly 40 percent claimed to have no idea what the correct temperature would be.
• Despite the increased threat of injury to young children, nearly 80 percent of parents surveyed with young children have not turned their hot water heaters to the correct temperature setting.

Households Engage in Dangerous Hot Water Practices
While 81 percent of respondents say they feel water with their hand before entering a shower or bath, very few respondents follow all necessary safety measures to prevent burns, including:

• Turning the hot water heater down below 120 degrees Fahrenheit (17 percent)
• Installing an anti-scald device (4 percent)
• Testing hot water temperature with a candy thermometer (4 percent)

Scald Prevention Tips
Follow this simple advice from H2otStop and the Home Safety Council to help further reduce the risk of scald injuries at home:

• Set your water heater at 120 degrees Fahrenheit or lower (just below the medium setting).
• Consider using an anti-scald device, such as a H2otStop tub spout or shower head, which will help prevent scald burns in the tub and shower.
• Test the water temperature before you or your children get in the tub.
• When children are in the tub, watch them closely.
• Use heavy pot holders when cooking.
• Keep children away from the range when you are cooking.
• Turn pot handles toward the back of the range.
• Test micro-waved and heated food for heat before feeding young children.
• When drinking hot drinks, keep them out of the reach of children, away from the edge of counters and off low tables.
• Never carry a child with a hot drink in your hand. Using a “commuter mug” with a tight-fitting lid can help reduce a hot spill if the beverage tips over.
• Treat a minor burn injury immediately with cool running water for 3 to 5 minutes. Do not apply ice, which can harm the skin. Do not apply butter or lotions because this can keep the skin temperature hot, increasing the injury. Apply a sterile bandage.
• If the scald is serious, get medical treatment fast.

For more information, visit www.homesafetycouncil.org or www.h2otstop.com.