“With the persistent cold weather, some residents of Qatar have used additional means to stay warmer at home and at bath time. Unfortunately, we have been seeing a rise in the number of patients with injuries due to accidents with their heating system. These include scald injuries, electrical or contact burns, and even serious flame burns from house fires,” said Dr Rafael Consunji, director, HIPP, the community outreach arm of the Hamad Trauma Centre.
Dr Consunji said that electrical burns and fires are more likely to happen with the incorrect use of electrical appliances for heating, while scald burns most often happen when bathing or cooking with hot liquids. “Most victims of scald burns are very young or elderly, because they are unable to physically remove themselves from the scalding liquid’s path, and because their skin is much thinner and more sensitive to high temperatures,” he said.
The HIPP has asked the people to purchase an electrical or space heater from a reputable store and that the product is ‘UL’ certified, or its equivalent. This will certify that the heater meets international standards for safety.
It is also recommended that electrical heaters must be plugged directly into a wall outlet as they are high-power devices. Plugging them into an extension cord, especially those with multiple outlets, can lead to an overload of the electrical system. This can cause the fuse to blow, or overheating and melting of devices or wiring, which can in turn lead to a house fire.
According to HIPP, heaters must be positioned far away from combustible materials such as curtains, tablecloths, blankets and beddings. At least a 3ft or 1m distance is recommended. Moreover, children should be taught to avoid space heaters as they can be a significant source of heat to cause contact burns.
Users need to ensure that automatic timers on the heaters are working.
