Beware of! How to prevent kitchen accidents?

Murat Doğan's new article in Food Taste Magazine "Watch out! How to prevent kitchen accidents? included with the title. In his article, Doğan talked about "What kinds of accidents can happen to us in the kitchen?", the unsafe acts, and the unsafe conditions of the kitchen.

Assist. Prof. Murat Doğan,

What are the causes of kitchen accidents? It's good to start with that first. I can tell you this from the beginning. We can easily prevent 50% of kitchen accidents, and a little caution is all it takes to prevent 98 percent. To prevent accidents that may happen to us in the kitchen, we must first know what adverse conditions have occurred. Thus, the causes of accidents are eliminated and we ensure our safety. Scientific studies on accidents in the kitchen have revealed that there are important mistakes. Then we can say that; For an accident to happen to us in the kitchen, five main reasons must be listed one after the other. Unless one of them happens, the next does not occur, and until the series is completed, no accident will happen to us. We call this the crash chain. These are; the natural structure of the person, personal faults, unsafe acts and unsafe conditions of the kitchen, accident, and injury.

Let's explain the accident chain with an example if you want. The newly married Ayşe has invited her mother-in-law to dinner and she doesn't want to be embarrassed. However, he is not very experienced in the kitchen. He does not want to reveal this to his mother-in-law. It is indispensable to prepare a very lavish menu for dinner.

The natural nature of the person: On the day of the invitation, Ayşe gets up in a hurry in the morning. Since she was number four shortsighted, she would wear her lenses every morning and then go to work. This is due to its natural structure. She can correct her defect. However, she forgets to put on her lenses.

Personal flaws: Ayşe has distractibility. This problem is exacerbated under stress.

Unsafe acts and unsafe conditions of the kitchen: Time pressure, the desire not to be embarrassed, and the effort to do a good job combined with the reasons I listed above, Ayşe starts to act insecurely in the kitchen. Let's see what these are.

-She uses cutting tools like knives at a dangerous speed.

-When the oven is hot, she tries to open it without using gloves and looks at the food on the tray.

In short, she doesn't care much about her safety. There were also unsafe conditions with salt and pepper on top.

Unsafe conditions: Not enough light due to insufficient lighting.

The incident of the Accident: Ayşe, who did not wear her lenses that day, tries to chop meat very quickly on the chopping board with a knife, without paying attention to her hand.

Injury: If Ayşe had worn her lenses, perhaps she would have noticed that she was using the blade against her fingers incorrectly. Perhaps it would have moved more slowly if the time pressure had not been so great. However, all adverse conditions trigger the whole chain like a domino and cut his hand very deeply.

In short, accidents in kitchens occur as a result of a chain of interconnected events.

What kinds of accidents can happen to us in the kitchen?

Accidents in the kitchen are usually caused by fatigue, carelessness, and disorder. We can list the accidents that occur in the kitchen and their causes as follows.

Falls: The main reason for falls is that the floors are sometimes slippery. The reason for the slipperiness of the floor is that something is spilled on the floor and is not cleaned immediately. Another important reason for falling is the insufficient lighting in the environment.

Burns: Accidents resulting in burns in the kitchen are more common than falls. Because we are constantly in contact with hot things in the kitchen. In addition to handling hot cooking utensils with bare hands, splashes of hot oil are also the most common cause of burns. Another dangerous burn situation is caused by pressure cookers not being properly sealed. With the effect of heat, the pressure throws the lid of the pot with great speed and can harm us.

Cuts: The biggest factor in cuts is the careless use of sharp knives. Careless use of knives, one of the indispensable tools of the kitchen, is the main cause of accidents. Cuts can also occur by breaking fragile items.

Electric shocks: As many appliances in the kitchen work with electricity, electricity is indispensable for lighting. Although electricity is for the benefit of mankind, it is just as dangerous. For this reason, the damage caused by the accidents is very large. What needs to be done is to use electrical appliances according to the rules and not to intervene on our own when they break down.

Natural gas poisoning: We cook in the kitchen using natural gas or LPG. Natural gas is a poisonous gas that should be used with caution. If our natural gas installation is not checked and maintained, and faults are not corrected on time, accidents that may cause dire consequences are inevitable.

Let's finish with some safety rules that can protect us from kitchen accidents. Order and cleanliness in the kitchen is an important factor that prevents most accidents. The operating instructions for kitchen appliances must be followed. Working kitchen appliances should not be touched by hand without protection.

During cleaning, water should not be kept on the electrical parts of the kitchen appliances. Care should be taken to avoid splashing oil while frying. The best precaution that can be taken against accidents that occur during the use of kitchen tools is to choose the appropriate tool.

We congratulate Assist. Prof. Murat Doğan and wish them success in his work.