RoSPA Press Office : Press Release

February 7, 2005
BURNS ON PANCAKE DAY CAN BE AVOIDED WITH RoSPA’S ADVICE

It’s Shrove Tuesday tomorrow and cooking pancakes is likely to send around 250 people to hospital, the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents revealed today.

More than 200 will be children who suffer burns from hot frying pans while trying their hand in the kitchen, mostly while tossing a pancake.

Common accidents include: burning fingers on the metal handle of a frying pan; burns caused by badly-flipped pancakes landing on someone’s hand; people getting too close to the cooker and setting their clothes alight; and burns from splashes of hot oil.

Each year around 2,700 people in the UK attend hospital for accidents involving a frying pan with fat or oil in it.

Sarah Colles, RoSPA Head of Home Safety, said: “Safety in the kitchen is important at any time of the year, but people need to be particularly careful tomorrow if children are joining in the fun of pancake day.

“People should be mindful when handling a frying pan which has been left on a cooker to heat up. It’s a good idea to wear oven gloves to pick up a hot pan and to use a wooden-handled frying pan if you have one.

“When making pancakes make sure you are a reasonable distance away from the pan in case the hot fat or oil spits. Any liquids that are spilt on the kitchen floor should be wiped up immediately so that no one will slip on them.

“Most parents know that children need to supervised in the kitchen, but some extra care may be needed, as the excitement of flipping pancakes could mean that children forget the dangers of burning themselves.

“Both adults and children look forward to making pancakes on Shrove Tuesday. It’s an old tradition and is a good excuse for those who may not normally venture into the kitchen to try out a simple recipe. We know that it is a fun activity for families and we are not saying that people should not participate – they just need to be careful.”