National Burn Awareness Week – Space Heater Safety

It’s National Burn Awareness Week #NBAW

Let’s talk space heater safety.

Ahh yes, the space heater. That glorious little machine that keeps our feet warm under our desks all day. That lovely heat box that dries our damp work boots after spending a day in the Canadian winter.

Space heaters, while lovely, can also be the cause of serious property loss and injury if not used and maintained properly.

Here are some tips to keep safe when using space heaters:

1. Only plug space heaters directly into a wall outlet – use of power bars / outlet splitters can cause electrical failure from overloading the power bar, resulting in an electrical fire.

2. Place the heater on a level surface to avoid tipping

3. Keep the space heater at least 3 feet away from combustible materials such as bedding, curtains, or furniture.

4. Do not use a space heater near flammable products – the space heater is an ignition source. Even if the flammables are sealed (such as flammable liquids) the vapors from these products can be ignited by the space heater.

5. Invest in space heaters that have auto shut-off technology. This is both on a timer, and has an auto shut-off safety control should the heater be tipped over.

6. Check your smoke alarms – should all else fail and a fire erupts, we want to know about it.

7. If using a space heater at home, talk to your children about space heater safety, including not playing with the space heater, and not touching the space heater. Keep the space heater away from pets to prevent accidental burn incidents.