Restaurant Kitchen First Aid Burns

Burns are the most common restaurant kitchen injury behind cuts. In fact food service workers in the United States have the highest rate of burn injuries than any other country. Kitchen burns can range in degree greatly from a minor burn to a severe burn and each should be treated differently. Kitchen burns are usually caused by coming in direct contact with fire, pots and pans that are hot, hot water or steam.

First degree burns are the lowest level of damage one can have. First degree burns are easily identified by the sight of redness, slight swelling and peeling of the skin as it heals. This type burn normally does not create blisters and will normally heal within seven days. First degree burns only affect the top layer of the skin and can be treated without the need to seek medical attention. 

Second degree burns blister and become sore. Second degree burns have a higher tendency to create infection and scarring. Treating these type burns is critical in the healing process. Cleaning the dressing and bandages frequently is key. 

Third degree burns are the most serious and require immediate medical help. Complications from third degree burns can lead to serious illness. Third degree burns should be treated at the nearest hospital or doctor’s office immediately. This type of burn is recognized by a waxy white color and raised leathery skin texture. With fourth degree burns the bone is charred. Fourth degree burns are typically not painful because the nerve endings have been destroyed. These type burns require immediate medical care and typically involve skin grafting.

Treating kitchen burns with Burnfree gel will rapidly remove the heat and cool down the burn quickly. The gel draws the heat out of the burn and into the hyrdrogel. This works to cool down the burn injury while providing pain relief and helps to stop the burn progression. BurnFree also keeps the wound site moist so that the body will not lose more water, helping to keep the burn victims from entering into shock. Burn Free gel is viscous enough to remain on the burn would and not run off and allows the exposed nerve endings to be covered by the gel, offering near immediate pain relief. Burn free Burn Dressing is the perfect solution to aid in a burn situation quickly. This dressing is soaked in burn free gel; in fact it holds 50 times it weight in the burn gel. This means that more burnfree gel will stay in contact with the burn. The burn dressing pads are constructed of a soft, open-cell foam that was created to be flexible enough to accommodate any possible swelling or the need to flex joints while the dressing is applied. These dressings are non-adherent meaning they will not adhere to the skin when removed.

In the case of minor burn injuries, a food service worker could dress their burn wound and return back to work quickly. Using the burn free dressing along with gauze covering the dressing and wound for another layer of protection helps the burn area to remain moist for many hours. Using this system will also provide physical protection for the burn from further damage and or contamination.

Also available are burn free blankets that are also soaked with burn free gel and are designed for a larger area of burn. The blankets are made of pure virgin wool and can hold up to 14 times their weight of the burnfree solution. When the burn free blankets are draped over the head and body they provide a protective shield for a rescuer or a person trapped by fire. The blanket can also be wrapped around a person whose clothes are burning or a person who has sustained a burn injury. These blankets will instantly extinguish fires and at the same time wet and cool the fuel which is normally the person’s clothing. Burnfree Blankets can also be used to reduce the pain along with the trauma of wounds from scalds, fire, flames, chemical and electrical injuries. With chemical burns the wound must be thoroughly irrigated and neutralized before using the blanket. When it comes to electrical burns, the current must be turned off prior to utilizing the blanket since the Burnfree solution is water based and will conduct electricity.

Burnfree blankets can also be used to extinguish fires, including but not limited to pan or grease fires which can occur in the kitchen. Please turn off the electricity before using the blanket for that purpose.

Food service burn injuries can be incredibly painful. No matter how many safety precautions you take in your kitchen, burns are inevitable. Train your employees in basic first aid for burns and instructions to contact 911 if necessary. Make sure that your kitchen is prepared for burn injuries with Burn Free Products.