With July being eye injury prevention month, we would like to take a loot at some kitchen safety tips. Everybody loves a good meal, especially when there is a lot of effort and creativity put into it. Cooking can be very fulfilling, however a second of lost attention, can cause us to experience injuries. While finger burns are by far more common, our eyes can also suffer damage while cooking, so here are some things you should keep in mind, while preparing your next great meal, for better eye safety:
1. Beware of steam and heat waves
While steam does not really hold anything harmful itself, the sheer heat can be damaging to your eyes, especially if they are already dry. Opening the oven or picking up the lid, even just to check on the progress of your meal, while having your face in the way of the stream, is not just unpleasant, but can actually cause issues for your eyes.
Redness, itchiness and blurry vision are part of the discomfort that can be felt, but it's usually a short-term issue, which would resolve itself. Don't let such an event ruin your time with your meal and always consider keeping your face at a safe distance from ovens and pots. Wearing glasses could also provide eye safety in such a situation, but it is still desirable to avoid it altogether.
2. Cooking oil and grease are dangerous
Splattering cooking oil is another hazard that can be damaging to your eye. The moisture evaporating from around the oil, causes it to splatter around, with one or more of the drops potentially landing in your eye. Same could be true if you are making splashes yourself, by dropping the ingredients from too high of a height.
If you ever find yourself in such a situation, you should immediately rinse your affected eye. Hot oil can deal damage to the cornea of your eye and affect your vision. Whenever dealing with cooking liquids which may fly out of the pan, it is always a good idea to use eyewear for better eye safety. Glasses would also be a fantastic choice for eye safety in such a case.
3. Caution with sharp objects
Bringing knives and forks too close to your face is also one of the major reasons for kitchen related injuries. Trying to open a jar or a pack when holding one of the two, can lead to dropping your guard down and causing your eyes harm. Make sure to always put down such objects, when you do not need them.
While this is not as common with adults, it is the case with kids. Always make sure to keep your sharp culinary objects or even the blunt ones safely stored, in case your kid decides to join in for the cooking of your meal. One of the highest numbers of injuries that kids sustain is due to sharp objects.
4. Mind cleaning products
With the meal done and gone, it is time to clean up. A lot of detergents and chemicals in general can have a negative impact on your eyes. You should always wash your hands properly after finishing cleaning and should consider goggles while shining your stove and counters, for more eye safety, so there is no way that cleaning product would end up in your eye.
Those can be more damaging to your eyes than cooking oil, as they can even lead to vision loss or blindness. Just like with the grease and the cooking oil you should avoid closing your eyes too much and instead rinse them for a while to get the chemicals out.
5. Don’t touch your face, before washing your hands
There are a number of good reasons not to do that. For one you might get something spicy into your eye, which will be very annoying and painful to remove. Then, however, you might actually get an infection too. A lot of raw meats can present a cocktail of bacteria for your eye, which could bring in a ton of unpleasant infections for your eye.
This is why you should avoid touching your face and especially your eyes before you make sure you're done cooking or that your hands are clean at least.
Those are a few things you should consider to protect your eyes from harm, while dealing with your tasks in the kitchen. But you should consider eye safety no matter where you are! This is why you should give our website a check for all types of high-quality eye protection and vision enhancement items, as we offer a very wide range of them!