Tips for safe household heating

IT is winter, cold weather conditions have been experienced across the country in the past week, and a plea goes out to the community to be extra cautious when dealing with household heat sources.

Safety tips on the use of heaters

• Heaters and air conditioners should be switched off in the absence of an adult.
• Never leave the heaters or air conditioners on overnight.
• Heaters should at all times be utilised in the presences of adults or responsible persons.
• Placement of the heater should be centralised within the room away from any combustibles.
• Switch off the heaters before going to sleep. Blankets can fall onto it and catch fire.
• Do not dry clothes by using a heater as this is a potential fire hazard.
• Keep the room or house ventilated when using paraffin heaters as they emit toxic fumes.

Safe usage of a brazier ‘umbawula’

• Many people are still using braziers as a source of heat, mostly in areas without electrical supply.
• Braziers are used mostly for cooking and finally used as a heating source.
• The dangers relating to its use is that it emits toxic gases such as carbon monoxide and hydrogen cyanide which are the silent killers.
• People in the room where the brazier is placed, don`t smell the gas. They then become unconscious and die.
• The gas particles attach themselves to the circulatory system (haemoglobin) preventing oxygen from being circulated and as a result the patient could be unconscious or die, at worst.

Safety tips for candles

• Keep candles away from children.
• A child should not be left unattended in a room with a candle.
• Store candles, matches and lighters away from the reach of children.
• A candle should not be used to light stoves.
• A candle should not be used in a confined space.In case of a fire, call eThekwini Fire Services on 031 361 0000 or 112 and request the Fire Department.

Caxton Local Media Covid-19 reporting

Dear reader,
As your local news provider, we have the duty of keeping you factually informed on Covid-19 developments. As you may have noticed, mis- and disinformation (also known as “fake news”) is circulating online. Caxton Local Media is determined to filter through the masses of information doing the rounds and to separate truth from untruth in order to keep you adequately informed. Local newsrooms follow a strict pre-publication fact-checking protocol. A national task team has been established to assist in bringing you credible news reports on Covid-19.
Readers with any comments or queries may contact National Group Editor Irma Green (irma@caxton.co.za) or Legal Adviser Helene Eloff (helene@caxton.co.za).

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