Winter Safety Tips

Everyone is advised to be extra cautious when dealing with household energy sources during this season when cooking, warming and lighting in their respective homes and places of employment.

Safety awareness on heat energy sources should also be emphasised to commercial and industrial fraternity during this winter, since we’re facing a crisis of load shedding these days.

The risks of property damage by rampant blazes is very high and in some disastrous circumstances, lives are being lost and this is massively impacting on our environment and economy.

Alternative energy sources are frequently used and are the only means of survival during power load shedding, and moreover properties are being subjected to fire destruction.

Vegetation is dry and prone to fire which will have a detrimental impact to the environment and loss of lives as well. Moreover when the veld fires are next to the major routes and freeways, companies and properties including residential properties are directly affected. These kinds of fire incidents in such areas perpetrates obscured vision to motorists and increases high possibilities of major accidents.

The Disaster & Emergency Management Services (DEMS) Department gave some useful winter safety tips to communities as an objective to saving lives and properties and to further conserve nature in order to create a healthy and safer environment for generations to come.

Gas Stoves and Gas Heaters

• Only approved Gas Appliances should be used.
• Keep the cylinder in an upright position at all times even during transportation, storage and during use in accordance to the two arrows displayed on the cylinders.
• Check the “O ring and Gas Pipe” regularly for wear and tear.
• Cylinders should be kept away from direct sunlight, rain, dust and any source of heat.
• Don`t put the Gas cylinder on the hot surfaces like stoves, open flames, etc….
• When cooking, keep the stove above the level of the cylinder.
• Place the appliances (Stove) on the centre of the table.
• When lighting the Gas Appliance, first light the match then turn the Gas on.
• For a Gas Stove, Never use a pot that is too big than the size of the stove.
• Before using the cylinder check the leakage from cylinder valve and other joints by applying soapy water.
• Always use cotton apron while cooking.
• Keep windows open to ventilate the room or house at all times.
• If leakage is from the valve, take the cylinder in an open area to ventilate safely and contact the Emergency Services or Distributors.
• Avoid using garden hoses in place of the approved SABS gas pipes.
• Avoid over filled cylinders. Only registered dealers are allowed to refill the cylinders.
• Don`t switch any electrical appliances “On/Off” inside the house (Spark).
• Don`t light matches, lighters, stoves or any heat source.
• After use, close the supply source FIRST before the buttons at the appliance.

Cooking sources:

Paraffin can be used as a source of energy in your home during the winter season and load shedding. If not handled with extreme care or swallowed it can be poisonous, cause severe illness, death and can burn your skin even if unlit. People often use chemically contaminated containers when purchasing Paraffin and subjecting the process of explosion and vigorous chemical reactions.

When using paraffin appliances inappropriately or knocked over, it can cause fires leading to severe burns and injuries or explosions. Paraffin also emits harmful fumes when burnt or not.

By following these few simple hints, you can help prevent and treat paraffin incidents:

• Never use cool-drink or fruit juice containers as children can drink from them and suffer Paraffin poisoning.
• Use only approved clear paraffin in the appliance(s). Avoid mixing it with other flammable liquids.
• If you spill paraffin on yourself, wash it off and change your clothes so that it doesn’t burn your skin.
• When cooking with paraffin leave a window open to let out the fumes (ventilation).
• Use the appropriate Pot size on the Paraffin stove.
• Operate them away from other flammable liquids or Gases.
• When you pour paraffin into a lamp or stove, use a funnel not a cup. If you use a cup, the child might think it contains water and drink from it. Funnel prevents spillages and refill when cold.
• Always keep paraffin stoves and lamps on a flat surface so they won’t fall and start a fire.
• Keep the burning stove away from combustibles such as curtains next to the windows
• Always turn your stove and lamp off when you leave home or out of sight.
• Never leave young children with paraffin appliances alone.
• If your clothing catches fire, fall to the ground and roll to put out the flames (Stop, Drop and Roll). If someone else is on fire cover them with blanket.
• If a child accidentally swallows paraffin, don’t give him anything to eat or drink.
• Never make a child vomit as this forces paraffin/fumes into the lungs and causes pneumonia.
• Take the child to a clinic or hospital quickly.
• Never pour water on fire caused by paraffin. Always keep a bucket of sand or a fire extinguisher ready at home.
• Flammable items such as curtains and dish cloths must be kept away from cooking stove.
• Is an adult always present in the kitchen when food is being cooked?
• Are flammable liquids stored in safety containers and kept away from the heat?

Mbaulas/Braziers (coal stoves) and Fire Places:

• Keep the room or house ventilated. Avoid Carbon Monoxide and Hydrogen Cyanide poisoning.
• Put the Braziers on a solid flat surface.
• Clean the Fire Place Chimney to avoid carbon sooth build-up. The carbon-sooth build-up prevents smoke from being uttered outside.
• Always extinguish open fires or flames when leaving the room/ house.
• Always burn seasoned hardwoods to avoid lots of smoke.
• For cooking, use appropriate pot size.
• Keep the Brazier away from the combustibles.

Electrical Power Generators

• Qualified electrician to connect all the power supply lines for domestic use. (Lighting,              cooking and heating sources) Usage of the inverters is highly recommended.
• Refill with the correct fuels.
• Refill while cold.
• Use correct tools like funnel to avoid spillage.
• Use it in a well-ventilated area, away from easy burning materials. NO ENCLOSEMENTS.

Heaters are basically in three main categories:

• Electrical Heaters.
• Paraffin Heaters.
• Gas Heaters.

In all these we would like people to please take the following into deep considerations:

• Placement of the heater should be centralised within the room away from any combustibles.
• Heaters should at all times be utilised in the presences of Adults or responsible person.
• Avoid leaving heaters switched on overnight while sleeping or over the day in the absence of anybody at home saying we keep the room or house warm so as when coming back from work, the house/room should be warm already.
• Do not dry clothes with a heater. The practice is a potential fire hazard.
• Keep the room or house ventilated more over when using Paraffin or Gas Heaters as they emit toxic fumes.

Electrical Heaters:

• Avoid over loading of circuits.
• Avoid self-connections and repairs.
• Self-made heaters and stoves with empty tins are dangerous.
• Main circuit breakers should be regularly tested for operational purposes.
• The relevant length size of electrical extension cord should be used. Avoid using coiled or twisted electrical extension cords. When it heats up, it becomes a potential fire hazard.

Candles:

• Cut the candle shorter.
• Use the appropriate candle holders half filled with water/sand. Avoid plates or saucers as these are still far too common practices.
• Put the candle on the centre of the table. Avoid putting it next to the open windows.
• Place it out of reach of children.

Matches and Lighters:

• Match and Lighter are not toys to play, keep them away from the reach of children.

General:

Motorists:

• Avoid throwing hot cigarettes butts out of the moving vehicles. They can cause vehicle fires and high possibilities of Grass or Veld fires.
• Smoke can obstruct the visibilities of drivers and serious possibilities of gruesome accidents are high.
• Portable electrical appliances should be switched off during Load Shedding (e.g. Hair dryers).
• Domestic electrical appliances should also be switched off during Load Shedding (Televisions).

In case of burn wounds:

• “Use cold water only and only cold water” nothing else for burn wounds.
• Medical burn shields are the only approved dressings to treat and cool burn wounds.

Most of the fires are caused by negligence and lack of understanding towards heat sources. The attitude of the individual also contributes to the number of fires that are experienced within the Informal settlements, Formal settlements, Industrial and commercial environments.