A new safety campaign partnership has claimed that it ‘could significantly reduce burn injuries’ The Buy Wise Be Safe (BWBS) Campaign and the University Hospitals Bristol NHS Foundation Trust (UH Bristol) have formed a new partnership which is set to address ways in which families can stay safe
To launch the partnership, both parties will be promoting a safety campaign, focused on burns caused by heated beauty products including straighteners and hot brushes.
#Bewareofburns has gone live from Monday 5th June, on line information and advice will be available for parents and carers, with specific tips on how to safely use heated beauty products, what safety features to look for when buying these items and what to do in an event when someone gets burnt.
Recent statistics from Bristol Royal Hospital for Children shows a staggering 90 per cent of children admitted with burns from hair straighteners were under the age of five..
The risk is greatly reduced if items such as tongs or hair straighteners are placed out the reach of children or put in the supplied protective covers while the surfaces are hot.
Stuart Radnedge, spokesman for Buy Wise Be Safe, said: “Over the last year the National Trading Standards Safety at Ports and Borders Teams have detained a number of consignments of electrical beauty products such as hair straighteners and hot brushes”.
“Following testing these products have been found to not comply with standards required by UK and EU law and have therefore been destroyed.
“While National Trading Standards is working hard to prevent unsafe goods reaching consumers we would always recommend that people undertake basic checks when buying online, to ensure they are buying from a reputable seller. Our general rule of thumb is if an online deal looks too good to be true then it probably is.
“It’s not just cheap or knock-off goods that pose a threat to consumers. Any item that heats up has the potential to scald or burn someone. Sadly, with straighteners and tongs reaching temperatures of 230°C, these items can remain hot long after use, which is why it is important to stow them safely and look for safety features that can reduce the likelihood of being burnt.
“Thankfully with our new partnership with UH Bristol, even more parents and carers of under 5s should receive superb safety advice that will help keep youngsters safe from harm around the home.”