Burns prevention starts at home!
Kidsafe Tasmania encourages parents and carers to download and use their Burns Safety Checklist to prevent burns around the home, and to ensure they are aware of the correct first aid steps to take in the event that someone sustains a burn.
According to data from the Burns Registry of Australia and New Zealand (BRANZ), in 2023/24, 2,802 patients were admitted to burns units across Australia and New Zealand, with 23.1% of those cases classified as paediatric (0-15 years).
BRANZ identified that 56.8% of total burn injuries occurred in the home or usual place of residence, while 29.2% of paediatric cases occurred when playing near a person preparing food or drink
Administering the correct first-aid treatment in the first three hours of an injury can significantly reduce the severity of minor burn injuries.
Fortunately, 59.5% of all patients received gold-standard first aid, which is 20 minutes of cool running water within three hours of the injury, highlighting the importance of community education on burn and scald first aid.
During National Burns Awareness Month, Kidsafe Australia is encouraging parents and carers to download and use their Burns Safety Checklist (see below) to prevent burns around the home, and to ensure they are aware of the correct first aid steps to take in the event that someone sustains a burn:
What to do
- Prevent – take action to prevent burn and scald injuries.
- Remove – remove yourself from danger. Remove any clothing, jewellery or nappies from the burn area unless stuck to the skin.
- Cool – place the burn under cool running water for 20 minutes. Never place ice, oil or butter on the burn, as these can make it worse.
- Cover – protect the burn with a clean dressing
- Seek – seek medical attention if the burn or scald is on the face, hands, lap or feet, is bigger than a 20-cent piece or is blistered
Use the Home Burns Safety Checklist to check the safety of your home.
If you tick ‘NO’ to any of the questions, make a change so you can tick ‘YES’ and keep your family safe!
Click here to download the Home Burns Safety Checklist
National Burns Awareness Month
National Burns Awareness Month is an initiative run by Kidsafe Australia. It is held annually in June, as there is a significantly increased risk of burns and scalds during winter months. A series of national educational and awareness initiatives will be run throughout the month to raise awareness regarding the prevention and correct first-aid treatment of minor burns.
For full details on National Burns Awareness Month, click here.
Please see below the new THS Burns Unit posters on fire pits/outdoor fires and Burns Prevention.
Resources
Fact sheets on the prevention of specific types of burn injuries
Scallywags Learning About Burns Video
Videos for Burns Safety, Prevention and Treatment
BurnSafe learning activities (focused on burns prevention and first aid, for children aged between 3-13 years)
Brochures on Burns Prevention
Videos resources
Preventing Burns and Scalds in Children
Resources in your language
This program provides information on burns prevention and first aid for families that have recently arrived to Tasmania. The Tasmanian Burns Unit at the Royal Hobart Hospital partnered with the following agencies to deliver this material: Public Health, Department of Health Tasmania; Kidsafe; Migrant Resource Centre; RedCross; Tasmanian Fire Service and the Australian and New Zealand Burns Association (ANZBA). The project also received a Kidsafe National Burns Awareness Month grant. The focus of the project was to provide a translated resource for individuals and families arriving in Tasmania on a skilled migrant visa, Refugee and humanitarian visa and international students.
Please see below links to resources translated into Nepali, English and Simplified Chinese that can be used for all individuals and families in Australia to prevent burn injuries from occurring in the home and provide education on Burns First Aid.
Video Resources
Posters
A safety video for kids
Hobart-based children’s entertainers The Scallywags have performed in a video called Learning About Burning using information provided by the Burn Unit focusing on safety in the home, wood heater burns prevention and Burns First Aid.
The key messages are to always use a fixed fire screen around heaters and fires and keep two meters from the heater. Ensure working smoke alarms are installed and if you do sustain a burn, remember to cool the burn under running water for 20 minutes, no ice or ointments, cover the burn and seek medical attention.
Click here to watch the video.
The video has been launched by the Tasmanian Burns Unit, Royal Hobart Hospital, Kidsafe Tasmania and ExitLeft – their representatives are shown in the photo below with the performers. Click here to see a performance by the Scallywags at the launch.
This performance by the Scallywags added another milestone to their already impressive repertoire of presenting material aimed at reinforcing safe behaviours for children. The Scallywags are part of the local performing-arts school, ExitLeft, and have been entertaining Tasmanian children since 2006.
Mr Ian Williams, Principal of ExitLeft, said The Scallywags productions focus on safety and behavioural issues for children in several scenarios including water safety, farm safety and road safety. “So, we were thrilled when Bec Schrale, the Burns Clinical Nurse Consultant at the Tasmanian Burns Unit, Royal Hobart Hospital suggested The Scallywags may be useful in alerting children to the many dangers that can result in serious burns,” Mr Williams said.
“The Scallywags’ creator and scriptwriter, Daryl Peebles, wrote the script and song called Learning About Burning using information provided by the Burn Unit focusing on safety in the home, wood heater burns prevention and Burns First Aid. “The Scallywags first performed Learning About Burning for a national conference of the Australian and New Zealand Burns Association in Hobart in October 2019.
“This performance received favourable feedback from the conference delegates so, with the support of the Burns Unit and Kidsafe Tasmania, the decision was made to produce a video of Learning About Burning with the current Scallywag performers, Holly Horne, Sarah Wright and Thomas Pearshouse,” he said.
Bec Schrale approached Kidsafe Tasmania to be the main funder of the project and CEO Jenny Branch-Allen said it was great to be involved in such an amazing project.
“The video will ensure these important messages can reach even more children, both here and abroad,” Mr Williams said.
The Burns Unit and Kidsafe would like to remind all Tasmanians that burn injuries are preventable.
