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Safety Mom Corner– Everyday safety questions answered by a professional safety director who’s also a mom.
Dear Safety Mom: What is the safest type of portable heater to use for my baby’s room?
It is the middle of March and I can’t believe we still have to use, much less, write about heaters and radiators. Alas, in the times where most fires occur, I wanted to address this topic. According to NFPA (National Fire Protection Association), 79% of fatal fires are due to space heaters. That is an alarming number and shouldn’t be taken lightly. As a safety director, I wouldn’t allow people to use a portable heater when leaving the room; however, as a Mom, I understand that sometimes you have to keep the room warm for your babies.
The safest type of portable heater is the oil filled radiator heater. These type of heaters don’t have visible open coils which can eliminate opportunities for fire. They may not warm the room as much and as fast as open coil heaters but they are much safer should you have to leave the room and need to keep the room warm.
If you happen to use a heater that has the open metal coils, here are a few tips and recommendations that you should know and follow:
- Have a 3-feet Rule! Keep kids and anything that can burn (paper, bedding or furniture) at least 3 feet away from heaters.
- Turn heaters off when you go to bed or leave the room.
- Use portable heaters with built-in thermostats and automatic shut off switch should the heater be tipped-over or overheat.
- Plug power cords directly into outlets and never into an extension cord.
- Inspect for cracked or damaged, broken plugs or loose connections and replace before using.
- Check for safety rating by a Nationally Recognized Testing Laboratory (NRTL) such as Underwriter’s Laboratories (UL).
- Do not use space heaters in wet areas like bathrooms or kitchens.
- Check your model with saferproducts.gov for any recalls
Some of these tips may seem like common sense but you’d be surprised. More than half of all home heating fire deaths are caused when combustible materials (anything that can burn- clothing, books/magazines, bedding and etc.) was too close to the heating equipment. Enforce the 3-feet rule with your family and stay safe in these cold nights. Spring is coming!
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Janet Wang has worked in Environmental Health and Safety for over 15 years. For the past 10 years, she worked as a safety director for the biggest health system in New York City. She is the Chief Safety Officer at Honeycomb Safety, a home safety service whose mission is to reduce unintentional injuries (the number one cause of injury and death in children in the US) in your home. She is also mom to B.
Photo by Michal Bar Haim
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