The Victorian Building Authority (VBA) is marking Kidsafe’s National Burns Awareness Month this June by urging consumers to be extra vigilant around hot water in the home.
State Building Surveyor at VBA, Andrew Cialini said hot water in baths and showers continued to cause serious burns and scalds to children throughout Australia each year.
“Victoria’s plumbing laws require a maximum temperature of 50°C at the outlets of each shower head or tap, which is hot enough for a shower, but not hot enough to cause scalding,” Mr Cialini said.
“Children can still receive scalds from temperatures below 50°C, so it’s important to make sure that you take steps to stop little ones from accidently turning on the wrong tap and burning themselves,” he said.
Mr Cialini said the Royal Children’s Hospital Melbourne (RCH) recommended running hot and cold water together to get an appropriate bathing temperature.
The State Building Surveyor said the recommended maximum bathing temperature for children was 37-38°C and 36°C for newborns.
He encouraged consumers to make sure hot water delivered to baths or showers was a maximum of 50°C and to contact a licensed or registered plumber about regulating the temperature.
“Older hot water systems installed before 5 August 1998 are likely to deliver hot water above 50°C that can cause scalds, but licensed or registered plumbers have various ways of reducing the temperature of water outlets, depending on the system type,” Mr Cialini said.
“Hiring a licensed or registered plumber to install a tempering valve if one isn’t fitted is an easy and quick way to reduce the hot water temperature in the bathroom,” he said.
Further information on how to reduce the risk of hot water burns and scalding can be accessed at this PS News link.
