Kitchen safety

Did you know more fires start in the kitchen than in any other room?

Fire officer with a female standing in her kitchen next to the cooker

Keep safe in your kitchen by booking a free home fire safety visit today. It only takes around 20 minutes – and it could save your life.

You'll get safety tips and advice on how to avoid a fire in the kitchen – and what to do if it does. You'll even get free extra smoke alarms if you need them.

Speak to your housing officer or book your free visit by:

    Cooking safety
     

    Follow our cooking advice to stay safe in the kitchen:

    • make sure your cooker was fitted by a qualified fitter
    • keep your oven, cooker and grill clean. Clean up any fat
    • keep tea towels, cloths and kitchen paper away from the cooker
    • keep fats and oils away from the cooker
    • cook with handles turned to the side to avoid spilling
    • use a flameless lighter on gas cookers instead of matches or a lighter.

    You should never:

    • hang or dry clothes or towels on or near the cooker
    • leave your cooker, grill or oven on when you go out – even on a timer
    • leave electrical wires or cords near the cooker
    • keep anything on top of an eye-level grill
    • put anything metal in your microwave – even tin foil
    • cook after drinking alcohol or taking drugs or if you are feeling tired.

    Chip pans and deep-frying
     

    Modern electric deep fat fryers are safer than traditional chip pans because they have a safety switch that cuts them off to stop them overheating and catching fire.

    Traditional chip pans are more likely to cause fires. If you do use one, follow this advice:

    • only ever fill one third full
    • turn the handle to the side – but not over any of the other cooker rings
    • fry in small amounts – overfilling could cause spills
    • make sure food going in it is dry, not dripping wet or covered in ice.

    You should never:

    • deep fry when you’ve been drinking alcohol or taking drugs or if you are feeling tired
    • leave the pan alone - it only takes a second for a fire to start.

    Kitchen appliances
     

    Washing machines, tumble dryers and dishwashers have working parts that heat up and could start a fire if something goes wrong.

    Follow our safety advice:

    • always switch appliances off at the wall before going to bed or going out
    • always plug straight into a wall socket and avoid adaptors for lots of plugs as they can result in electricity overloads
    • never leave them running when you’re going out or going to bed.