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Jeff_Bridges_hair

Looksguywalker wrote: »

From memory:

Grandparents had boiler serviced. Service Engineer adjusted hot water thermostat to 60 degrees C (was set at 40 ish). Grandson stuck hands in now hotter water and was scalded (allegedly).


Grandparent took huff as he hasn't been advised by anyone on MSE to sue service guy?

The usual then

bazster

My other half works in a shop that sells cookware. They had one customer who wanted a kettle that doesn't get hot, because her child might touch it!

Another customer complained that they shouldn't sell such dangerously-sharp knives!

In other words, nothing, but nothing, is the fault or responsibility of the parent who fails to supervise or educate their child.

Azari

bazster wrote: »

My other half works in a shop that sells cookware. They had one customer who wanted a kettle that doesn't get hot, because her child might touch it!

Another customer complained that they shouldn't sell such dangerously-sharp knives!

In other words, nothing, but nothing, is the fault or responsibility of the parent who fails to supervise or educate their child.

A kettle that doesn't get too hot (on the outside) is a reasonable request. It's as well to have as many lines of defence as possible where inquisitive small children are concerned. (You can watch them, tell them, and place things out of reach but no one can guarantee to be 100% perfect and you can hardly operate a kettle in a locked cupboard.)

The knife one is absurd, though. Apart from anything else, if the knife is too sharp, it's very easy to blunt it.

bazster

Azari wrote: »

A kettle that doesn't get too hot (on the outside) is a reasonable request. It's as well to have as many lines of defence as possible where inquisitive small children are concerned. (You can watch them, tell them, and place things out of reach but no one can guarantee to be 100% perfect and you can hardly operate a kettle in a locked cupboard.)

That is just so silly. It's a dangerous world, all manner of things can hurt ill-disciplined or ill-educated children, what will you be wanting next? Saucepans that don't get hot? Cars that don't move? Compulsory de-clawing for cats? Or, like the OP, hot water that isn't hot?

And children will still get hurt. And they will learn from it, and not do it again.

Azari

bazster wrote: »

That is just so silly. It's a dangerous world, all manner of things can hurt ill-disciplined or ill-educated children, what will you be wanting next? Saucepans that don't get hot? Cars that don't move? Compulsory de-clawing for cats? Or, like the OP, hot water that isn't hot?

I fear it is you are are being 'silly'.

It is a matter of cost-benefit balance. There are kettles in existence that do not get hot enough on the outside to burn.

You can tell a child something repeatedly but if it is distracted if may forget - children who have been trained not to run into the road are still killed because of the one time in a hundred they forgot.

You can keep things out of reach but one day your child might work out get to something it wants that's next to something dangerous.

Even the best of parent will become distracted for a moment from time to time.

So the sensible solution is to take a multi-level approach.

Or you can be the sort of irresponsible, smug, idiot who blubbers to the doctor "I thought he'd be safe, I told him never to touch it" when informed of the injury you little precious has done to himself through your inadequate parenting.

Oliver14

looks like the OP has had a toys out of pram moment

Lip_Stick

bazster wrote: »

That is just so silly. It's a dangerous world, all manner of things can hurt ill-disciplined or ill-educated children, what will you be wanting next? Saucepans that don't get hot? Cars that don't move? Compulsory de-clawing for cats? Or, like the OP, hot water that isn't hot?

And children will still get hurt. And they will learn from it, and not do it again.

You generally stand over saucepans while you are cooking, or make sure your child is out of the kitchen if they're on, if you're not in there. A kettle like mine, which is metal, can have the outside staying hot for a long time.

I suppose a parent could empty the hot kettle and run it under a tap for god knows how long until it's cooled or maybe unplug it and stash up on a tall fridge freezer unit every time they make a cuppa. Or perhaps they might want things a little easier, so buy a cool touch kettle, which, your oh might want to know, are available. :cool:

System

I've never seen a kettle that's low down enough for a child to get at. Frankly as a kettle tends to be filled with boiling water I would have thought whether it's hot on the outside is irrelevant. It should be kept out of a child's reach anyway

Lip_Stick

goater78 wrote: »

I've never seen a kettle that's low down enough for a child to get at. Frankly as a kettle tends to be filled with boiling water I would have thought whether it's hot on the outside is irrelevant. It should be kept out of a child's reach anyway

Children do climb. My son uses the drawer handles as a pair of step ladders. Another child might move a chair to get to a work surface. All children are inquisitive, they may want something that's near the kettle and brush against it.

System

Lip_Stick wrote: »

Children do climb. My son uses the drawer handles as a pair of step ladders. Another child might move a chair to get to a work surface. All children are inquisitive, they may want something that's near the kettle and brush against it.

Yes but if a kid can get to a kettle to touch it. They can also get to a kettle to tip boiling water over themselves. I would argue I would prefer a kid to touch a hot kettle and get burnt that way, than to grab a cold kettle and accidently pour hot water over themselves.

Cold touch kettles are a relatively new invention and I don't think they should take the place of careful/sensible parenting. I don't think you should be leaving children in kitchens unsupervised at all.

If you let kids use chairs to climb up onto the units then they could easily turn on the gas hobs!