Steam and Hot Water Dangers
Hot water has become a widespread convenience of modern life.
The odds are that whether or not you think of it, every time that you take a bath, shower or wash your hands you rely on a hot water supply to ensure that germs are adequately dispensed with.
Water heaters are meant to raise the temperature of water in the system but only to a user-adjustable maximum level.
When the regulation mechanism fails or there is some other defect or malfunction, then serious injury or death can result.
Each year, thousands of Americans suffer severe scalding burns due to faulty water heaters in the home, and dozens die from their exposure to the excessively heated water or steam.
These figures do not include similar incidents and accidents in commercial and industrial settings, where there are many more opportunities for a person to come into contact with jets of steam or hot water.
The burns that one suffers are likely to require substantial medical treatment, possibly including many painful skin graft surgeries.
Disfiguring scars and social withdrawal are also possible effects, leading steam burn victims to withdraw from social circles and possibly interfering with their ability to obtain and retain gainful employment.
Potential Sources of Danger There was a much publicized and ridiculed case in recent history where an individual purchased a cup of coffee from a fast food restaurant, spilled the coffee, and then sued for the burn injuries that resulted from that contact.
Despite the heckling and round objection to the plaintiff's legal claim issued by the general public and comedians alike, the incident drew attention to the potential severity of scalding injuries and even led to the passage of legislation and implementation of regulations designed to limit the temperature at which hot beverages could be prepared.
This represents only one of many potential sources of hot water and steam dangers, and it is most likely the one with which a person has an ongoing interaction.
Other potential hot water issues might be associated with: Hotel showers Improperly installed piping Defective hot water heaters Leaking hot water and steam pipes Improper ventilation of steam To Explore Your Legal Options The medical bills are likely to be stratospheric for the treatment of scalding injuries, and they constitute only a small part of the damages for which a negligent property owner may be held liable.
The odds are that whether or not you think of it, every time that you take a bath, shower or wash your hands you rely on a hot water supply to ensure that germs are adequately dispensed with.
Water heaters are meant to raise the temperature of water in the system but only to a user-adjustable maximum level.
When the regulation mechanism fails or there is some other defect or malfunction, then serious injury or death can result.
Each year, thousands of Americans suffer severe scalding burns due to faulty water heaters in the home, and dozens die from their exposure to the excessively heated water or steam.
These figures do not include similar incidents and accidents in commercial and industrial settings, where there are many more opportunities for a person to come into contact with jets of steam or hot water.
The burns that one suffers are likely to require substantial medical treatment, possibly including many painful skin graft surgeries.
Disfiguring scars and social withdrawal are also possible effects, leading steam burn victims to withdraw from social circles and possibly interfering with their ability to obtain and retain gainful employment.
Potential Sources of Danger There was a much publicized and ridiculed case in recent history where an individual purchased a cup of coffee from a fast food restaurant, spilled the coffee, and then sued for the burn injuries that resulted from that contact.
Despite the heckling and round objection to the plaintiff's legal claim issued by the general public and comedians alike, the incident drew attention to the potential severity of scalding injuries and even led to the passage of legislation and implementation of regulations designed to limit the temperature at which hot beverages could be prepared.
This represents only one of many potential sources of hot water and steam dangers, and it is most likely the one with which a person has an ongoing interaction.
Other potential hot water issues might be associated with: Hotel showers Improperly installed piping Defective hot water heaters Leaking hot water and steam pipes Improper ventilation of steam To Explore Your Legal Options The medical bills are likely to be stratospheric for the treatment of scalding injuries, and they constitute only a small part of the damages for which a negligent property owner may be held liable.
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