• Never leave any cook zone on with-
out a pan covering it. This causes a
fire hazard.
• Never use the hob surface as a
chopping board or food preparation
area, as this may lead to it becoming
damaged.
• Never put metal cooking utensils,
cutlery, knives or other metal objects
on the hob. They could become hot
if they are near a cooking area which
is in use.
• Never use the hob if the surface is
cracked, broken or shattered. This
creates a high risk of injury. Switch
off the electric supply and call for a
service engineer’s visit.
• Never stare at the halogen elements
(if fitted). This may impair your vi-
sion.
• Never leave aluminium foil on the
hob top, it reflects heat back into the
element which leads to damage.
• Never heat up a sealed tin of food on
the hob, as it may explode.
• Never leave pans overhanging the
edge of the hob. The surface of the
hob is smooth. If pans are knocked
they may move on the hob top.
Fire Safety Advice
Most kitchen fires occur when people are
distracted or leave things unattended, so
remember:
If you’re called away from the hob - by
the phone or someone at the door, either
take pans off the heat, or switch off your
hob.
Don’t let yourself be distracted while
cooking.
If you do have a fire in the kitchen, don’t
take any risks - get everyone out of your
home and call the Fire Brigade
If a pan catches fire:
• Do not move it - it is likely to be
extremely hot.
• Turn off the heat if it’s safe to do so
- but never lean over a pan to reach
the controls.
• If you have a fire blanket, put it over
the pan.
• If you have put the fire out, leave the
pan to cool completely.
Deep-fat frying presents more dan-
gers in your kitchen.
• Never fill a chip pan (or other deep-
fat fryer) more than one-third full of
oil
• Do not use a fire extinguisher on a
pan of oil - the force of the extin-
guisher can spread the fire and cre-
ate a fireball.
If you have an electrical fire in the
kitchen:
• Pull the plug out, or switch off the
power at the fuse box - this may be
enough to stop the fire immediately
• Smother the fire with a fire blanket,
or use a dry powder or carbon diox-
ide extinguisher
• Remember: never use water on an
electrical or cooking oil fire.
SAFETY
