It’s grilling season! This means nice things like backyard barbecues and fun times with friends,… but also possibly some not-so-nice things like fires, hospital visits, and homeowners insurance claims. Make your summer enjoyable and avoid the not-so-nice things with these grilling safety tips.
1 – Keep Grills Away from Structures
One of the most common grilling hazards is a fire from placing grills too close to structures like your home or shed. For safety, you should always keep your grill at least 10 feet away from your home. Additionally, never grill in a covered area (like a porch). Remember that although heat from a grill is seemingly contained, flame and smoke can escape the grill and reach anything surrounding it.
2 – Perform Routine Safety Checks
Another source of fire is from the propane connections to your grill. They can sometimes be faulty or corrode, leading to dangerous gas leaks. Check your propane tank tubes and connections regularly. Immediately stop usage if you see an issue.
3 – Avoid Metal Bristle Cleaners
Another one of our grilling safety tips is to check the products that you use to clean your grill. Every year, people get injured by metal bristle grill cleaners, but not in the way that you might think. Small metal particles can come loose as you scrub grill grates. These particles get stuck on the grates and then transfer onto food. When ingested, they can cause serious injuries. To avoid unwanted emergency room visits for you and your guests, seek alternatives to metal bristle cleaners.
4 – Monitor Hot Grills
Burns are sure another possible grilling injury. Carefully monitor hot grills, especially if you have children playing in the area. Beware of foods with high oil content that can drip and/or cause grease fires. Be sure to also keep a fire extinguisher within reach to quickly put out small fires.
Summary of Grilling Safety Tips
Fires and medical emergencies from grilling are both costly and stressful. If injuries occur to a visitor to your home, you could also face personal injury lawsuits and homeowners insurance claims. The best way to avoid all of these is to remain vigilant and keep safety at the forefront of your grilling activities. We hope these grilling safety tips will help you and your family enjoy an incident-free grilling season.
Summer Heat Safety Tips
