Burn Safety
I should have been mowing my lawn this past August 16th. Instead, I was brewing a lawnmower beer. I wasn’t paying attention as I poured five gallons of just-boiled water from my brewing pot to the bucket I use for my hot liquor tank. I was scanning the tree line, looking for the armadillo that occasionally wanders through our yard, and I ended up pouring the near- boiling liquid on my foot. When I finally got my shoe removed, I whipped off my sock and a little trailer of skin flew along with it. The pain was amazing. So intense that it shut off every part of my brain except the part responsible for sensing pain. (Okay, the part of my brain that generates expletives was also working.)
Have you ever seen one of those TV shows where they show real-life emergency rooms? In episodes with burn victims, they always say that “burns are the most painful kind of injury.” They aren’t kidding. In this article, I’ll explain how homebrewers can minimize their chances of getting burned. I’ll also explain what you need to do if you do get burned.
Preventing Burns
There are essentially three different ways you can get burned in homebrewing: direct contact with flames from a burner, contact with hot surfaces or contact with hot liquids. But if you set up your brewery right and follow a few simple steps each time you brew, your odds of getting burned are very low. Avoiding burns while homebrewing involves using common sense. It’s likely that nothing in the prevention section of this article will surprise you. But since the consequences of forgetting these preventive measures can be severe, it’s worth reviewing them.
1. Wear rubber boots if you brew in large volumes
You should wear rubber boots if you brew in large-enough volumes that a spill could get deeper than the soles of your shoes. For 5-gallon batches of beer, boots would be overkill, but for homebrewers making 10-gallon batches it is worth considering.
2. Take care when lighting the burner
Make sure your fire-starter works when lighting propane burners. Don’t wait until the gas is on to find out the lighter is stubborn. If you don’t get the burner to go within 5 seconds or so, shut off the gas and wait a minute.
3. Avoid tripping or snagging hazards
Set up your brewery so you won’t have to step over or duck under anything connected to a heat source or a container of hot liquid. Typically, there’s a lot of piping and tubing involved in homebrewing. If you get snagged on any of it and tip something over on yourself, you’ll have to worry about disentangling yourself in addition to potentially getting burned.
Also, keep pets and small children away from your brewery when you’re using it. There are worse things than burning yourself.
4. Avoid boilovers by leaving room in your kettle
This one is easy. Wort foams when it nears boiling. Leave enough room in your kettle to avoid boilovers.
5. Protect your hands when touching metal surfaces
Hot metal looks just like cold metal. So don’t touch any metal surface that has recently been heated. Use a pot-holder or heat-resistant gloves. If you think that a surface — such as the handle of a brewpot — has cooled, test it by touching the surface lightly.
6. Check that all valves are closed before transferring hot liquids
Most homebrewers store their brewing vessels with the valves open so they can dry. Remember to close any outflow valves before you start filling a vessel.
7. Whenever possible, use gravity or a pump to move hot water or wort
Carrying large volumes of hot water or wort is dangerous, as I learned the painful way. You should never carry any container of hot water that is too heavy to manage easily. If possible, transfer hot liquids by gravity or pumps. A three-tiered brewery with propane burners for each vessel ensures that you won’t need to lug hot liquids around. Gravity will do that for you. Alternately, high-temperature pumps can be used to move water or wort between vessels. Finally, it’s easier and safer to bring your wort chiller to your wort than to bring your wort to your chiller.
8. Always have a clear path to a cold water source
If you do get burned, you will need to have access to cold water quickly. Make sure your path to a cold water source is uncluttered so you don’t have to step over or duck under anything. (It’s hard to maintain a long string of expletives when navigating an obstacle course.) If your cold water source is a sink, keep it clear of dirty brewing equipment so you can quickly put your arm (or leg) under running water.
9. Pay attention to what you are doing
The best way to stay safe is to pay attention while doing anything that could potentially be dangerous. This is easy to forget.
First Aid for Burns and Scalds
There are many kinds of burns, including thermal burns, electrical burns, chemical burns and radiation burns. Burns from open flame, contact with hot surfaces and contact with hot liquids are all thermal burns. A thermal burn from a liquid is also called a scald. First aid for a scald differs slightly from that of other thermal burns. It’s important to know the proper first aid for scalds because this is the biggest hazard for homebrewers. Contact with flame or a hot surface would likely affect only a small area of your body. In contrast, it is possible to scald large portions of your body when homebrewing.
Immediate First-Aid
The first step in the treatment of any thermal burn, including a scald, is to cool the affected area as quickly as possible. In the case of a scald, your first priority is to remove any clothing that is soaked in hot liquid. If you do not remove the wet clothing, the heat from the liquid will continue to burn you. Running cold water over soaking wet clothing will cool down the outside of clothing quickly while the portion next to your skin remains hot. If your skin is stuck to the clothing, however, do not remove it — cut the clothing off later. Once you have removed your wet clothes, cool the scalded area with cold water. Either submerge the burned areas in cold water or run cold water over them. (Do not apply ice directly to the burn or submerge the burn in ice-cold water because prolonged contact can cause frostbite or even hypothermia.) Cool the burn for 20 minutes.
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First Aid Tips
In case of scalding (contact with hot liquid)
1. Remove affected clothing unless it is stuck to your skin.
2. Cool the burn with cold (not ice-cold) water for 15 to 20 minutes.
3. If your clothing is stuck to your skin, cut off loose clothing.
4. Determine if you need medical attention.
5. Take an anti-inflammatory pain-killer (for example, ibuprofen).
6. Apply Dermaplast and/or antibiotic ointment to burn.
7. Cover burn with a non-adhesive gauze pad or Second Skin gel pads.
8. Don’t pop any burn blisters.
Other thermal burns (contact with hot surface or flame)
1. Cool the burn with cold (not ice-cold) water for 15 to 20 minutes.
2. Remove affected clothing.
3. If your clothing is stuck to your skin, cut off loose clothing.
4. Determine if you need medical attention.
5. Take an anti-inflammatory pain-killer (for example, ibuprofen).
6. Apply Dermaplast and/or antibiotic ointment to burn.
7. Cover burn with a non-adhesive gauze pad or Second Skin gel pads.
8. Don’t pop any burn blisters.
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In the case of other thermal burns, the kind you get from a hot surface or flame, your first priority is to cool the burn with cold water. In a burn, your clothing is much more likely to stick to you than in a scald. After 15 to 20 minutes of cooling with water, you can cut any loose clothing off. Avoid pulling on the clothes and tearing your skin.
You should never apply butter, grease or ointment to a fresh burn. Oily substances will only trap heat inside the burned area and increase the damage the burn does. It also increases the chance of the burn getting infected. Always cool a burn thoroughly with water before applying any other medication or ointment.
After you have cooled the burned or scalded area, you should decide if you need medical attention. Whether you need medical attention depends on a few different variables, including how much of your body is burned, the degree of the burns, and whether or not you are in shock. The signs of shock include clammy skin, lightheadedness, a fast, weak pulse and confusion. If your burns cover a large part of your body or you are in shock, seek medical attention immediately. If the burn covers a small area — smaller than your palm, for example — whether or not medical attention is required depends on the severity and location of the burn. Burns are rated according to the amount of damage they do to the skin. There are first, second and third degree burns.
First-degree burns, also called superficial burns, damage only the epidermis, the outermost layer of skin. A first-degree burn will turn red, but will not blister. It will hurt, but should heal in 2 to 5 days without leaving a scar. For most first-degree burns, it isn’t necessary to seek medical attention unless it covers a large area.
Second-degree burns, also called partial-thickness burns, affect the outer two layers of skin. A second-degree burn will turn red and develop blisters filled with a clear fluid. A second-degree burn will be moist and excessive fluid loss can occur in second-degree burn victims. Infection can also be a problem.
The pain from a second-degree burn is very intense. The time it takes for a second-degree burn to heal is also longer than the time it takes for a first-degree burn. It takes about three weeks for a second-degree burn to heal and the affected area may be scarred. If you receive a second-degree burn larger than the palm of your hand, you should seek medical attention. Also, seek medical attention if you receive a second-degree burn on your face, hands or genitals.
Third-degree burns are also called full-thickness burns because they damage all the layers of skin. They may also damage tissue beneath the skin. (Some sources call burns that extend into underlying muscle or bone fourth-degree burns.) The skin affected by a third degree burn may turn red, black or white and will be dry. Often, one or more layers of skin will be removed by the burn. Because of this, infection is a major risk with a third-degree burn.
A third-degree burn will take over three weeks to heal and will leave a scar. The pain from a third-degree burn is typically less than that associated with a second-degree burn because third-degree burns can damage your nerves. Severe third-degree burns do not hurt at all since all the pain-sensing nerves are destroyed. You should seek medical attention immediately for any third-degree burn.
Long-Term Care of Burned Areas
Anti-inflammatory painkillers, such as ibuprofen, help reduce the pain of burns. To reduce the risk of infection, burns should be covered with a non-stick gauze pad. Alternately, you can apply Second Skin gel pads to the burn. These pads are made mostly of sterile water and can soothe and protect the burn in the early stages of healing. Before covering the wound, anti-biotic cream and pain-reducing sprays, such as Dermaplast, may be used. To reduce the risk of infection, you should not pop burn blisters.
The Risks of Homebrewing
Our hobbies are no different than any other part of our lives; there are risks and there are rewards. The risks associated with brewing a five-gallon batch of extract beer are roughly equivalent to the risks involved in cooking. For homebrewers making larger batches, the risks are greater. This is especially true if your equipment and technique has not been scaled up to match your batch size.
Personally, I think that homebrewing has one of the greatest rewards of any hobby — beer. There are safer hobbies than homebrewing, of course, but I think I’ll stick with homebrewing. Plus, knitting needles are sharp.
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Other Homebrew Hazards
Burns are a major hazard of homebrewing, but there are other hazards. Fumes from cleaning chemicals can be very dangerous. Direct contact with some chemicals used for cleaning and sanitizing can also cause chemical burns. Always clean your equipment in a well-ventilated area and closely follow product guidelines. You should also wear durable protective gloves and eye protection while using cleaning chemicals. It is a good idea to have an emergency plan in mind. Don’t brew alone and have an accessible emergency eyewash station prepared in the event that you get chemicals in your eyes.
Using propane burners in an unventilated area can lead to carbon monoxide (C0) poisoning. This colorless, odorless gas can cause a variety of health problems. In small concentrations, C0 exposure causes headaches, dizziness or drowsiness. An exposed person may also have a flushed face. At higher concentrations, C0 can cause permanent brain damage or death. The effects of C0 may be heightened by the consumption of alcohol. Keep your brewing area well-ventilated and check that the vents are open and unblocked. If you detect the symptoms of C0 exposure or poisoning, get some fresh air and don’t exert yourself. Seek medical attention if symptoms are severe. As a precaution, you can install a C0 detector.
Many homebrewers use glass carboys. Glass is slippery when wet. When lifting wet carboys, there is a risk of losing your grip and dropping it. The resulting broken glass can be a hazard. Thoroughly drying both the carboy and your hands before lifting will minimize this hazard.
