Protecting children: why young children are particularly at risk of scald injuries

Children have rights: since 1989, these have been codified in the Convention on the Rights of the Child. Children’s Day, celebrated in Germany on 20 September 2024 and now in its 70th year, raises awareness about the unique needs of children and children’s rights in particular. These rights include the right to good health. In accordance with our guiding principle ‘Responsibility for Health’, SCHELL feels duty-bound to work towards making life safer for children and ensuring that they can look forward to a healthy future. SCHELL sanitary fittings with anti-scalding protection offer society’s most vulnerable individuals reliable protection against injury from hot water – and so minimise one of the most frequent causes of accidents in childhood.

A burning issue: scald injuries are one of the most common childhood accidents

Every year, more than 30,000 children aged under 15 receive medical treatment in Germany for scald and burn injuries. Of these, around 7,000 children suffer injuries serious enough to be admitted to hospital. Young children in particular are especially likely to suffer accidents involving scald and burn injuries.

Risk of scalding: why children need special protection

Compared with adults, small children do not react quickly enough to dangers and, in all likelihood, lack the experience to accurately estimate the risk of serious injury from hot water. Their skin is also far more sensitive than that of an adult. Contact between hot water and the child’s skin can therefore result in scalding. Scald injuries also involve secondary risks. One example is the risk of falling when trying to escape on wet floors, such as in the shower. Nor does the individual’s contact with hot water need to be very long – scalding can happen very quickly indeed. The CEN/TR 16355 technical report, ‘Recommendations to prevent Legionella growth in drinking water systems’ states that children can suffer scald injuries following only momentary contact with very hot water.

Protecting sensitive young skin from scalding: SCHELL fittings with ThermoProtect

SCHELL offers a comprehensive portfolio of fittings featuring anti-scalding protection for equipping sanitary facilities in day nurseries, schools and any other premises used by children. These fittings are equipped with ThermoProtect: this special cartridge ensures that fittings cannot exceed a specific draw-off temperature that has been configured for the individual fitting. Even if pressure fluctuations occur in the system, the water is kept at a constant temperature. The flow of water stops automatically if the cold water supply fails. This offers optimum protection to young children when washing their hands or showering. A selection of the multiple award-winning fittings from the MODUS series are also equipped with the ThermoProtect system. The MODUS EH-T single-lever mixer is also available with an open loop lever that is particularly easy to operate – perfect for equipping bathrooms used by children or accessible sanitary facilities. The MODUS MD-T exposed shower fitting is also equipped with a ThermoProtect thermostat that provides reliable anti-scalding protection. With a thermally insulated IsoBody housing, this fitting also provides protection against burns – as this housing is always roughly the same temperature as its surroundings. As a result, MODUS MD-T can also be handled safely by children while they are showering.

A simple anti-scalding retrofit – with the angle valve thermostat

For fittings not equipped with a built-in thermostat, SCHELL has the ideal solution for a simple anti-scalding retrofit: the SCHELL angle valve thermostat provides reliable anti-scalding protection in scenarios with high-risk users – such as day nurseries and community facilities, for example. This fitting minimises the risk of scalding by limiting the maximum draw-off temperature. The maximum temperature can be set as required. According to DIN EN 806-2, for example, 43 °C would be appropriate. If pressure fluctuations occur in the line, the temperature is kept constant. The flow of water is stopped if the cold water line fails. The SCHELL angle valve thermostat is available with either a rigid or a flexible connection. Designed with installation scenarios in mind, the fitting is easy to retrofit even if space is at a premium – such as on the smaller and lower-down wash basins typical in day care facilities. This smart retrofit solution has also been used in the Gottlieb-Daimler and Spitzholz kindergartens in Sindelfingen: to offer even better protection for the little ones, angle valve thermostat sets were used together with electronic SCHELL fittings.

Advantages at a glance: how SCHELL fittings protect children’s health

• ThermoProtect cartridge provides anti-scalding protection at wash basins and in the showers
• IsoBody housing offers protection against burns if the MODUS MD-T thermostat is touched
• Contactless operation for electronic taps, e.g. XERIS E-T, protects against disease transmission via contact infection
• Automatic stagnation flushes from electronic taps reduce the risk of Legionella

Summary: Don’t take any chances – use SCHELL products for anti-scalding protection

In sanitary facilities that are used by children and other vulnerable groups of people, safety is a top priority. SCHELL products with anti-scalding protection make an important contribution to a healthy future for our youngest generation. Children’s Day 2024 offers the perfect opportunity to review the sanitary facilities on your premises for anti-scalding protection, and to make any conversions or retrofits as necessary.

Still have questions about equipping or modernising sanitary facilities in day nurseries, schools and other buildings with SCHELL products? Our SCHELL Service Team looks forward to hearing from you.