Keeping your Friends, Family and Coworkers Safe: How to Prevent Injuries Caused by a Hot Water Dispenser

An instant hot water dispenser promotes efficiency in day-to-day life by dispensing hot water on-demand. These helpful appliances allow you, your family and co-workers to quickly make coffee, tea, soup and other hot beverages.

However, if you don't use your hot water dispenser properly, this handy home or office appliance can become a safety issue. Thousands of people each year suffer minor injuries because they aren't using their kitchen hot water dispenser properly. Keep reading for a few helpful tips that can allow you and your family or work colleagues to enjoy a safer environment and avoid potential injuries.

Replenishing the Water Bottle

Most injuries occur when you're refilling your kitchen water dispenser. This is because you're liftingapproximately 40 pounds of plastic and water. Additionally, many people don't use the proper lifting technique. To correctly lift heavy objects, experts agree that you shouldn't bend at the waist. Instead, squat and use your knees for power. While carrying the large water cooler bottle, be sure to carry it close to your body. By following the correct lifting techniques, you can easily avoid any injuries to your lower back and spine that are occur when you're refilling your hot water dispenser for your home or office.

Slipping on Puddles

Other common injuries are cause by people slipping on spills and puddles that accumulate on the floor near your hot water dispenser. These accidents are easily avoided if you are diligent about cleaning up water that accumulates on the floor.

Typically water spills occur when you replenish the large bottle for your countertop or floor hot water dispenser . It's also common when the drip tray hasn't been emptied for a significant amount of time because it causes water to begin to spillover on to the floor. To prevent these problems, mop up water that accumulates on the floor and regularly empty the drip tray.

Germs and Bacteria

While a hot water dispenser is convenient, it's also an appliance that everyone is using. This means that it's very easy to spread germs by using a home or office hot water dispenser. One study found that there are over 2.7 million germs per square inch on the spigot or dispenser of a water dispenser. Therefore, it's necessary to keep your electric hot water clean in order to avoid getting sick.

It's best to clean the communal hot water dispenser once every 4-6 weeks or every time you change the bottle. Check your user manual for a cleaning process that the manufacturer recommends. Also, be sure to unplug your electric hot water dispenser from the wall to before you begin cleaning it to avoid shocking.

Keeping Your Children Safe 

Unfortunately, there are several instances of a child being injured when using a hot water dispenser. These injuries  are especially common when children are able to easily access a hot water dispenser in their home or other locations without supervision. Common injuries include burns caused kids playing with the hot water dispenser, a leaky water spigot or a malfunction with the child-proof mechanism.

Thankfully, these risks can be easily avoided if you're diligent about maintenance and keep an eye out for any malfunctions with the hot water dispenser . It's also important to teach older kids how to safely use the hot water dispenser and keep small children away from the unit unless they're supervised.

Next Steps

Please take a look at our wide variety of hot water dispensers that come with many built-in safety features. If you have any questions or would like to place an order, please call us at 1-800-734-0405. We look forward to your call!