Background
You don’t need a “dangerous” job to suffer a serious injury like a burn, which happens to be one of the most frequent workplace injuries, numbering 500,000 in the U.S. each year. While burns from liquid are more common than flames [1], most burns are surprisingly caused by hot tap water [2].
Many jobs involve hot or boiling liquids, primarily in food service but also janitorial and even ordinary office tasks, such as making coffee. Unfortunately, the containers that most people use to transport hot liquids are not designed for that purpose and don’t have covers or lids. What’s more, the containers that are designed to minimize scald burns have lids that are easily misplaced or just not used.
In a flash, an employee or customer can be seriously injured or disfigured by mishandling hot liquids. In only five seconds, someone can suffer a third-degree burn from boiling water (up to 140°F). With water as hot as 149°F [3], two seconds is all it takes.
To prevent losses from scald injuries, some of our clients in food service contacted Spellbound for help. Our research into workplace scald injuries found limited solutions for safely transporting hot liquids, despite the clear need.
Mission
Develop a container for the safe transporting of hot liquids that is FDA and NSF compliant, utilizes food-safe, BPA free materials and is easy to use.
Solution
Spellbound conducted extensive research into the cause of scald injuries and the equipment used to dispense hot liquids. Our findings inspired us to write a list of principles and requirements to guide the development process, which was given to our Power Of Many Minds® team as they sought new answers.
The winning product solution arrived with an abstract idea that kept the lid on: a safe container featuring an integrated, unitary upper-body-and-cover design, with a removable base!
The upper body/cover acts to minimize the movement of hot liquids during transport, without inhibiting inflow or outflow during filling or pouring. The bottom provides easy access for cleaning and sanitizing inside.
After prototyping and thorough testing, followed by several rounds of improvements and refinement, the solution was ready: the Red Hot Safety Pitcher. The product is now being manufactured and is available for purchase.
Results
The Red Hot® Safety Pitcher addresses a critical need with a practical solution where none existed before. Many food-service leaders can now rest easier knowing their employees and customers are better protected against scald injuries.
Footnotes
1-3: Burn Foundation – http://www.burnfoundation.org
