Just seen on the news that a MP Mary Creagh has had the idea of limiting the temperature of bath water to prevent scalding.

What next I wonder, removing the sharp edges from kitchen knives to prevent cuts? I'm so glad we've got MPs to look after us or our species might die out within months!

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/4852630.stm

Oh my god! Do we really elect a parliament to spend their time on such nonsense?

She's a nobody who is desperate to make herself a name for something.

She'd do better applying for Big Brother.

About her level I reckon. Stoopid caah!

So - it'll be filling the bath with boiled water from the kettle then like in the olden days - back to the future?
Unless of course kettles are tinkered with so they only heat water to tepid... :roll:

I just hope they can come up with a device to make sure I've remembered to undress before going in the bath. It's a real problem and I feel let down that the government haven't already acted on it :(

there was already a study that recommended that no knives be sold with points as they are not required... Fortunately it appears to have been largely ignored.

Contrary to previous posters on this thread, I think the proposal has merit.

There is no doubt that, generally, adults don't need protection of this sort.

However children and old people may well be protected by this innovation.

I recall that the late Princess Margaret suffered terribly from immersing herself in a very hot bath, accidently. She lived with the harm for several years until her death. (Please don't start a discussion re having someone to run your bath for you etc. etc.)

Most bathrooms in ordinary houses are sited upstairs. For households with children, does one know at all times where they are whilst the bath is being filled?........Does an adult stay in the Bathroom at all times whilst the water is running?

Even opening the newer-style taps into a wash basin can be a hazard to young children......do you watch over them everytime to ask them to wash their hands?

If the answer to these questions is "YES" then it seems absurd to fit temperature regulating equipment.

If the answer to even one of these questions is "NO" then it makes sense to regulate the water temperature to a sensible level automatically.

Quote - "A similar law comes into force in Scotland in May and legislation has already been passed in Canada, New Zealand and Australia."

Some people seem to think it's a good idea, and I'm sure a friend of ours whose 80 year old father recently slipped into a bath of scalding water and spent an agonising six weeks in hospital would agree.

The suggestion is to limit water to 48C would still actually scald anyway I believe, so even if you're for the bill, it wouldn't prevent scalding.

How can they enforce this? ridiculous, are they going to ban kettles aswell and make it illegal to boil any liquid on the stove?

This will be totally immposible to Police and it would mean a change in the way we heat our houses aswell :loopy:

I'm voting Monster Raving Loony Party next General Election

at a guess it would only apply to new installations, and as such the easy way to do it would be to make it a legal requirement to have temperature controlled taps, just like in most hotels (presumably it's an H&S thing in hotels).
They can generally be overridden anyway by pressing in a button.

It is nanny state though isn't it, abrogate parents and adults responsibilities to look after themselves to legislature instead.

So long as the water is still very hot I don't really mind, I like my baths/showers so hot they turn me bright red :D

After living in a place where I did scald myself washing my hands under the hot tap (no mixer) I think it actually could be useful. The water in that place genuinely was dangerously hot. I think the law should be restricted to public buildings, all rented properties and institutions such as care homes.

This story was on Calender a few days ago and they showed the injuries a young girl suffered after falling into a bath. At the time I thought it a perfectly reasonable piece of legislation. It would apply to newbuild only and only to baths, not sinks.

I think the intention is to raise public awareness about the issue rather than actually implement any legislation. I heard on Radio 4 that it costs the NHS £1/4 million to treat each child who has been scalded by immersion in too hot a bath. Add to that the number of elderly people who have similar accidents and it amounts to 600 a year.

The reason for suggesting legislation is to reduce the suffering caused to so many by making us more aware of the dangers.

If anyone else can think of a better way of raising public awareness then go for it.

I think this is just a stupid parent trying to blame someone else.

I'm really sorry for what happened to the young girl involved but where was her mum when she fell in the bath of scolding water and why did her mum let it get that hot in the first place?

Stupid woman. If you can't even control the temperature of a bath you really have absolutely no brain cells at all.

As for better ways of raising awareness, why not sell a thermometer with every bath or something.......I mean maybe they should stop kettles from boiling water because it can scold you when it's just boiled.........

Why do so many people in the world today have so little common sense???

Why do so many people in the world today have so little common sense???

They don't, for example, people with diabetes or the elderly have problems with loss of feeling in their extremities so cannot adequately test the temperature of a bath before getting in. You suggest using a thermometer, but many of them aren't aware they have a problem.

I think the law should be restricted to public buildings, all rented properties and institutions such as care homes.

I certainly agree with this and see no problem with the Government funding restrictive devices in the homes of the elderly.

I think it's up to me how hot I have the water in my own home though and wouldn't be happy with someone else dictating that too me.

I also agree with those that suggest it is the responsibility of the parents to not allow their children in potentially dangerous situations unattended – like that of a scalding hot bath of water.

I agree with it. They should also ban kettles, cooking, knives and electricity.

I agree with it. They should also ban kettles, cooking, knives and electricity.

Ah, a student, for whom all these things are incomprehensible.

I agree with it. They should also ban kettles, cooking, knives and electricity.

You forget air...there's oxygen in it and some fool with a match could set fires...best be safe and live in a vacuum.

No doubt there will soon be some loony EU directive saying that all baths should be fitted with a thermostat linked to the local CCTV cameras, to stop people getting into too hot baths with their clothes on.

Should be ready by this saturday...

Don't bother with a water temperature bill.

Get the same combi boiler I had installed last year. Absolutely no chance of a bath that is warm enough let alone too hot!!!

:hihi:

I allways thought that you put cold water in the bath first then brought it up to the required temperature with the hot, not the other way round

I allways thought that you put cold water in the bath first then brought it up to the required temperature with the hot, not the other way round

That way you use a lot more hot water. A good analogy is mixing grey paint - you add small amounts of black to the white, not the other way round. A warm bath has more hot water in than cold so the best way of filling it up is to add some cold water to a lot of hot. Depends how hot the water coming out of your taps is I suppose.

If they bring in this regulation are they also going to ban people from carrying around hot drinks in the street or on buses and trains? I've seen loads of people spill them and they must hurt more people than would hot bath water, surely? I was badly scalded when I was a toddler, when one of my parents walked into me while carrying a mug of tea. Seriously, do we cover every eventuality or not?

When everyone's on a combi boiler, as will happen gradually as all old style boilers are being withdrawn from sale, there's not much chance of anyone having too hot bath water anyway.

The water out of my combi-boiler will scald. It can be turned down, but there's no safety device to stop me scalding myself.
And I don't want one either.
My gas hob is far more dangerous, and I manage OK with that.

Personally I think that it's a great idea. It will help everyone to keep Legionella at home... something that few people can do these days. :thumbsup:

After living in a place where I did scald myself washing my hands under the hot tap (no mixer) I think it actually could be useful. The water in that place genuinely was dangerously hot.

I think the law should be restricted to public buildings, all rented properties and institutions such as care homes.

Public buildings such as hospitals already have thermostatic mixing valves fitted to their baths, showers and sinks inorder to prevent scalding.

thermostatic mixing valves (http://www.horne.co.uk/Horne15.htm)

and also see how they work (http://www.horne.co.uk/Products.htm)