Housing Minister Iain Wright announced on 13 May 2009 that from October this year all new build homes in England and Wales will have protective devices fitted to baths to limit hot water temperature. (Link to government's announcement)
Katrina Philips, Chief Executive of the Child Accident Prevention Trust said: “This is fantastic news. Bath water can cause horrific, life-changing injuries and young children are the most frequent victims. Thermostatic mixing valves protect children’s delicate skin but still allow adults to enjoy a hot bath. It’s a great win-win for children and for families”.
CAPT has been a member of the Hot Water Burns Like Fire campaign led by Wakefield MP Mary Creagh since it was launched. It has recently been involved in research into the effectiveness of thermostatic mixing valves led by Professor Denise Kendrick at the University of Nottingham.
The arguments for requiring TMVs are compelling:
“I never realised hot water from a tap could be so lethal. My beautiful baby was scarred for life. One bath time changed all of our lives forever” Vicki Anderson, mother of Joseph
“My physical injuries are plain for all to see but I have others that cannot be seen. I was robbed of my childhood because I had to grow up and face things that none of my friends had to face” Darren Ferguson, 17
CAPT has highlighted the arguments in favour of changes to the Building Regulations and produced an information sheet. It also has a factsheet, Preventing bath water scalds using thermostatic mixing valves, that can be downloaded.