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I work in catering and often get burned on the hand. Most of these are relatively minor, but painful. The National Health Service advice is to hold the burn under a running tap of cool water for 20 minutes and not to cover it in anything greasy. As burning is caused by a transfer of energy from one substance to another, even a hot oil burn doesn't need that long to cool down. What is the basis for these measures?

27 February 2019

I work in catering and often get burned on the hand. Most of these are relatively minor, but painful. The National Health Service advice is to hold the burn under a running tap of cool water for 20 minutes and not to cover it in anything greasy. As burning is caused by a transfer of energy from one substance to another, even a hot oil burn doesn’t need that long to cool down. What is the basis for these measures?

• The length of time cool water has to be applied to a burn depends on the severity of the…