Boozing while barbequing no garden party

Summer is barbeque season, but research by More Th>n insurance in the United Kingdom shows that basic precautions may fall by the wayside during these sometimes-boozy affairs.

One in four barbequing Brits have set charcoal ablaze while under the influence, notes the research by the company’s home insurance team.

These drunken encounters came at a cost, resulting in just shy of $990 million of fire damage to properties over the past two years. Gazebos, wooden furniture, sheds and trees in gardens were common fodder for careless grilling.

The research was released in advance of this past weekend, the U.K.’s first official barbeque weekend and the kick-off to a summer jammed pack with festivities around the Diamond Jubilee, the European Football Championships and the Olympics.  

Men may represent the more frequent threat for barbeque debacles, manning the grill for the vast majority of related accidents and causing an average of $614 of damage. Women, however, are at the helm for generally more serious incidents, sparking average costs of $842.

Barbeques are involved in hundreds of accidents in gardens each year, notes a fact sheet from the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA).

As part of the Home and Leisure Accident Surveillance System in 2002, RoSPA reports an estimated 1,800 people visited hospital with injuries such as fire- or flame-related burns and scalds, and cuts and tears from sharps. The lion’s share of the accidents (1,400) happened in home settings.

RoSPA recommends the following precautions:

*            ensure the barbeque is strong and sturdy;

*            position the unit on level ground and away from fences, sheds and overhanging trees;

*            never light a barbeque in an enclosed space;

*            never pour accelerants on to a barbeque; and

*            use long-handled tools.