Pauline Latham backs a local businesswoman in calling for a campaign warning of the dangers of using pressure cookers.
Kavita Oberoi, managing director of Pride Park-based IT and business healthcare consultancy Oberoi Consulting, suffered first degree burns to her face after the cooker she was using at home exploded.
Mrs Oberoi, who has appeared on television programmes including The Secret Millionaire and The Apprentice: You’re Fired, required hospital treatment at the burns unit at Nottingham City Hospital.
She is now looking to raise awareness of the risks of using pressure cookers - and is urging households across the UK to stop using them.
Mrs Oberoi, who last year was made an OBE for services to entrepreneurship and start-up businesses, said: “Pressure cookers are still routinely used by many many Asian households, they are part of the cooking culture.
“The cooker that injured me, which is originally from India, was one I had never used before.
“My mother, who regularly visits and loves cooking, brought it with her some time ago.
“On the day when the incident happened I was due to fly to Belfast in the evening to speak at a conference.
“I needed to squeeze in some cooking for the family before a visit to the office and collecting my daughter from school.
“I had planned what I was cooking the night before and had decided to use the pressure cooker to save time.
“I switched it on and turned it off when I left the house. On my return it had cooled down.
“I switched it on again and I heard the familiar hissing and whistling and switched off the gas and moved it to the side.
“I started to release the pressure through the valve at the top. I then tried to open the lid and it started to open.
“Without evening thinking I just opened the lid and the next thing I can remember is a loud explosion and my face feeling very hot.
“Luckily, I must’ve closed my eyes because they were not injured.
“I splashed lots of water on my face and rang for an ambulance and the emergency services were brilliant.
“They put a tea-tree oil burns mask on my face to help with the cooling and they took me the Royal Derby Hospital and I was later transferred to the burns unit at Nottingham.”
Mrs Oberoi said she wants to raise awareness of the dangers of using pressure cookers after speaking to friends and family who had recently suffered near misses but not talked about them before.
She said: “One of my friends had an explosion only just last week from a pressure cooker she bought from a large department store.
“Luckily, she was at other side of the kitchen at the time.
“The list of injuries is endless you only have to search the internet to see the extent.
“Since my incident I’ve had a number of people write to me to inform me that they have throw theirs away.
“I would urge anyone that has one to throw it away as there are much safer alternatives, such as slow cookers.”
Mrs Oberoi has also raised the issue with her local MP, Pauline Latham, who represents the Mid Derbyshire constituency.
Mrs Latham said: “I was shocked to hear about this horrific accident affecting Kavita and wish her well in her recovery.
“I believe it would be useful to try to establish how many injuries there are using pressure cookers in this country each year so that we can organise an awareness campaign about the dangers they can pose.
“I do not want anyone else to go through this trauma. Kavita has been lucky in that she still has her sight but others may not be so fortunate and I would like to do all I can to help to prevent any other painful and potentially life threatening injuries happening to someone else.”
For more information please contact: Kavita Oberoi OBE, Founder and Managing Director Oberoi Consulting, Email: [email protected], Tel 07949 653834