Using Gas Safely Natural Gas Safety-SMART! Home

Kitchen Safety

• Use a heater to warm the house, not the oven. Natural gas ovens are designed to cook food, not to heat rooms. Using your oven to heat the kitchen could damage the oven.
• Look for the blue flame. If the burners on top of the range have a blue flame, they are working correctly. While flecks of orange are okay, if your flame is large, yellow, and flickering, ask an adult to have it checked by a qualified repairperson.
• Don't play with gas appliances or pipes. Make sure younger sisters or brothers don't play with oven knobs—they could turn the natural gas on without anyone knowing it. Also make sure they don't play with the natural gas pipes or flexible connectors that run between the gas range and the wall.
• Make the flame fit the pot. Remind the cooks in your family to set the flame just high enough to cover the bottom of the pot. Flames that are too high can make a fire hazard and waste energy. It's also a good idea to turn pot handles inward toward the back of the range to prevent them from getting bumped.