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Microwave ovens banned from hospital

A hospital in Vancouver, Canada has ordered the removal of microwave ovens from all it's staff and visiting areas. The choice was largely out of the hands of the hospital's administration panel, due to the local fire department ordering the removal.

The fire department believed the risk of fires resulting from domestic kitchen appliances are high, alongside the number the false alarms and call outs. Any resulting fires within a hospital would pose an extreme risk to life and the operation of the daily workings.

However, the move has proved controversial, with nurses angered by the decision. The microwaves proved a useful tool for warming the meals of patients and staff, which are often cold or lukewarm after traveling from the general kitchen.

The fire department stated the food which causes most concern is popcorn, which quickly burns if falsely overcooked, and will produce smoke causing a false alarm and call out of a fire engine.

A spokesperson for the nurses union went as far to say, the decision had created an uproar. The nurses will be forced to bring in cold meals like sandwiches, now that the microwaves are removed from all their work spaces.

Microwaves will eventually be reintroduced into the cafe's, but the machines will be commercial grade, and renovations to the cooking areas will need to be conducted. How long these reconstruction plans will take is anyone's guess.

A source from another local hospital believed the reasoning behind the decision was false. Stating the number of false alarms in their hospital, in a period of six months was in the region of one or two. A more realistic health hazard would be from germs collecting from the food bits and unclean microwaves.