A continuing compendium of tips and tricks from Home & Garden Television (www.hgtv.com):

The National Kitchen and Bath Association has developed a few guidelines to keep kitchens safe.

1. Provide proper lighting. Good general lighting, supplemented with task lighting that is clearly focused on work surfaces, will greatly decrease the chance of injury while preparing a meal. The lighting should be glare-free and even, without producing any shadows on the work surface.

2. Install slip-resistant flooring. Some good choices are matte-finished wood or laminate, textured vinyl or a soft-glazed ceramic tile.

3. Provide safe storage for a fire extinguisher.

4. Keep electrical switches, plugs and lighting fixtures away from water sources and wet hands. Building codes require that every electrical receptacle be grounded and protected with ground-fault circuit interrupters.

5. Install water-temperature regulators. Faucets with anti-scald devices prevent water temperature from rising to dangerous levels.

6. Cooktops with burners in a staggered layout or one straight row can help prevent scalds from reaching over boiling pots. Cooktop controls should be along the side or in the front.

7. Design a safe floor plan. Think about how traffic will flow through the kitchen, and design the floor plan to keep that traffic out of the cooking area. For example, avoid putting a range near an entrance or exit.

8. Put the microwave at a convenient height. Locate microwaves at heights that don't require reaching to retrieve food.

9. Consider slide-out trays and bins. Such features in base cabinets make their contents more accessible, and minimize reaching and twisting.

10. Eliminate sharp corners on countertops. Use a rounded edge on the corners of countertops, especially islands and peninsulas, to avoid injury to children.