The following description includes information that may be useful in understanding the present invention. It is not an admission that any of the information provided herein is prior art or relevant to the presently claimed invention, or that any publication specifically or implicitly referenced is prior art.
Many injuries in the service industry, and in manufacturing and laboratory environments, relate to burns or spills resulting from improper handling of hot handles. In some instances, a user is simply unaware of the handle temperature prior to grabbing the handle, which can lead to burns, spills and other injuries. In some other instances, the user does not have a holder handy at the time a pan needs to be removed from the heat.
Various efforts have been made to thermally protect users from burns and other injuries when handling cookware and other objects having hot handles or other portions. Such efforts include potholders and mitts, as well as handle covers made from cotton or silicone. Some other efforts have been made to protect handles and the user's hands from grease, chemical and food splatter, which include splatter screens that are generally circular and fit over an opening of a device.
Unfortunately, many of the known protective devices are unsanitary due to constant re-use and splatter resulting in cross-contamination issues and other challenges. Additionally, many known protective devices are not adjustable in size to allow users to firmly grip handle covers of different sizes. Still further, many protective devices are not configured to thermally protect a user's hands or other body portion from hot objects.
Thus, there is still a need for improved protective covers for handles.