Handy Safety Tips

There are a variety of risks which come in life, which is inevitable. However, there is little need to experience many risks with the garage door, especially if you follow a few simple steps for safety and security. The following are some suggestions for how to avoid unsafe situations based off of common risks noted by major organizations such as the International Door Association and the Door and

Access Systems Manufacturers Association.

An electric garage door opener can help avoid one of the most common injuries: the pinched finger. Similarly, if you have small children, you may want to avoid having panels in your door whenever possible, and be sure to instruct them in how dangerous it is to put their fingers between the panels when it is moving. The main danger for adults is when lifting up or lowering down the garage door, as fingers can become trapped. This is extremely painful and should be avoided.

Do not keep your garage opener remote in your car if you can help it, as a car thief can combine the “home” location on your GPS system with the remote controls and then enter your house without even having to break in. Instead, consider keeping the remote in a more secret location within your car, not listing your house as “home” but rather a nearby landmark, or keeping the remote in your purse. Even the small step of locking the house door inside the garage can make a significant safety difference.
Conduct a visual inspection of your garage door every month. Make sure that the various parts, such as springs, are all in good repair and do not look worn or broken. If the garage door springs do look in need of replacement, be sure to contact a professional technician to take a closer examination, and do not handle them yourself to avoid any risk of injury.

Finally, make sure that the “eyes” of the sensor system and the auto-reverse functionality are fully operational. These detect when something is underneath the garage door as it is being lowered, and reverse the operation in order to prevent the child, pet, or object from being hurt. You can test this monthly as part of your regular inspection by placing a plank of wood or similarly sized object underneath the door and closing it to see if it makes contact or if it reverses direction. All garage doors built since 1993 should have the auto-reverse standard. For older doors, consider replacing it to gain this feature.

There are a number of minor and major safety risks associated with garage doors, but all can be avoided by understanding them and taking the appropriate precautions. A monthly inspection, a reversing functionality and automatic opener are all important aspects of a proper and safe door.