4 Safety Tips For Garage Door Safety Month

Safety should always be first and foremost whenever you're using your garage door. National Garage Door Safety Month provides a golden opportunity to learn great tips that'll help prevent injuries and make your garage door safer to use. Here are a few tips to remember as you prepare for a fun and safe summer.

Always Inspect and Test Your Door's Safety Features

Nearly every automatic garage door comes equipped with several safety features to prevent crush-related injuries. These include photo eye sensors that detect objects in the door's path and an auto-reverse feature that automatically stops and reverses the door's direction upon contact with an object or person.

Although they're designed to be as reliable as possible, these safety features can fail due to age, neglect, or accidental damage. Such failures can put you and loved ones at risk of serious injury or worse. It's a good idea to test the functionality of these features on a monthly basis.

Never Run Underneath the Door as it Closes

Imagine calling for your garage door to close, only to realize you forgot something and need to get back to the other side. Running under a slow-moving garage door might not seem like a big deal, but there's plenty of risk in doing so. Not only do you risk underestimating the door's rate of travel and creating an inevitable collision, but stepping over the path of the photo eye sensor can also pose a trip-and-fall hazard.

Instead of making that last-minute dash, allow your garage door to close properly. You can either reopen your garage door or use an alternate means of entry or exit, such as a side door attached to your garage.

Keep Your Hands Away from Pinch Points

A surprising number of garage door injuries come from people getting their fingers caught in pinch points located throughout the door. These danger zones include the spaces between door panels, hinges, and tracks.

For maximum safety, you should keep your hands and other extremities away from these areas. Not only should you keep your hands and other extremities away from these areas, but you should also make sure these areas are off-limits to children and pets.

Refrain from Horseplay Around the Garage Door

A little roughhousing or horseplay can result in plenty of damage to your garage door. For instance, running into your garage door can leave behind a sizable dent or even a broken panel. Colliding with a garage door that's bristling with sharp edges can also cause serious cuts and bruising. Any and all horseplay should be kept outside of the garage and well away from your garage door. 

Using the above tips can help you and your family stay safe around your garage door. For more tips or information on safety features, contact a garage door company such as hungritedoor.com to discuss any questions or concerns.


Share