Garage door safety is an integral aspect of your household’s overall safety. Unfortunately, many people overlook garage door safety, predisposing themselves and those around them to hazards. You must not wait until the garage door injures someone to appreciate garage door safety when operating the door. This blog reviews four safety tips that all garage owners should consider.

1. Check When Opening or Closing the Garage Door

A significant chunk of garage accidents happens from not checking for potential hazards before operating the garage door. Should an object or person stand in the door’s path unknowingly, this increases the risk of accidents. For example, your child might have followed you into the garage. Confirm they are safely away from the garage door before operating it.

Also, don’t leave the garage door ajar. Many homeowners do this when planning to access the garage several times without opening the door each time. However, while you may think leaving the door ajar is time- and energy-efficient, you might endanger your household members. One person may try to squeeze through the door while another reactivates it unknowingly, resulting in injuries.

2. Educate Children on Garage Door Safety

Parents with garages should sensitize their children about garage safety. Otherwise, they risk their children sustaining injuries from garage-related accidents. For example, garage owners should warn children against swinging on the garage door; the parents may need to provide many warnings considering children’s playful nature.

Garage owners should also caution children not to race against the garage door. Unfortunately, this is a behavior affecting even adults. However, the consequences are often more severe for minors should the door trap them. They risk fractures or even sustaining fatal injuries.

You may also want to discourage children from playing with the controller. You do not want them to shut the garage door when you are halfway through. While you may not sustain injuries, your car may get significant dents, resulting in avoidable repair expenses. You usually have no guarantee that your auto insurance will cover the repairs after learning the accident’s cause.

Lastly, caution your child against placing their hands in the garage door gaps. Your child may place their finger in a door section only for you to open the garage door, injuring them. Alternatively, contact your garage door contractor to install non-pinch panels.

3. Inspect the Garage Door Regularly

Regular inspections are integral to garage door safety — perhaps the primary safety measure. Ensure that your garage door operates efficiently and safely to mitigate accidents. One way entails monitoring the garage door for unusual noises.

For example, squeaking noises may indicate your garage door has loose or unlubricated components. Loose parts like bolts and nuts require tightening to reduce the strain on them or the springs. On the other hand, you may lubricate any moving parts to eliminate friction, ensuring the garage door slides smoothly.

4. Educate Your Household About the Door’s Emergency Release Rope

The release rope is handy in several situations. First, you can use it when a power outage occurs or the remote is dysfunctional and thus cannot operate the door automatically.

Second, you can pull the release rope during emergencies to disengage the door allowing manual operation. An example is when the garage door traps someone and you cannot access the controller. You can pull the emergency release rope, allowing you to move the door manually, salvaging the situation. You can then contact your garage repair contractor to safely reset the emergency pull code cord. Never pull the emergency release cord while the garage door is open. If the door will not close, check for obstructions. If there are no obstructions and you have tried adjusting the safety sensors, call a professional. Garage doors with broken springs are extremely dangerous, and pulling the emergency release cord when a spring is broken can result in serious injury and damage to your garage door and opener. Since the springs counterbalance the weight of the garage door, pulling the emergency release cord when the spring is broken will result in the garage door slamming closed in a dangerous manner that often causes damage to multiple components of your garage door system.

Individuals with questions regarding garage door safety may consult Plano Overhead Garage Door for professional advice. Additionally, our technicians are ready to inspect your garage door for defects and offer timely fixes. Call today.

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