What can I do to Help PREVENT Garage Door Related Injuries?
Q: Last week you had some pretty alarming injury statistics from Public Health Canada when talking about the dangers and potential injuries from garage doors. What can I do to help PREVENT these injuries from happening to my family?
A: The first thing to consider is that a garage door is a moving piece of equipment - and when combined with the forces of electric motors, torsion springs and gravity, they can easily injure the unsuspecting.
With this in mind, insist on the following 8 rules in and around your garage to keep your family safe:
NEVER try and duck under a door while it's closing or opening.
When doors are moving, stay out of the way. There are many moving parts that can cause injury.
Don’t allow children to play with the control buttons or remotes.
If you're manually opening and closing the door, use a properly installed pull handle. Be careful of the many pinch points on a moving door - especially where the sections fold as it moves.
Most doors today are equipped with electric opener systems. If your opener was manufactured in 1993 or newer, it'll be equipped with reversing photo-eye safety sensors about 6” off the floor (which are designed to stop the door from closing if there's something in the way). If your opener is not equipped with these safety sensors, it should be replaced with a more modern, safer opener.
NEVER release the emergency disconnect on a garage door opener while the door is in an open position. The door could come crashing down!
Perform (or have a technician perform) regular safety checks of your garage door opener to ensure the safety sensors are working as they should, and that the opener will reverse when closing on an obstruction. These procedures will be available in your opener owner’s manual - or call a professional for assistance.
Perform (or have a technician perform) regular safety checks on your garage door to ensure that the spring counterbalance system is in order and that the door isn't in potential “free fall” condition.
If you have any other questions regarding these safety guidelines (or anything else garage door related), give us a call!