Garages are the safest and most convenient parking units in a car-centric society like the U.S. Roughly two-thirds of United States housing units have a garage or carport. That means two-thirds of Americans have a garage door, necessitating learning about prevalent safety hazards.

Around 30,000 people get injured in garage-door-related accidents every year. These are preventable accidents caused by neglect, substandard care, and insufficient maintenance. Make your garage door family-friendly and avert accidents with these five easy tips.

1. Routine Professional Inspections and Repairs

Your garage door requires regular professional repairs and inspections to maximize safety and prevent accidents. Have a professional check the door’s balance and re-adjust the springs monthly. They should inspect the pulleys, springs, rollers, and cables quarterly for signs of wear and malfunctions. Annual inspections and tune-ups ensure opener mechanisms and safety sensors work correctly.

Work with garage door repair Orange County specialists to schedule timely servicing and maintenance. That ensures hinges, tracks, and rollers are working correctly and efficiently. They can adjust opener alignment and settings, including force settings and travel limits. You want to wipe clean tracks and doors to remove debris and dust that can affect smooth operations. 

Monitor your garage door operations for unusual noises, visible damage, and operation difficulties. These signs of wear and damage require timely and professional solutions to prevent the possibility of accidents. Hire a garage door repair professional to solve such issues on time, keep your door in good working condition, and prevent accidents.

2. Test the Door’s Auto-Reverse Feature 

Contemporary garage doors have an auto-reverse feature to prevent them from closing on people and objects. The feature aids in maximizing user safety around the door while avoiding accidents. It automatically reverses the door direction when it encounters obstructions. You want to test the feature to ensure it is in perfect condition to protect objects, pets, and children from getting crushed by the closing door.

Run the test every month to ensure you keep the mechanism working correctly. Regularly testing the auto-reverse feature can help you identify potential issues early enough and guarantee timely repairs. It is an effective strategy to reduce the risk of accidents and provide peace of mind.

3. Educate Your Family Members 

Do you know children are mostly the victims of garage door incidents? Many children fall victim to garage door injuries when playing or walking around the doors. Garage doors can become faulty at any time, meaning anyone around the garage can fall victim to resultant fatalities. Educating your family about garage doors and potential hazards can minimize accidents and injuries.

Teach your kids to minimize their activities around the garage. Tell them the hazards of playing around with it. You want to describe a potential scene or even show them videos of recorded garage door accidents. That spreads awareness and teaches the kids to be responsible enough when around the doors. It can help prevent the possibility of being caught up in indoor accidents.

Inform your other family members of the importance of watchfulness when in the garage or using the garage door opener remote. They should be aware of the risks of improper door handling.

4. Watch Your Steps When Closing and Opening the Door 

Many garage door accidents relate to manual operation mishaps. These are prevalent due to the door’s massive weight and spring tension. Homeowners who attempt lifting the doors might strain their muscles, especially if the door has balancing issues. Your feet, fingers, and hands might get caught between door panels or tracks, causing crush injuries. An improperly balanced garage door with malfunctioning cables and springs might fall. The result could be devastating injuries and even fatalities.

You want to confirm the balancing of the garage door. A balanced door remains in one place and will rarely cause injuries or muscle pains when lifted. Keep your feet and hands from the door tracks and panels to minimize crush accidents. Also, use your legs when lifting garage doors instead of the back. That helps prevent back injuries and pains while optimizing the door operations.

5. Always Seek Professional Garage Door Installation 

Another famous instance of garage doors injuring people is during DIY installations. Garage doors are bulky and heavyweight, and a slight mistake exposes you to significant health hazards. Springs and cables hold these doors under high pressure. Mistakes during the installation process can translate to the whole system collapsing down on you. 

Additionally, installing the door yourself creates many efficiency gaps. You want more tools and skills to get the door up there and work smoothly and efficiently. Successful attempts might even be worse because the door will eventually break down due to the substandard installations. In all honesty, attempting a DIY garage door installation is a risk you should avoid. It saves you time, money, and life hazards.

Wrapping Up

Garage doors enable the efficient management of your garage and secure your cars and assets. You want to ensure the door is in perfect condition. That improves operational efficiency and minimizes injuries. Get the door inspected by a professional and repairs handled routinely. Ensure only a professional installs the door and all components are working. Educate your family members about the safety hazards and be watchful around the garage door.

Published by: Nelly Chavez