A Garage Door Safety Checklist From The Experts
Modern garage doors are generally very safe to use, no matter what their size or style and just as you would want them to operate properly, you also want it to operate safely at all times. Garage doors can be dangerous if not used or looked after correctly, so there are some important safety tips that you must keep in mind. After all, the garage door is the largest moving object in your home and therefore can cause serious injury or even death if used incorrectly.
Doormatic want to ensure that you and your family know exactly how to operate and maintain your garage door system at all times so you can avoid fatal consequences. Your garage door will rely on you and your institution to spot whether there is a problem present and to call out the professionals to perform a service check.
This guide, supported by Doormatic’s Health & Safety Executive, details the requirements for the force limitation for the safe use of garage doors. We recommend that you review these ideas with everyone in your household every now and again – in particularly children.
Garage doors are operating machines, and like all machines, they must be safe at all times. The UK implementation of the European Machinery Directive state that anybody supplying machinery across Europe must declare it to be safe and label it with a certified CE mark in order to display proof of compliance.
The Garage door is not a toy
They are incredibly dangerous if misused and can cause serious injury or even death. It’s important that children are kept away from the garage door whilst unattended as they must never be allowed to play with the garage door or its operating system. They must never stand or play around the garage door, especially whilst it’s open or in operation.
Furthermore, children must never be given Access to the remote controls of the garage door or its opening systems; these must be kept out of reach in a high levelled place.
Make sure that the push button wall controls for the garage door opening systems mounted at least 5ft from the ground so a child will be unable to reach.
Never stand or walk beneath a garage door that’s in motion
When a garage door is in motion, you must never try to enter or exit a garage door by running beneath it before it closes. When you are opening or closing the garage door, you must keep the door in eyesight until the door has fully opened or closed. Make sure that nothing or nobody is attempting to enter or exit the garage whilst the door is closing.
Keep fingers and hands away from door sections when the door is opening or closing to avoid injury.
In order to allow your garage door to open and close safely, you must keep it well maintained. Regular maintenance by a trained professional with a long history of experience in the field is recommended. There are other simple maintenance tasks that you can perform for yourself. Learn more about garage door maintenance tips here.
Do not forget that your garage door opener will use electricity, and therefore the same cautions must be taken with the garage door just as you would with any other electrical appliance.
Never attempt to repair a garage doors springs or cables.
A trained service technician will be need to repair your garage doors springs or cables as they are incredible dangerous due to the fact that they are under extreme tension and can cause fatal injuries or even death.
Have your garage door inspected if damaged
Believe it or not, it’s incredibly common for someone to back into the garage door, so it’s a wise idea to have the door checked out and/or repaired by a professional technician. Even if the door doesn’t appear to look damaged, the operating system could have been damaged inside causing the door to become misaligned and unbalanced. This can cause severe premature wear and tear on your garage door and even worse, it could create a dangerous environment for you and your family.
Doormatic
Doormatic provide customers with products from the UKs leading garage door manufacturers and is delighted to improving technical standards and raising quality within the garage door market. Our aim is to maintain standards and progress with a second-to-none service to ensure customers are left with 100% satisfaction.
Please remember to follow these tips and to discuss them with your household members. Never take a garage door system for granted and always be sure to take extreme caution when working on it or around it. Make sure children understand the dangers of the garage door and explain to them that it is not a toy. Moreover, never allow children to play with the door or its operating system.
If you have any further questions in regards to garage door safety, please do not hesitate to give us a call today! – We are here to help!
