Keeping your family safe in the garage

You have probably thought about how to keep your kitchen and bathroom safe for your family, but have you ever thought about how you can keep your family safe in the garage?

Here are some simple checks to help ensure your garage is safe for your family and pets.

Perform a safety reversal check on your garage door opener
The garage door is the largest moving object in the home and is typically used several times a day, but according to a survey by the Chamberlain Group, few homeowners rank it as a significant safety risk. The reality is that 1 in 10 homeowners have reported that they, or a family member have been injured by an automatic garage door.

Taking a few minutes each month to perform a safety reversal check will help give you peace of mind that your opener will reverse if it does come into contact with a person, pet, car or other object.

1. Place a 40mm high object under the door (like a block of wood)
2. Operate the door to come in contact with the object
3. Door should bounce back from the object in less than a second (or two seconds if Safety Beams are installed)
4. If this does NOT occur, home owners should contact Chamberlain on 1800 665 438.

Familiarise yourself with the manual release cord
The manual release cord will allow you to open the garage door even when the power is out or in the event of an emergency. You should ensure that it is in good working order – it shouldn’t be frayed and should still have the plastic handle at the end of the cord. Click here to learn how to operate the manual release on your garage door.

Ensure that the garage door opener control button is out of reach of children
One of the most important things to do is to educate children about the dangers of the garage and garage door, so that they don’t see it as a toy. Children should never have access to garage door remote controls as they could find themselves beneath the door when it is closing.

To be extra safe, you can install The Protector Safety System (Safety IR Beams) which will automatically reverse the garage door if it senses an obstruction, so kids, pets and belongings will never be caught underneath the garage door.

Set some family rules
Because children are the most vulnerable to serious injury from a garage door, implementing house rules will ensure children are aware of the dangers of the garage. Ensure children are aware of the dangers of the garage and the garage door, they know never to touch the garage door remote and to be careful when playing in and around the garage.

Keep chemicals out of reach
Children are inquisitive, which can often mean they’ll explore all the wonders of your garage. Ensuring chemicals have childproof caps and keeping them stored out of reach of children will reduce the risk of accidents.

Anchor shelves to the wall
Freestanding garage shelves can often cause accidents or injuries if children try to climb on them. Make sure your shelves are securely fastened to your wall studs designed for this purpose or have purpose-built shelving installed.

Keep your tools organised
Organise all items in designated, easy-to-reach places so large piles don’t accumulate. Shovels, rakes, bikes, brooms and other sharp tools should be safety secured to the wall where they can’t fall and hit someone on the head, or trip you over as you’re walking through.