Not only should you take steps to keep your employees injury-free, you also need to protect your customers. To promote garage door safety, Dallas-based Overhead Door Corp., a manufacturer of upward-acting garage doors and openers, offers these tips you can pass on to homeowners for year-round safety.
Garage Door Safety
Mount garage door opener control buttons out of the reach of small children (at least 5 feet from the floor), and where you have a clear view of the door.
Don’t let children play with garage door remote controls. Explain remote controls are not toys.
Set a good example for children by discussing garage door safety and explain the dangers of being injured by the door.
Know how to use the door’s emergency-release feature. The owner’s manual provides instructions.
Visually inspect your garage door each month. Look at the springs, cables, rollers and pulleys for signs of wear. If any of these components appear damaged, contact a qualified garage door professional for inspection or repair.
Do not attempt to remove, adjust or repair cables and springs, or anything to which these parts are attached or fastened. A trained door system technician using proper tools and instruction must make repairs or adjustments. These parts are under high tension and can cause serious injury if not held properly.
Test your garage door opener’s reversing mechanism monthly by placing a 2 x 4 board or a roll of paper towels in the door’s path. If the door does not reverse after contacting the object, refer to your owner’s manual and call a qualified garage door professional for repair.
Garage Door Security
While on vacation or away from home for extended periods of time, unplug the garage door opener unit or use a wall vacation lock console security switch, which is an optional accessory to most openers.
If your opener doesn’t have a rolling-code technology system, be sure to change the manufacturer’s standard access codes on the operator and remote control. By using the standard factory settings, your garage is vulnerable to break-ins by anyone with the same brand of remote control.
Consider purchasing a garage door opener with rolling-code technology, which changes the access codes each time the transmitter is used to prevent code-grabbing.
Wireless keypads, which activate the garage door opener with a personal identification number (PIN), are available for most garage door openers. This allows family members to open the door without the use of a key or remote. Never disclose the PIN or leave it written down. Any mounting location for a keypad or wall button must be in direct line of sight with the door.
Never leave the remote control in the car or with a parking attendant. It should be treated like a house key.
Always lock the door from the garage to the inside of your home. It’s a small inconvenience for safety and security.
Tips courtesy of Overhead Door Corp., International Door Association and Door & Access Systems Manufacturers Association. For more information, visit www.overheaddoor.com.
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