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GARAGE DOOR SAFETY

Garage doors pose a risk of serious injury and sometimes even death. The most common injury is fingers getting caught or crushed in the joints of the door. Injuries and fatalities can occur when children become trapped under an automatic door that does not reverse.

The Problem
Underwriters Laboratories (UL) standards require that automatic garage doors not equipped with a reversing mechanism must have an electric switch that will operate the door only if constant pressure is applied. Doors must also have either a photoelectric sensor (known as an electric eye) or an edge sensor. Unfortunately, some automatic doors currently in use are older designs and do not meet the safety standards recommended. In addition, in cold weather climates homeowners commonly increase the force on their doors to prevent a reversal from built-up ice and snow. Because there is a strong correlation between the amount of force generated and the ability of a door to reverse, doors that are adjusted to produce more force pose an even greater safety risk.

What You Can Do
  • Test Your Door - The Consumer Product Safety Commission suggests placing a 2x4 board flat on the floor of the garage in the door's path. If the door does not properly reverse when striking the 2x4 then the garage door opener should be disengaged until the unit is either adjusted according to the instructions in the owner's manual, repaired, or replaced with a new garage door opener.
  • Childproof Your Door - Install activation buttons at least six feet above the floor or keep the opener in a locked car. Also consider retrofitting your door with keypad switches which discourage use by children.
  • Keep Your Door Properly Maintained - Doors should be regularly inspected to ensure that they are correctly balanced, lubricated, and in proper working condition. Hardware and fittings should be checked to keep the door on track at all times. If doors are not balanced, or if they bind or stick, they should be serviced by a professional.
  • Set a Good Example for Children - Make it a rule in your family to never walk beneath a closing door. Also, after activating an opener, remember not to drive or walk away until the door is completely closed.



Acknowledgments:
Hennepin County Medical Center
Gillette Children's Hospital
Consumer Product Safety Commission