Common garage door injuries and how to prevent them
Garages enhance the outlook and value of your home by 4%. Therefore, many families and homeowners constantly seek opportunities to include good garage space and doors. However, the popularity of garage spaces has also increased the number of injuries caused due to garage doors. Garage doors are responsible for more than 30,000 injuries in a year in the USA. It is one of the dangerous areas of your home and might even cause deadly injuries to your loved ones. Most of the fatalities are young children who have no idea how garage doors work. Large overhead garage doors weigh more than 200 pounds and a typical garage door weighs around 100 pounds. The massive piece of engineering is prone to accidents. However, taking great care and prevention might lower the ratio of injuries and deaths.
Here are some common garage injuries and ways to avoid them:
Lowering of garage door
According to NEISS, more than 2000 people are crushed by garage doors every year in the US. However, the most common victims are children because they have the urge to pass quickly through a closing garage door. Young children do not have foresight like adults and end up getting injured or dead.
Thanks to the technology, most garage doors now come with sensors that sense an object or a person standing below. As a result, they stop the garage doors from closing. This does not only help children but also your beloved pets. A malfunctioning sensor could still be a reason for deadly accidents. Therefore, you should never let children play at the garage or near it without an adult’s supervision.
Fingers trapping in garage door
More than 7000 people trap their fingers in the garage doors and the victims are mostly children. The most effective way to prevent finger pinching is to spread awareness about the garage doors and the possible dangers that lurk around the space. Guide them that it is best to be away from the garage door while it is in motion. By getting as far away as possible, you can protect your fingers from crushing under a 200-pound heavy door.
Locking yourself in the garage
The most important components of your garage door are the tension and torsion springs. They are both responsible for opening and lowering your garage door safely. Unfortunately, they are vulnerable to wear and tear. Therefore, they loosen up, crack or get rusty over time. This leads to failure and then, accidents. While failing tension springs can cause deadly injuries, it also prevents you from raising the garage door properly. The best way to avoid the failure of springs is to have them checked by a professional repairer.
