Garage Door Safety: The Top 5 Causes Of Garage Door Injuries
Garage doors require routine maintenance in order to keep them working properly and to keep you and your family safe. A poorly maintained garage door is a safety hazard that should not be ignored. Thousands of people are injured by garage doors each year. While most injuries are not serious or life threatening, some are. For this reason, you should inspect your garage door annually or hire someone to come out and do it for you. After all, you open your garage door multiple times per day, so you want to find potential problems before they can cause injuries. Following are the top 5 causes of garage door injuries.
Crush Injuries
Crush injuries are the most common types of injuries associated with garage doors. In many cases, crush injuries occur when fingers become trapped in between the panels or mechanisms of the door. However, crush injuries can be much more serious as well. Entire limbs have been caught and trapped, resulting in catastrophic injury and amputation.
Falling Doors
A garage door can weigh up to 200 pounds, depending on the size of the door and the materials it's made out of. As you can imagine, falling doors can be quite dangerous. Doors with broken components, such as broken garage door springs, can fall without warning, trapping anyone who happens to be below.
DIY Injuries
Many components of your garage door are under extreme pressure and tension. If you don't know what you're doing, it's very easy to experience snap back from a stressed component when you try to remove parts or make adjustments. For this reason, DIY injuries are some of the most common garage door injuries. If you don't know what you're doing, hire a professional.
Lacerations
Cuts and scrapes from sharp edges and broken glass are also fairly common. Jagged metal pieces o the door, hardware, or tracks can snag anyone who walks by too close. Always address broken glass and jagged edges as soon as you notice them to prevent injury.
Broken Springs
Your garage door springs are under an immense amount of tension. If one breaks, it can slingshot very quickly, causing injury to anyone standing nearby. Always inspect your springs and replace them before they are at risk for spontaneous failure.
Garage doors can be dangerous if you don't keep them maintained. Be sure to inspect your door regularly and teach your kids about garage door safety to prevent injuries.
