Staying Safe Around Your Garage Door Is As Easy As 1-2-3-4

Almost everyone has fallen victim to the trap of thinking they’re a handyman (or woman). You believe something is just a quick fix and you either a) end up breaking said item b) hurting yourself or c) all of the above. At the Overhead Door Company of Western Kentucky, we’re all too aware that this happens with garage doors way more than it should. So for Garage Door Safety Month, we’ve listed a few points that will make you reconsider the next time you’re thinking of going all Home Improvement on your garage door.

Number Don’t Lie

The numbers vary a bit, but according to NEISS (National Electronic Injury Surveillance System) – a database maintained by the Consumer Product Safety Commission on all consumer product-related injuries – approximately 10,000 Americans are injured per year in garage door-related accidents. Almost three-quarters of those accidents are due to people putting their limbs in the wrong places at the worst times: fingers between panels, next to the springs, or underneath the rollers. Ouch! On top of that, a large chunk of these come during unsupervised repair attempts.

Don’t Be A Stuntman

In addition to the reckless DIYers mentioned above, there are people who attempt to get creative in the ways they mess with their garage doors. They hang on them like they would playground equipment and try slide underneath them in order to act out some sort of Indiana Jones-style fantasy. Unsurprisingly, this does not end well. An additional 800 injuries occur due to these types of stunts. Just a gentle reminder: YOUR GARAGE DOOR IS NOT A TOY!

Safety Extends To You And Your Home

The Overhead Door Company of Western Kentucky doesn’t just want to keep you safe from your garage door, we want your garage door to you safe from everything else. The OHD Anywhere® app does just that. Simply connect the sensor to your garage door and you now have full control. OHD Anywhere® allows you to open and close your door with everything from your tablet to your smartphone. No more nervously worrying whether you forgot to hit the opener on the way to work. It also tracks when your garage door is opened. That way, you can keep track of your kids trying to sneak in or out of the house past curfew.

Leave It To The Pros

Diagnosing an issue with your garage is a relatively easy thing to do. It’s either making a funny sound, not opening properly, or not opening at all. Fixing a garage door though? Now, that’s a whole different story. We always recommend calling a professional before breaking out the toolbox and trying to handle it on your own.

In fact, the only test we recommend you run is the 2×4 test. Designed to test the reversing mechanism, it’s as easy as placing a board in your garage door’s path and hitting your opener. If it does not reverse before reaching the board, then it’s once again time to call the professionals at the Overhead Door Company.  

For all the do’s and don’ts regarding garage door safety, or to set up an inspection, call the experts at the Overhead Door Company of Western Kentucky today.

(270) 554-5162