Central Oklahoma Classic Chevy Club

Getting a handle on garage door safety

Pinch-resistant door

North American Precis Syndicate

Garage door safety is getting a big lift. That's good news, because according to experts at the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, an average of 20,000 people each year have been treated at hospital emergency rooms for injuries related to garage doors.

Many of those injuries are fingers that get pinched in the door panel. One way finger injuries occur is when someone's garage door opener breaks down. While waiting to get repairs done, the person who normally never closes the door manually suddenly has to. Chances are there are no lift handles on the door, since it's motor operated. The natural instinct is to grab the door between the sections and pull down.

To reduce these injuries, garage door manufacturers have developed a pinch-resistant door. Should someone accidentally place their hand too close to a closing door, the pinch-resistant design of the door sections help prevent finger injuries by automatically pushing them out of harm's way. The patented pinch-resistant design was created by Wayne-Dalton, the first manufacturer in the industry to offer this safety feature.

The Door & Access Systems Manufacturing Association states that if a residential garage door is not pinch-resistant, it should have four handles/step plates or suitable gripping points. Should a homeowner or builder not like the look these lifting points give the door, they now have the choice to simply install a
pinch-resistant door, which is not required to have lift handles due to its built-in safety feature.

Wayne-Dalton offers a complete line of pinch-resistant garage doors in a variety of colors and designs that combine safety and beauty.

In addition, the company has created a "Get A Handle On Garage Door Safety" campaign and suggests these garage door safety do's and don'ts for homeowners:

DON'T let anyone, especially children, run under a door when it's closing.
DON'T push the garage door button and leave.
DO wait until it's fully closed.
DON'T tamper with the dangerous springs for any reason. Consider doors that have their springs safely inside a metal tube.
DO keep all pets at a safe distance.
DON'T try to manually close a garage door by grabbing the door panel between the sections. Use a step plate, lift handle or pull rope.

On the Net:
For more information on pinch-resistant doors or for a free garage door
safety kit, visit the Web site at: www.garagedoorsafety.com