Five tips to help keep the family safe these school holidays

With the school holidays upon us, leading garage door automation manufacturer, Merlin is urging all families to put garage safety on their radar these school holidays.

“Whether it is at home, at the shops or in a large-scale residential complex, garage doors are large, heavy and powerful. With one in 10 homeowners reporting that they, or a family member have been injured by an automatic garage door, teaching children about the dangers of garage doors is crucial,” explains Grant Emanuel, Marketing Director International, Chamberlain Group.

The safest way to keep the family safe is to teach children how to be safe around garage doors and how to test if your garage door is in good working order.

Our five tips to help keep the family safe these holidays:

1.    Teach your kids about the importance of being safe around the garage door

Unfortunately, action stars like Indiana Jones make sliding under a closing door look like a great idea, but as the largest moving object in the home, garage doors should never be played with. Make sure your kids know to stay well away from a moving door and never to run under it. It’s also important to keep all toys and play equipment at a safe distance.

2.    Keep controls and openers out of reach of children

Children can be naturally curious, and lots of buttons can be very tempting to press. Keep wall mounted buttons and remote controls out of reach of children.

3.    Perform a safety reversal check

Take a few minutes each month to perform a safety reversal check to make sure

4.    your opener complies with Australian standards.

1.    Place a 40mm high object under the door (like a block of wood)

2.    Operate the door to come in contact with the object

3.    Door should bounce back from the object in less than a second (or two seconds if Safety Beams are installed)

4.    If this does NOT occur, home owners should contact Merlin on 1800 638 234.

4.    Consider installing safety beams

Designed to increase the safety and functionality of automated garage doors, safety beams are an additional feature that garage owners can add to their doors to protect their family and belongings.

Safety beam systems use invisible light beams that extend across the opening of your garage door. If this beam is broken during operation, the door will stop and immediately reverse to avoid injury or damage. Safety beams, such as the Merlin Protector System (Safety IR Beams), can be easily installed by a Merlin dealer.

5.    Talk to your Building Manager

If you live in a shared residential complex and are worried about your commercial garage door opener, it’s a good idea to contact your Building Manager to share your concerns.