Garage Safety Tips

Accident-Proof Your Garage with this Checklist

In addition to a garage parking aid, consider the following elements for a safe home garage. Your garage is more than where you store your car, it is also where you keep everything from antifreeze to soccer balls. The clutter causes more than stress – it can lead to serious accidents. Use this simple checklist to eliminate hazards, improve functionality, and increase peace of mind in your home garage.

Slipping & Tripping
 Hoist bulky seasonal items such as bicycles, canoes, kayaks, and patio furniture to the ceiling using industrial hooks or a rope-and-pulley.
 Store ladders horizontally so children aren’t tempted to climb.
 Condense outdoor/sports gear — balls, rackets, bats, gloves, clubs, fishing rods, etc – into large, stackable plastic bins.
 Store unused garden tools in a separate container; keep them completely covered.
 Once the floor is clear, clean grease stains and apply epoxy-based paint to repel oil and other slipping hazards.
 Keep a supply of kitty litter to absorb oil spills.
 Install motion-activated lights to prevent fumbling in the dark.

Fire, Chemicals & Electric Shock
 Place combustible liquids in color-coded containers, make sure all containers are tightly sealed — a tiny spark can ignite vapors.
 Keep a fire extinguisher near the door to your home, or the garage exit.
 Equip your garage with a smoke and carbon monoxide detector; change batteries regularly.
 Keep poisonous liquids – including pesticides, weed killers, fertilizers, antifreeze, motor oil and windshield-washer solution, adhesives, paints and paint thinner – inside locking drawers.
 Unplug power tools and use plug locks and/or outlet covers to avoid electrical accidents.

The Garage Door
 Choose manual garage doors that use a counter weight – not a coil
 Choose automatic garage doors that stop or reverse when they make contact with an object – this could be an automobile or a child’s head
 Install an automatic light that switches on when the garage door opens