Your commercial overhead door is essential to your workplace. You rely on it to perform safely every day without incident. However, these doors can cause safety problems if they are not correctly handled or maintained. Commercial doors are heavier and heavier than residential garage doors, and they’re often used more frequently.
Preventing workplace accidents by following good safety routines will keep your facility safer and running at its best, saving you money and protecting your employees. Below are some safety tips for commercial doors. Follow these to keep your business safe and ensure your overhead doors work well for a long time.
1. Choose a Quality Door
Installing a high-quality commercial overhead door is essential for proper garage door safety. Having durable, correctly installed overhead doors ensures your space and workers stay protected day and night. Good commercial garage doors are also less likely to malfunction, easier to maintain and last longer, saving you money and improving the safety of your facility.
Choose a strong steel or aluminum insulated door for improved security and safety. Fire-rated doors are excellent for withstanding heat and fire damage, so consider investing in one if you want added protection for your entries or work in a high-risk environment.
2. Schedule Regular Maintenance
Don’t just call for repairs when your overhead door experiences issues — regular professional maintenance helps improve your commercial garage door safety. Repair technicians can check your overhead door for any problems and perform the necessary tuneups to keep your door operating smoothly.
Paying for regular maintenance can not only help keep your facility safer, but it can also save you money. Scheduled maintenance can catch problems before they become more extensive, keeping you from paying for expensive repairs later. The longer damage goes unchecked, the higher the chances are of it becoming a serious safety concern.
3. Train Employees
Creating and implementing proper employee procedures will help increase your commercial garage safety. Ensure every employee operating or working near the doors understands how to use them and follows all necessary safety procedures. Keep all nonessential employees away from the doors to reduce the chance of injury.
Any workplace safety program you implement should be comprehensive and mandatory for all employees. The training should include safety tips and an overview of potential hazards. Make sure the guidelines are written down and easily accessible for all employees. Finally, have a system for enforcing safety measures in place — all employees should know to follow the guidelines and what could happen if they don’t.
4. Test Safety Features
Routinely test the door safety features to ensure they’re working properly. Check features, like security attachments or metal hardware, and immediately repair anything that needs it. Most doors have a “reverse on contact” safety feature for easy testing. Stick a wood board or other object under the garage door and close it. If it doesn’t immediately reverse after touching the object, you need to get the system checked or replaced.
Another easy test involves waving a broom or long object under the closing overhead door. If you break the laser line that sits a few inches off the ground and the door continues closing, the door’s sensor might need fixing. Contact a professional to repair malfunctioning safety features to ensure everything is repaired correctly.
Tracks, rollers and guides should be cleaned, clear of debris and lubricated to keep them functioning correctly. Check and test cables and springs for breakage or separation from the spool. Check the manufacturer guide for routine inspection schedules for the best results.
5. Open and Close the Door Completely
Another tip for commercial garage safety is to make sure you and your employees open and close the doors fully each time. The door’s springs and other components are under lots of tension when the door is only partially closed or open. This pressure can lead to more wear and tear, causing strain and damage more quickly. The more wear and tear on your garage door, the sooner it will need repairing or replacing.
6. Keep Clear of Operating Overhead Doors
In addition to ensuring all employees are aware of proper safety guidelines, keep all people, vehicles and objects away from the garage door while it’s operating. While entries have built-in safety features, sometimes machinery fails, or accidents happen. Keep everyone as safe as possible by avoiding the doors while they’re open, and consider using signage to indicate safety and danger zones.
Along with people and vehicles, garage door operators should watch for loose clothing or accessories while the doors are in motion. Sleeves, hats, scarves and other loose items can get caught in the door mechanisms or tracks. To reduce the chances of injury, have all operators and nearby workers keep their hands and feet away from the components. Review these measures with everyone using the facility to help prevent safety concerns.
7. Contact Professionals for Repairs
Always contact a professional to provide your commercial garage doors if you want the best service and safest repair. It can be tempting to try overhead door repair yourself, but this comes with its own safety concerns, and you could end up wasting time and money on an incorrect fix. Trained technicians quickly diagnose the door’s issue and safely perform any necessary maintenance.
While fixing commercial doors yourself can be dangerous, it can also create more problems. Issues with industrial garage doors can occur for many reasons, which may not always seem obvious to you. A situation like a garage door not opening and closing properly can have several causes. Attempting to fix it yourself can lead to further injuries and damage, increasing the cost of the eventual professional work.
8. Be Prepared
Even facilities that follow the best safety standards may still experience issues. Always be prepared in case of an accident. Keep first aid kits nearby for injuries, and have emergency plans for any situation. Train your employees on emergency and accident procedures to prepare everyone in case of an accident or other situation.
Contact BlackHawk Garage Door for Professional Support
Keep your commercial overhead doors maintained and your employees protected with professional repair services. Trust BlackHawk Garage Door for safe, high-quality commercial garage door installation, maintenance, repair and replacement services. Our team is dedicated to providing businesses in parts of Minnesota and Wisconsin with reliable garage door maintenance and repairs.
Our experienced technicians will quickly and affordably work to fix your commercial doors, so your facility can get back up and running safely with minimal garage door downtime. You depend on your garage doors to secure your business and perform reliably, so give them the safest, best services possible. Contact us to schedule a commercial door service or repair today.