Your garage can become a very unsafe area if you’re not careful. What begins as a storage area for a few boxes can grow into a huge pile of stuff that takes up so much room you can barely get in the garage—and forget about parking a car in there! According to surveys, almost 21 million different trips to the emergency room were due to injuries at home, and a good many of those injuries occurred in the garage. Here is a garage safety checklist with a few different garage hazards and tips for making the area safe and secure. By doing so, you will find that you also keep your garage organized and useful.
Common Hazards and How to Avoid Them
Hazard: Boxes and other items fall on you when you move things around.
Solution: When you use your garage for storage, it’s important to carefully label every box and place it in a specific location. Use sturdy shelves for storing items instead of stacking boxes on top of each other. Make certain these shelving units are securely attached to the wall, and always store the heaviest items on the bottom. Keep a step stool or short ladder in the garage so you can safely get boxes down off the top shelves.
Hazard: You open a box and a spider runs out and onto your hand, biting you.
Solution: Use air-tight plastic bins to keep spiders and other insects out of your boxes. Doing so will also make certain the items you’re storing in the garage aren’t damaged or destroyed. Also keep your garage clean and as uncluttered as possible to avoid creating areas for insects or other pests to nest.
Hazard: Sharp objects such as shovels and other garden tools are precariously stored in the garage and threaten to fall or trip people.
Solution: Install a Gridwall, Slatwall, or pegboard system on one wall of your garage and purchase hooks and other hardware to organize and safely store all of your tools. This system can be used for yard tools, automobile tools, woodworking tools, etc.
Hazard: You trip over items or fail to see things stored down low or up high.
Solution: Make certain the light bulbs in your garage are the maximum safe wattage for the fixtures. This will keep the area well-lit so you won’t fall over things and will also help if you’re using the area for building things or for working on your car.
Hazard: The overhead garage door doesn’t close or latch correctly, which can create a security issue.
Solution: Regularly inspect your garage doors to make certain that all hardware is tightly connected and that the wheels are properly lubricated. The garage door shouldn’t make any noise when opening and closing, and it should close flush with the floor of the garage.
Hazard: You trip over steps or stairs in your garage
Solution: Make sure all steps and stairs have sturdy handrails and that they are easy to see. Ensure the steps, no matter how few, are built at proper heights and depths.
Hazard: Your garage begins to smell like chemicals or, worse, gas.
Solution: Make certain all hazardous chemicals are sealed in air-tight cans or jars. Your gas cans should also be securely closed and placed somewhere where they will not be spilled. For those with children, these containers should be stored outside of their reach or in a locked cabinet, and always follow all storage directions on the containers. Before refueling lawn mowers and other items, take them outdoors.
Hazard: You have equipment in your garage that is flammable or could start a fire.
Solution: Never store gasoline in the same space with any equipment that has a pilot light—it could spark and cause a fire. Also make certain you have a working smoke alarm in your garage along with a carbon monoxide detector.
Garage Safety Tips
In addition to the hazards listed above, here are a few other safety tips for your garage:
Always open the overhead garage door before starting your car so that the garage does not fill with carbon monoxide. Likewise, shut off your car before closing the overhead doors.
Do not use grills, generators, or other things that emit carbon monoxide or could start a fire.
Check your electrical extension cords regularly to make certain they haven’t been chewed on, and be certain you don’t overload your extension cords or outlets.
Keep a fire extinguisher and first aid kit in the garage, especially if you plan on using the space as a workshop.
Designate one area of the garage as storage for your kid’s toys and other items so that they know where they are. This also helps keep them away from more dangerous items in the garage.
Make certain you have plenty of space to park your car in the garage if you plan on doing so.
Western Construction, Inc. is a local Minneapolis St Paul Garage Contractor. We specialize in garage construction and serve the entire Twin Cities metro area.
Western Construction was founded by my father in 1949 on two basic principals.
"Give people what they want, and don't charge too much." - Milton Chazin
Almost seven decades and three generations later we still operate using these simple and basic principles. Times may have changed but our company's vision set forth by my father remains untouched.