Garage Door Safety Month

June is Garage Door Safety Month, and it’s your chance to reach out to your customers and community to help them understand the importance of maintaining a safe and dependable door system.

Those of us in the overhead door and access systems industry live and breathe our products, and may sometimes forget that our customers don’t often give their garage doors a thought – unless something goes wrong. Many are unaware that neglected garage doors can pose a hazard to a home’s occupants, pets or visitors. Garage Door Safety Month is your opportunity to serve your community by sharing important safety information about garage doors. June 2018 is a special Garage Door Safety Month as IDA unveils two brand new ways to teach your friends, family and customers about the necessity for garage doors safety.

Download the Video

• IDA has joined forces with Fahlgren-Mortine to bring you the shareable Garage Door Safety Month video. The short video offers a succinct description of what Garage Door Safety Month is all about and why people should become more knowledgeable about Garage Doors Safety. The video is perfect for sharing on your social media platforms, website or via email. It is also available in Spanish. The files for the videos can be accessed and downloaded here. Simply click the link and press "download 2 files" on the following web page to download the videos in English and Spanish.
• For those with the applicable website credentials, The IDA & DASMA Garage Door Safety coloring book is available this year for all IDA members to download off of doors.org after logging in. The Garage Door Safety coloring book was created to allow children to learn more about the necessity for garage door safety in a fun and interactive way! It is simple to download and share with teachers and parents. This content can be accessed here.

Consider the following additional suggestions:

• Send a press release to your local newspaper(s) with tips on maintaining a garage door, and providing information about safety features that should be part of any garage door and operator system.
• Contact a local radio program to request time to discuss garage door safety.
• Include reference to Garage Door Safety Month along with some safety advice as part of your local advertising.
• Post safety information on the Home Page of your company’s website.
• Offer free or discounted “safety service calls” to your existing or prospective customers.
• Contact local civic clubs (or take full advantage if you are a member of one or more of them) and ask for a five minute slot at their next meeting to share with the group the importance of garage door safety and a few “how to’s.”
• Conduct an open house or company event and invite the public to come and enjoy the festivities and pick up information on garage door safety.
• Browse garagedoorcare.com and encourage your customers to do so also to learn more about garage door safety and maintenance.

In whatever activity you chose to do, be sure to emphasize that children are at the highest risk. Garage doors should never be used for play, and properly functioning photo eyes, located no higher than 6-inches from the floor, should be installed on all garage door systems.

Additionally, IDA would like to remind all industry members about GarageDoorCare.com a non-commercial website dedicated to helping homeowners understand how garage doors work, which provides a video covering garage door safety topics. The video covers what homeowners can do themselves to keep their door in good working order, such as semi-annual lubrication. It also points out the areas best left to the pros, and directs consumers to GarageDoorCare.com to find a garage door service professional before a problem occurs!

Being a good citizen is good business! Make sure your company is seen as having safety as your highest priority.