6 Safety Checks for Your Garage

Is your garage home to hazardous materials and dangerous tools that you wouldn’t normally store inside your home? Then no doubt, you want to make the garage as safe as possible especially if you have a family.

Keep your home and family safe by periodically performing an inspection of your garage to address safety concerns before they become a major issue. You can use this checklist to ensure that your garage is safe and sound.

1. Remove hazardous materials. Flammable chemicals like propane, gasoline or even lighter fluid should be contained in a place where they can’t be reached by small children. Experts recommend storing such materials away from the garage in a shed. However, if this is not possible you can keep them on shelving units away from the ground where they can easily spill over. Avoid storing flammable liquids near combustibles like cardboard or cloths.
2. Store tools in a secure place. Be sure to store your gardening tools on the wall. You can install hooks so that they can be clipped to the wall upright potential. You may not view gardening tools as dangerous but they can cause injury when they are left carelessly lying around. Just imagine, falling over a tool can result in cuts, bruises and in severe case broken bones. Electrical equipment like snow blowers and the lawn mower should be stored in a safe place with the safety controls activated.
3. Use a garage exhaust fan. If you find that your garage has high humidity levels than it’s important to ventilate with a garage exhaust fan. An intensely humid garage can provide the perfect environment for mold and mildew growth which can be harmful to your health. Yes, an exhaust fan will help reduce the build-up and reduce condensation.
4. Maintain your garage door. There has been a number of injuries contributed to garage doors. You should make sure that the springs and brackets are in working order because you don’t want the door to fall on your car or on you when opening and closing.
5. Keep a fire extinguisher handy. Garage fires are a common occurrence. Therefore you should make sure that you keep the fire extinguisher handy in a place where it can be easily accessed by anyone within the household.
6. Install a carbon monoxide detector. If you don’t already have one, it’s a good idea to install a carbon monoxide detector in the garage. Carbon monoxide is deadly and odorless. Since there are often toxic fumes in the garage, you’ll need to take measures to protect yourself.

Now is a great time to review and implement these 6 garage safety checks.