It’s an Open and Shut Case

Why Garage Door Openers Need A Safety Check

In most homes, the automated garage door is likely to be the largest moving object. Despite its size and how much we rely on them, most people know very little about garage door safety, maintenance or compliance requirements.

Furthermore, because the garage door industry is self-regulated, it means some homeowners are unknowingly buying non-compliant and unsafe garage door openers.

Merlin is taking the lead to ensure Australians know more about their garage door openers.

We conducted a survey of more than 1,200 Australians with automated garage doors to look into their thinking and behaviours when it comes to garage door safety1.

Shockingly, we found almost 10 per cent of people surveyed had a family member or pet injured by their garage door, showing it’s a key issue for household safety.

We also found while most homeowners have no idea whether their garage door opener meets the required safety standards, compliance is important to them. Over 50 per cent say they would immediately replace their door opener if they knew it wasn’t safe and compliant.

By sharing our research, we hope to encourage Australians to think more carefully about garage door safety and to undertake regular safety and maintenance checks.

We want people to think about the safety of the garage door in the same way they think about the safety of the pool fence or the smoke alarm.

We also want to help people understand that all it takes is a few simple checks to ensure that their garage door opener is safe and compliant.

Our simple advice to homeowners is: if you want peace of mind that your garage door opener is safe and compliant – make sure it’s a Merlin.

For information on how to check the safety of your garage door contact Merlin on 1800 MERLIN.

Click here to download the full safety report

References

1. Our online survey, conducted by Pure Profile, was fielded during 2017 to a nationally representative sample of 1,251 Australians aged 18+ years, who identified as having automated garage doors.