Ag FET “Al EeWAN~an Waa\\ | Lon ENR >) 7 ant NES nit vii oo | Soe aa Ty ‘W355ae ELL, LLL Tips For A Family-Sate Garage by Marc Shuman (NAPSA)—Preventable home injuries result in nearly 21 million medical visits each year. Of those, thousands are due to dangerous garages. If you’re one of the 65 million Americans who have a garage, these tips will help open the doorto a safe garage. Monitor These Zones For A Family-Safe Garage Floor—It’s so easy just to dump stuff on the floor of your garage. But that can mean dangerous piles of materials and objects that children can climb or you can trip over. Keep stairs, steps, landings andall floors clear of clutter. It’s just safer. Walls—As common as it may seem, walls are not the natural home of leaning shovels, rakes, lawn chairs, bikes and other sharp objects. Try hanging this stuff up...you’ll free up floor space and reduce tripping dangers. Cabinets—Life really is better when things are in their proper place! Dangerous products are safer when you store them in a locked cabinet. And corralling sports equipment has the added effect of keeping kids from exploring potentially dangerous areas of the garage. Shelving—Everyone’s done it—put the heavy equipment up on higher shelves and the light stuff down below. Reverse it! It will actually be easier and safer to get to what you want. And always be careful not to overload. Air Quality—Have you ever thought about the air quality in your garage? Carbon monoxide poisoning is a deeply dangerous possibility, so always pull the car out of the garage after startingit. Carbon monoxide can enter the The garage doesn’t have to be the most dangerous room in the house. To protect your family, keep your garage organized, secured and clean. home if cars are left running in the garage, even with the garage door open. Lighting—There’s no reason for your garage to be that dark! Make sure garage and stairwells are well lit. Use the maximum safe wattage in light fixtures. And when lightbulbs are used near a work area, protect them with a substantial guard to reduce the risk of breakage andfire. General Safety—Doyou actually know how to use that fire extinguisher? Do your kids? It’s not hard, but you need to learn how. So take the time. It could save your life. Keep first aid kit whereit’s visible and handy. Make Your Garage Safe Today Experts at GarageTek, America’s garage organization company, and the Home Safety Council have developed a special website to show you howto keep your family safe and secure. Go to www.garagesafety.info to f out more and download a free Garage Safety Checklist. Marc Shuman is president of GarageTek, a company that has installed thousands of garage organization and storage systems.
