If you happen to be the proud owner of a metal garage, you know what a blessing it is to have some protected, secure outdoor storage space conveniently located right in your own backyard! But if you’re also a parent of young children, it would be a good idea for you to take some simple steps to ensure their safety around your metal building. Most parents are very diligent about taking precautions for their children indoors, like covering up electrical sockets, putting child safety locks on cabinets, etc. It would be wise for you to pay some attention to your metal garage from a standpoint of maintaining children’s safety, as well.
But, Why Do You Need to Childproof Your Metal Garage?
Let’s say you already have your house childproofed. Why do you need to worry about childproofing your metal garage? For starters, once your children are big enough to play outside, they’re likely to spend a lot of time playing in the backyard. Guess what else is out there? Your metal garage! Unless you plan to be personally present as a chaperone every time your child or children go outside to play, you might want to give some thought to the potential dangers present in and around your garage. Lawn mowers or other equipment can be dangerous to a child, and you certainly don’t want them getting into any hazardous chemicals that may be out there. There may be some other child safety issues to address, as well.
How to Childproof Your Steel Garage?
Hopefully you’re now convinced that childproofing isn’t just a smart practice inside your home. The same principles apply outside your home and around your garage and other outbuildings, too! Here are a few good childproofing tips where a metal building is concerned:
- Keep the Kids Out When You’re Not Around
One of the best precautions you can take is to ensure that your children can’t access your building when you’re not around. Children are naturally curious, and when told that a certain area is “dangerous,” that may sometimes give them even more incentive to try and poke around. Make sure any doors and windows have proper locking mechanisms, and leave these points of access locked whenever you’re not using the garage yourself.
- Proper Storage Practices for Designated Items
Metal garages are fantastic storage spaces, and their design allows for maximum usage of interior square footage. That’s the good news! The danger where children are concerned is that all that space means that there are likely to be some items present inside which are inherently dangerous for children. You want to double check to make sure that any dangerous items such as hazardous chemicals are placed out of children’s reach. Don’t leave your power tools plugged in, and make sure any loose tools are up and off the ground.
- Keep It Clean & Organized
If you’re not careful, a metal garage can quickly become a place where piles and piles of stuff gather. Even if the items in these stacks aren’t individually labeled as being dangerous, as a collective pile they can still pose threats to small children. A messy or cluttered garage can be one big fire hazard waiting to happen! And if you happen to spill any chemicals, don’t just leave them on the floor or ground of your garage. These spilled liquids can be hazardous (or even fatal) to children and pets alike.
- Safeguard Your Garage Door
If your metal building is equipped with one or more garage doors, understand that these doors are very heavy. If one of these should happen to fall on a child … well, let’s just not think about what the results of that could be. If your garage has an automatic opener, test to be sure its auto-stop feature is working, and that any optical sensors have a clear field of vision. If you have manual garage doors, it’s worth your while to install a counter balance system. Not only will this make door-opening easier for you, but it will also help reduce the associated danger of a heavy door closing on your child.
- Be Car Smart, Too
It’s important to leave your car doors locked, even when your vehicles are inside the garage. It’s easy for little fingers or toes to get smashed in vehicle doors. Worse still, a child could become unintentionally trapped in an unattended vehicle. And when pulling in or backing out of your garage, make sure to take your time and check for any children that may be outside! It’s also a good idea to train the kids not to leave their bikes or toys lying on the ground near the garage entrance. The chances of such items surviving a direct impact from your passenger vehicle are not very good!
Metal Garage Central Is Here to Help!
When it comes to child safety, it’s best not to take any chances where metal garages are concerned! And speaking of metal garages, if you’re in the market for a dependable, rugged outdoor structure, we’ve got you covered at Metal Garage Central! Metal buildings are what we do!
What kind of custom metal building are you looking for? We work hard to get you exactly what you need, and we’re happy to provide delivery and installation services in 46 states for no extra charge! Ready to get started? Check out our wide selection online, or give one of our friendly building specialists a call at (980) 321-9898 and let us work with you on a perfect metal garage design for your desired usage. Metal Garage Central can take care of all your desired metal building applications, from everything including residential, farm, business, or workshop needs!