Understanding garage door safety requirements
Garage doors can be a major safety concern due to their size and weight. Risks can include damage through leaks and cracking, particularly if a garage door has been installed incorrectly.
To minimise these risks, there are several regulations put in place to ensure that garage doors are installed securely and there are no health and safety risks.
In this guide, we outline the garage door safety regulations and requirements, allowing tradespeople like yourself a clear, simple guide to relay back to clients and reassure them that their Origin Garage Doors are secure and compliant to building regulations. We also provide some key information about supplying Origin Garage Doors, and the benefits of working with Origin.
Click the links below to jump to the relevant section:
Read what building regulations you need to consider when installing a garage door.
Read some safety measures to consider when installing a garage door for a customer.
Find out what aftercare advice you can provide your customers with.
Find out more about supplying Origin Garage Doors.
Legal building regulations
All easily accessible doorsets (including garage doorsets) that provide access into a dwelling or into a building should be secure doorsets in accordance with paragraphs 1.2 to 1.4 of the Q building regulations. For example – this applies if a garage provides access to a dwelling, such as an interconnecting door inside a garage leading to the inside of the home. According to building regulations, these doors should be either:
- Manufactured to a design that meets the security requirements of British Standards publication PAS 24:2012 or
- Designed and manufactured in accordance with Appendix B.
If a garage has no interconnecting door that allows access into a dwelling – it doesn’t have to be in accordance with these regulations.
Upon installation of a new garage door, it is advised that the following procedures are followed by the installer:
1. Full assessment of door operation.
2. Detailed demonstration of door operation to the homeowner, including a full explanation of safety and locking systems, check routines and maintenance needs.
3. Issue of owner's manuals and/ or operating instructions to the user.
4. Your details so your customer can contact you in case there’s a problem.
Maintenance/after care
It is vital that customers are fully informed on how to maintain their garage doors to ensure that they can continue to use them safely for years to come.
Installers should demonstrate to the homeowner how to perform visual inspections of the door to identify wear and damage.
You should also advise the homeowner about the repairs process, and as the installer, what guarantee you are offering on the installation itself. You should advise how to contact you should there be a problem down the line with your customer’s garage door.
Be sure to share any additional safety tips with the customer.
For example:
- Advise to make sure children are supervised around the garage door when in use.
- Keep pets well out of the way when operating the door.
Origin Garage Doors
A hinged manual garage door is often deemed a safer option than an automatic or electric garage door system, as it will have no motorised components that could force the door shut onto a person or object. The Origin Garage Door is in a French door configuration with a side hinge rather than an overhead roller, meaning the homeowner can open one or both doors depending on their access needs.
It is important that traditional garage doors have strong and durable hinges that will keep the door safely stable even in bad weather. Origin garage door hinges can be specified to be marine grade to use in coastal properties.
Another safety factor to consider with a traditional garage door is the threshold. When moving heavy, bulky items in and out of the garage, users want to minimise tripping hazards. With the Origin Garage Door, customers could opt for having no threshold, meaning a completely flat transition from the inside to out, or could make use of the ultra-low 20mm mobility threshold.
Why choose Origin?
There are a range of benefits to becoming an Origin Trade Partner and selling our garage doors to your clients. These include the quality of the product and its unrivalled thermal performance, but also the professional service and lead times available to you.
Not only does the Origin Garage Door come with a guarantee of up to 20 years, ensuring that your customers are protected from any manufacturing faults that might occur in the future, but they also come with industry-leading lead times. Some products can be manufactured and delivered within 24 hours, or you can specify a delivery time to keep it in line with your installation schedule. Origin Garage Doors can be delivered in as little as a week when ordered in a popular colour and panel design.
Open your Trade Account today to partner with a reliable supplier you can depend on to consistently deliver to you on time and in full, as well as support you with any specification guides or queries you may have on the products.
Please read our Origin Garage Door specification guide for more information, or get in touch with a member of our team today to discuss becoming an Origin Trade Partner.