5 Garage Safety Tips for Your Kids

Garage safety is essential when you add kids to the mix. It’s fun to share your passion for working on cars with your children, but they need to know that playing around in the garage can be dangerous. Especially when their toys are often stored in the same area as your tools, you need to be sure your kids stay safe. Here are important garage safety tips for you and your family to follow.

1. Wear Safety Gear

Our children learn from what we do, so make sure you demonstrate safety practices anytime you’re working in the garage, whether your kids are helping or are just on the sidelines. That means wearing safety glasses to protect your eyes and gloves to protect your hands. Have your kids wear these items, too, as it will keep them safe and instill a habit they’re likely to follow as they get older.

2. Caution Against Playing With Garage Doors

Garage doors are heavy and can seriously injure children. Manual doors have no safety stops, and are far too heavy for a child to lift. Most automatic garage doors have a safety mechanism that stops them when they encounter resistance, but that doesn’t mean they’re safe for kids. Children should be taught to never play with a garage door, no matter what kind it is or who is around to help. Garage doors are not a toy.

3. De-Power The Power Tools

Never leave plugged-in power tools unattended where a child might be tempted to pick it up. Explain to children that tools are not toys, and that they could get hurt if they play with one. Once you’re done using a power tool, unplug it, wrap up the cord and safely stow it out of a child’s reach. Cordless tools should have the battery removed and placed away and out of reach of children. And don’t forget to disconnect the air tools.

4. Store Dangerous Liquids out of Reach

All sorts of dangerous liquids in a garage are poisonous and often flammable. Children should be told about the dangers of playing with bottles and containers found in the garage. Even better, store these items in a locked cabinet where they can’t accidentally be knocked over, like when a child is in the garage to get their bike or other toys in storage.

5. Stow Ladders and Rope

Never leave rope where it could pose a strangulation hazard. Coil it and stow it safely out of a child’s reach. Ladders also pose a significant hazard, as a child could be tempted to climb it. Store them horizontally rather than upright, so that children don’t use them as a jungle gym.

Follow these simple garage safety tips and you and your family can enjoy spending quality time together in the garage.

Check out all the safety products and accessories available on NAPA Online or trust one of our 17,000 NAPA AutoCare locations for routine maintenance and repairs. For more information on garage safety, chat with a knowledgeable expert at your local NAPA AUTO PARTS store.

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