Bypass safety switch

[kbs2244]

For my information:

For a given size door, what are the differences between a "commercial" and a "residential" spring or opener.

 

[kbs2244]

Thanks for the info

 

[LS6 Tommy]

There are no OSHA standards that I know of specifically addressing overhead doors, so the guys saying that there are no required safeties for commercial doors are correct.

There are standards and requirements. OSHA does not dictate them, the CPSC and UL 325 does.

Tommya

 

[kbs2244]

The key word in the initials OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration) is "occupational."
It is a workplace police force.

They have no residential authority.

At your home, other than possible code and insurance problems, I know of no one that cares if the light beam is there or not.

 

[LS6 Tommy]

The standards and requirements are for manufacturers to make the products to. They may be incorporated into building code requirements, to have the building official enforce through construction permits. UL and CPSC have no ability to go out to an installation and cite the owner for not meeting the standard. They can only require that all products sold meet the standard.

The problem comes in when someone disables the safety features, or when an older installation has been built to, or modified after construction to less strict standards. At that point, there is no mechanism to enforce the current standards.

OSHA has to identify a potential hazard to take action on it, particularly where they do not have an enforceable standard of their own. So, to take action under the general duty clause and cite an installation for not meeting CPSC or UL standards, they would have to identify that a worker is exposed to a hazard (an unprotected moving door in this case). Then, they would reference that the industry standard of care that needs to be met be the CPSC regulation or UL standard. Or, the employer would have to show that they have in place an equivalent protection that negates the need for the standard.

This all sounds very bureaucratic, and it is. What it boils down to is that OSHA is unlikely to inspect your door and make you put a safety on it. In a residential situation, they have no authority to do it at all. What they can do, and will, is cite your for failing to maintain a safe workplace if an employee gets injured by a door. Or, if they do a non-voluntary compliance inspection on your facility, they can identify the non-protected door as a POTENTIAL safety hazard, and cite you under the general duty clause for failing to maintain a safe workplace.

I think we're on the same page here. I agree there's no one coming to your house to look at your garage door opener, my point was the statement that there are no rules or regs was incorrect. As for someone coming to your house, that won't happen until you go to sell and the potential buyer wants it inspected. At that point (if the inspector is any good) the door opener will be required to be made to meet the current UL safety requirements it was manufactured under or replaced with new.

I've worked in pharma plants where we were routinely inspected by OSHA and they can and will write you up for the safeties on the door edges, they visually inpsect the cables, tracks, rollers, fire links and a bunch of other things. OSHA does have a standard, it's the General Duty Clause that you already mentioned, although overhead door safety is not specifically a separate part of it. OSHA inspectors cited it frequently as the basis for abatement during inspections in my buildings.

In work facilities, They also base their safety inspections on UL requirements, and will tag you for UL listing violations. A simple example is when you get gigged for modified/non-approved extension cords or non-spec power cords on equipment. OSHA goes by UL rating tags on the cords in those situations. They can even make you take an extension cord out of service for not having a UL tag.
Any licensed electrician I've worked with in the last 25 years worth his paycheck will not deviate from or repair OEM cords with other than with parts that are UL rated the same as OEM, nor will they bypass or deviate safety controls/wiring, either. Primariliy because of the libility, but also because changing it removes the UL rating and they are held responsible for it.

http://www.safedoorpm.com/uploads/f...Dont Forget About Overhead Doors 2015 DEC.pdf


Tommy

 

[DanMussell]

Every time I want to leave the house in the afternoon, I have to stand inside the garage, hold down the button until the door closes and then leave out the side door. It's the sunlight. Yes, I HAVE swapped sensors. Yes, I HAVE put tubes in place to isolate the receiver from the sun. I think the brightness of the sun washes out the beam.

I'm going to place a momentary, NO switch on the jam right by the battery powered keypad remote. If the sunlight is hitting the sensor such that the door will not close, I just push and hold the magic button until the door is closed.

 

[The Cobbler]

I don't think it's that easy. pretty sure there's circuitry inside the sensors that won't allow a by pass