# A new hire can hang a door but can't explain the photo eyes. Ask one question a day. Source: https://garagedoorscience.com/academy/show-homeowners-what-you-see/one-safety-question-a-day · part of [Show homeowners what you see, keep your crew sharp, and get found](https://garagedoorscience.com/academy/show-homeowners-what-you-see) · 5 min A homeowner stops your new tech in the driveway: "The door goes down, comes back up, and the lights flash. Is it broken?" Your tech can hang a door, but this answer has to be right, because the homeowner will act on it after your truck has gone. Safety answers are the ones where a guess can get someone hurt. One question a day, about two minutes, keeps those answers fresh without taking anyone off a job. ## What a new hire is asked first The Daily quiz in the Rewards app gives each person one question a day. A new hire meets nine safety questions first, each written from a maker's own page. Here is what they learn, each from the maker's page: - **The door reverses and the lights flash.** Chamberlain's manual for its B980 opener says that when the light beam is obstructed or misaligned while the door is closing, the door will reverse and the opener lights will flash ten times. Check the two safety sensors near the floor first. - **The door won't close in the afternoon sun.** The same manual says if the receiving sensor is in direct sunlight, switch it with the sending sensor so it is on the opposite side of the door. It also says this required safety device must not be disabled. - **After any adjustment.** Chamberlain says the safety reversal system must be tested after any adjustments are made, and every month. - **The emergency release.** Chamberlain says only use the emergency release when the garage door is fully closed, if possible, because if the springs are weak or broken, the door may fall rapidly and without warning. - **A heavy door.** If the door feels unusually heavy, will not stay open, or slams shut, Chamberlain says to stop immediately and contact a garage door professional. - **Springs and cables.** The manual says all repairs to cables, spring assemblies and other hardware, all of which are under extreme tension, must be made by a trained door systems technician. - **A frozen door.** Raynor, a door maker, says do not cycle your automatic opener in an attempt to break the door loose from the ice. Clopay says not to force it either, because that could rip the weatherseal. One asks what to check when a sensor's green light is dark. These are the questions homeowners ask your crew, and a right answer is one the homeowner can repeat to their family. ## How the quiz runs Each person gets their own question for the day, and a reload shows the same one. They answer once. Then they see whether they were right, the right answer and a short Why. For the nine safety questions, the Why says what the maker's page says. A right answer earns points on your team's leaderboard. Answering on weekdays in a row builds a streak, and a weekend never breaks it. As a manager you choose how many points a right answer earns and how big the streak bonus is. Points start again from zero each month, and you can set a goal for the month and name a reward. The nine safety questions are where the bank starts. After them, your crew gets the questions your managers write: about safety, your products or sales. A manager can add, edit or switch off a question. A question is never deleted, so past answers still show it. ## Show it, not just ask it The lab with this lesson shows the photo eyes and the auto-reverse at work, which helps when an answer did not stick. For a new hire who is still learning the parts, [How a Garage Door Goes Together](/labs/garage-door-trainer) shows them in the order a technician installs them. ## Try this Open the [Daily quiz](/developers/team/quiz) and answer today's question yourself, then look at the [leaderboard](/developers/team/points) to see where it lands. The app needs you signed in, on a company team whose plan includes it. If you are signed out, the link opens the sign in page, and once you are in it takes you straight to the Daily quiz. ## Go further - Lab: [Safety Systems Lab](https://garagedoorscience.com/labs/safety-systems-lab) - Article: [How garage door auto-reverse works and how to check yours](https://garagedoorscience.com/blog/garage-door-auto-reverse-mechanism) - Article: [How garage door safety sensors actually work](https://garagedoorscience.com/blog/garage-door-safety-sensors) ## Sources - [Owner's Manual, B980 Belt Drive Garage Door Opener](https://cgi.widen.net/content/vlzppckqt9/original/114a5126.pdf) - [How to Test the Safety Reversal System](https://support.chamberlaingroup.com/s/article/How-do-I-test-the-Safety-Reversal-System-1484145519301) - [How to Manually Open or Close a Garage Door](https://support.chamberlaingroup.com/s/article/How-to-Manually-Open-or-Close-a-Garage-Door) - [[CHECKLIST] Keep Your Garage Door Working Smoothly This Winter](https://raynor.com/checklist-keep-your-garage-door-working-smoothly-this-winter/) - [Fixing Garage Door Problems from Cold Weather](https://www.clopaydoor.com/blog/post/blog/2024/01/15/fixing-garage-door-problems-from-cold-weather)