While loading docks may not get as much attention for their dangers and safety hazards as construction sites do, they are without a doubt the location for many accidents, serious injuries, and even deaths. In fact, 25% of all industrial accidents occur at loading docks, according to the trade publication Industrial Safety & Hygiene News (ISHN). And for each injury that occurs in a loading dock, there are hundreds of close calls. In 2017, at least 14 people were seriously injured from loading dock accidents, nine of which were fatalities, according to ISHN. The sad reality is that accidents can and will happen. As a loading dock employer, you may have the misfortune of one of your workers being...
Chocking, also known as blocking, is a procedure in which chocks — wedges made of dense material — are placed against a truck or trailer’s tires to prevent accidental movement. The bottom of the chock may be coated or textured to grip the ground better. During loading and unloading, wheel chocks prevent a truck and trailer from rolling or moving unintentionally. Without the protection of chocks, the vehicle could move and cause severe injury or death. It is crucial to chock your wheels at loading docks to prevent a dangerous gap between your trailer and the dock from developing, an area which a forklift may have to drive over many times. Proper Chocking Methods Be prepared to chock your truck...
Loading docks can be highly efficient hubs of activity with thousands of containers of varying sizes and weights being loaded, unloaded, and moved around all day long. When something goes wrong in that well-ordered chain of events, workers can be seriously injured or killed. The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) notes that common injuries involving lift trucks (also known as forklifts) include those from a truck falling between an unsecured trailer and a loading dock, and from a forklift accidentally driving off the edge of a loading dock. A U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics report states that 27 percent of non-fatal workplace injuries in 2015 were due to slipping, falling, or tripping. Many of these 309,060 cases...
Loading docks are the heart of operations in any facility. This is where raw materials are received into the facility and where finished products are shipped out of the facility. When loading dock equipment is down, every other operation in your facility is impacted. Dock levelers are a vital piece of equipment at your loading docks. Therefore, it’s important to make sure that you include your dock levelers in your regular maintenance cycle. This can help you prevent long-term damage and gives you the opportunity to rectify issues before they become a problem that virtually stops all operations in your facility. Routine dock leveler maintenance ensures that the work environment at your loading docks is safer for everyone. The...
A loading dock separation accident is one in which a truck moves away from the dock while a forklift operator is unloading or loading the truck. Loading dock separation accidents can cause serious, long-term injuries or, even worse, fatalities for forklift operators. There are four extremely common kinds of loading dock separation accidents that can happen, but preventative safety measures can minimize the risk of them happening in your facility. Early Departure (Aggressive Pullout) The first common type of loading dock separation accidents is an early departure, also known as an aggressive pullout. This happens when the driver of a truck that is not secured to the loading dock leaves the dock while a forklift operator is in...
