Important Aspects of Loading Dock Safety

Loading dock accidents account for 20% of fatalities at manufacturing or warehouse operations but they can occur at any workplace.  This area is hazardous due to heavy equipment such as forklifts, trucks, and trailers. It is therefore essential to take some safety precautions.

Safety Equipment

A wheel chock is one of the essential safety precautions equipment. Shaped like a pyramid, it acts to stop the truck while operators are loading objects on and off the trailer. Wheel chocks don’t work if they are smashed, cracked, broken, or missing pieces. Regularly inspect your facility’s wheel chocks and replace when needed.

Other Aspects of Loading Dock Safety      

• Communication is critical. There should be effective communication between everybody working on or with the loading dock processes.
• There can also be more than one employer represented, so your company’s rules need to be clear and well enforced.
• All workers need to be trained and should follow loading dock safety rules, even if they don’t regularly work in this area.
• All employees must know the risks, hazards, best practices, and safest procedures for working on a loading dock.
• ALWAYS keep other employees in view, especially as heavy equipment is moving around. Spotters for backing up are easy to lose sight of and can quickly be in danger when that happens.

SafT Integration is committed to helping you save life and limb on your loading dock, give us a call!