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Material Handling – Loading Dock Safety 101

Loading docks are busy areas for material handling, with many people going in and out. Packaging, lift trucks, pallet wrap systems, and other types of industrial equipment are often found nearby.  Because of the high-level of activity that occurs around loading docks, and the speed of which people are trying to load and unload trucks, … Read more

Material handling 101 – Putting Together a Rack

Racks are an essential part of your warehouse space, so putting together a rack safely and effectively will allow you to gain a great deal of usable space. Like any material handling, this should be approached carefully and methodically to ensure safety and stability. Different manufacturers of the various rack systems will give you step-by-step … Read more

Warehouse Safety Equipment and Tips

Warehouses are busy hubs of activity, so ensuring safety supplies and safety equipment are monitored and maintained, will make for an accident free operation. You want your workers to be productive and free from workplace injuries, and following the tips for warehouse safety can guarantee that. Conveyor belts are a common source of worker injury, … Read more

Gloves in the workplace – An Essential Part of your Safety Supplies

Workplace safety is of vital concern for any business owner. One of the simplest, and most effective safety supplies you can have are gloves that are appropriate to the situation and task at hand.  Gloves are a very inexpensive form of safety equipment, yet they are essential for proper material handling and worker safety. When … Read more

Investing in a Loading Dock Shelter

Investing in a loading dock shelter is a great way to improve the environment for your workers, resulting in better and more efficient material handling and also to save you money in energy costs. Having a loading dock that lets energy escape, means more heating costs in winter and higher air-conditioning costs in summer. By … Read more

Battery Power and Your Forklift

Your business depends on many things for its efficiency and profitability. One of these is your forklift operation.  As a piece of industrial equipment, a forklift is a valuable tool, and as such it needs to be in good running order for all of the demands placed on it.  Therefore, experiencing any unscheduled downtime for … Read more

Safety Equipment – Electric Pallet Jacks & Your Operation

Business owners understand that safety equipment is a vital part of their operations and material handling. An electric pallet jack allows your employees to move heavy goods easily, without the risk of injury related to manual lifting. An electric pallet jack also protects goods from being damaged, by providing a strong, sturdy lift system that … Read more

Order pickers – When You Should Use This Specialized Type of Forklift

A forklift is an essential component of industrial equipment, and an order picker has a unique function that can be of great benefit to your material handling needs.  An order picker is essentially a specially designed type of forklift. This lift truck is used for retrieving goods from vertical shelves, such as a pallet rack … Read more

Styles of Pallets for Material Handling

Pallets are an essential part of your material handling activities, and there are number of considerations when choosing the style of pallet for your business.  You want to balance cost and usefulness when deciding on the type of pallet you need.  There are four basic styles to choose from. The first style is a plastic … Read more

Material Handling and Loading Dock Safety 101

Material Handling Safety Demonstrated
Material Handling Safety Demonstrated

Loading docks are busy areas for material handling, with many people going in and out. Packaging, lift trucks, pallet wrap systems, and other types of industrial equipment are often found nearby.  Because of the high-level of activity that occurs around loading docks, and the speed of which people are trying to load and unload trucks, there are a number of ways workers can be injured.  We will take a look at these situations, and the way injuries can be prevented.

The first way workers can be injured at a loading dock is when movement occurs with the weight transfer of goods during loading and unloading. This is also known as “trailer drop”, and is responsible for many chronic neck and back injuries. Depending on weight, the bed of a trailer can actually drop nearly 8 inches while goods are being loaded in or out of the truck. This movement can put significant strain on a lift truck operator. Using stabilizing restraints on the trailer which stops movement, either horizontally or vertically, can prevent this.

Another way injuries can occur is through jarring, or “dock shock”.  Forklift operators frequently experience this type of vibration as they cross over old-style dock levelers, which are placed between the floor of the warehouse and the bed of the trailer.  Purchasing a leveler that allows for a smooth path without gaps, or bumps, will significantly reduce the amount of jarring that occurs as your lift truck operator crosses it.

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