{"id":3899,"date":"2013-02-11T17:57:06","date_gmt":"2013-02-11T23:57:06","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.bahrns.com\/blog\/?p=3899"},"modified":"2023-11-14T21:18:20","modified_gmt":"2023-11-15T03:18:20","slug":"making-your-facilitys-loading-docks-safe-for-all-part-1","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.bahrns.com\/blog\/warehouse-dock-equipment\/making-your-facilitys-loading-docks-safe-for-all-part-1\/","title":{"rendered":"Making Your Facility\u2019s Loading Docks Safe For All, Part 1"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Vestil<\/a>
Vestil aluminum chocks.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In many warehouses and distribution centers, a loading dock is the center of a lot of activity. For most companies, the dock is where supplies come in and where products go out. As one of the key \u201corgans\u201d of your company\u2019s \u201cbody\u201d, loading docks give shipping trucks and personnel easy access to storage areas<\/a> and make delivering items \u2013 or loading them up for delivery elsewhere \u2013 a snap. However, when considering all the different environments in a facility, a loading dock just might be an area filled with hazards.<\/p>\n

The United States Occupational Safety and Health Administration has standards for loading docks just like everything else, and most of their regulations have to do with running forklifts on the docks. Requirements for forklift operator training<\/a> and standards for \u201cwalking and working surfaces\u201d (in other words, preventing slipping and falling) are just one part of OSHA\u2019s printed regulations. Serious injuries can occur on loading docks due to forklift-human collision, slipping, unsecured or improperly secured pallet loads, improperly used tools, trash or unnecessary items on the ground, chemical spills, or lifting too much weight.<\/p>\n

Making your docks safe for everyone \u2013 your employees and outside delivery personnel alike \u2013 should be a top priority for anyone in the warehousing and distributing fields. It can be challenging to make safety a priority<\/a> and to maintain it as the months and years go by.<\/p>\n

Here are a few tips to get started on loading dock safety:<\/p>\n

Make sure your personnel receive dock safety training. \u00a0Just as importantly, make sure all safety rules get enforced<\/a>! That can be a crucial point if overlooked, because all the rules and training in the world won\u2019t matter if there isn\u2019t any enforcement.<\/p>\n

Ensure that vehicles use wheel chocks<\/a>. These are sturdy wedges that you put behind a vehicle\u2019s wheels, preventing accidental movement, such as trailer creep. The bottom of some chocks are rubber-coated to enhance gripping. Chocks must always be used in addition to \u2013 not in place of \u2013 setting the brakes!<\/p>\n

Powered truck operators must be trained to yield the right of way to pedestrians at all times. This is proven to significantly cut down or eliminate minor and major injuries as a result of lift truck-human collisions. Other safety considerations for people moving around the facility may include using yellow paint or floor striping<\/a> tape to identify walkways, doorways, parking areas, and overhead hazards. You can also place pads or guards around sharp corners or other objects to prevent injuries caused by \u201cwalking into\u201d or \u201cbumping\u201d something sharp.<\/p>\n

Today we\u2019ve reviewed a handful of safety-related ideas for improving your warehouse or distribution center\u2019s loading docks. In the future, we\u2019ll go over even more safety tips!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In many warehouses and distribution centers, a loading dock is the center of a lot of activity. For most companies, the dock is where supplies come in and where products go out. As one of the key \u201corgans\u201d of your company\u2019s \u201cbody\u201d, loading docks give shipping trucks and personnel easy access to storage areas and … Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[110,37],"tags":[832,7,942,992,993,939,87,685],"class_list":["post-3899","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-safety-products","category-warehouse-dock-equipment","tag-employee-safety","tag-lift-trucks","tag-loading-docks","tag-materials-and-handling","tag-pallet-lift","tag-safety-tips","tag-warehouse-supplies","tag-wheel-chocks"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bahrns.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3899","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bahrns.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bahrns.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bahrns.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bahrns.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3899"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.bahrns.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3899\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":12889,"href":"https:\/\/www.bahrns.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3899\/revisions\/12889"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bahrns.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3899"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bahrns.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3899"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bahrns.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3899"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}