Dock Safety
Door Ratchet Stops Door Drifting
The SECTION SAVER™ Door Ratchet stops an open door from sinking down into
the opening. Because the door cannot “drift” into the opening, it won’t be hit
by fork truck masts, from either direction! To close the door simply pull the
release handle, retracting the ratchet out of the track. The units are constructed of heavy gauge steel with an attractive powder coat finish for extra long
life, tough stainless steel retraction spring and includes all mounting hardware.
— Erich Industries Inc., 800-882-5839
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Light Communication System
The Rite-Vu™ Light Communication System uses highly visible lights to clearly tell
forklift drivers and pedestrians when a forklift is inside of a trailer and alerts loading
dock personnel to stay clear of dock openings while any trailer is in service,
improving safety and productivity. The system also uses lights and an alarm to
greatly enhance communication about the status of trailers secured to the dock
with Rite-Hite’s Dok-Lok® vehicle restraints, adding another level of protection
against potentially catastrophic trailer-separation accidents.
— Rite-Hite Corporation 800/456-0600 Circle 55 on Card
Manual Material Handling Safety
Manual Material Handling Safety trains employees on the best safety
practices to use while lifting, moving and storing materials. The program,
filmed on-site in multiple settings to show a wide variety of real-life scenarios, teaches proper techniques of lifting that can help significantly
reduce the amount of back strain and decrease the risk of injury. Topics
covered include safer lifting, hand trucks, manual pallet jacks, and
material stacking. — Summit Training Source, 800/842-0466
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Extra Large Column Protection
X-Large Column Sentry®, the impact-absorbing molded collision protector for extra large columns more than 12” x 24” (320 x 620 mm) in size, is
now available in North America. Made from molded polyethylene
material with a stabilizing air pocket structure and 38” (965 MM) in outside diameter. Installation of X-Large Column Sentry is tool-free and
quick, using double straps with hook and loop fasteners. — Sentry
Protection Products, 888/265-8660
Vehicle Restraints
Safety-Loc vehicle restraints integrate vehicle restraints with instantaneous, clear, non-verbal communications systems. By engaging a trailer’s rear underride guard and securing it more effectively than conventional rubber wheel chocks. The low profile, non-impact design is capable of engaging any rear underride guard configuration, even the newer
lower bars. At 7” and 11” from the face of the dock bumpers, Serco’s
patented dual-locking positions have 9” stored height. — Serco, 800/933-4834
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Heat-Dissipation Protection
All Frommelt dock seals are equipped with Firefighter™ heat-dissipating
technology as a standard safety feature in head pads and head curtains. This technology prevents dock seals from burning due to the
intense heat build-up that can occur when ordinary trailer marker lights
are compressed into the seals. — Frommelt Products Corporation,
563/587-4401
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LED Replacement Lamp
Designed with LED optics, the PAR38 base of the E-Saver LED Lamp fits
into most existing dock light housings and provides maximum illumination
throughout the truck trailer while providing an extra long life expectancy
to deliver a rapid return on investment. E-Saver uses only 27 watts,
reduces energy costs by 80% compared to traditional bulbs and has a
50,000 hour lamp life. Durable construction allows the lamp to withstand
impact at the dock and the LED technology keeps the lamp head cool to the touch.
— APS Resource 262/518-1000 Circle 59 on Card
Ladder Safety Gate
This is a self closing ladder safety gate. The gate hoop is dimensioned to
provide maximum opening coverage. The top-rail and bottom-rail are
spaced to match the standard railing dimension required by Federal
OSHA. The standard universal hinge assembly is versatile, fitting various
railing types, round or square, up to 2” O.D. or flat surface mounting.
For railings which are larger or uniquely shaped adapter kits are offered.
— PS Door Safety Product Group, 800/284-0623
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The Safety Mix
Imagine a place that is dimly lit, has slippery floors, where high-pow- ered vehicles zip around in a confined space and communications are poor. That’s somewhere most people would and should avoid, but the people who work there can’t, because this is a typical loading dock. The ever-increasing pressure to get product loaded/unloaded on trucks under the demands of tightening shipping schedules has resulted in injuries and fatalities across Canada. The Canadian Union of Postal Workers reports that along with increase in dock forklift accidents, for every accident that occurs there are 600 incidents of near misses. According to one report, 25% of the accidents in a distribution center occur at the dock, which represents no more than 2% of the total floor area. For a large facility with scores of dock doorways that figure can rise higher. Incidents can involve forklifts falling off of docks, trucks pulling away from the dock prematurely, workers slipping on oily floors or throwing out their backs opening up hard to operate dock doors. Under these conditions, accidents are no surprise yet they are very avoidable. Training as in all safety programs is key, especially with the high turnover rate in this area. Equally important; however, is product selection. Every piece of equipment plays a role in making docks safer and finding the right nix to match the needs of the dock can reduce the cost of accidents and their disruptions to the facilities and the lives of the dock workers.
Product Selection
Key to Dock
Accident Prevention
Proper Application
The dock leveler is the bridge from the warehouse floor to the trailer. It needs to not only be stable, but must operate consistently and efficiently while providing the most level interface possible between the warehouse and the trailer to maximize its own lifespan as well as keep product and personnel moving efficiently and safely. Choosing the right dock leveler with the proper activation and structural strength for the application is the first step towards ensuring the safety of this bridge. The leveler must be level with the floor to be sure the unit lasts its expected ten year lifespan. An improperly applied and improperly sup- ported dock leveler can lead to structural fatigue and or failure, resulting in expensive repair and potential safety issues. Traditional concrete pit dock leveler installation requires an installer to place and weld small pieces of steel, called “shim”, under the leveler’s rear frame to level the device and provide long-term support. While this has been the standard installation method for the industry for decades, working in this cramped space can lead to errors as installers may not use the correct size shim, may not weld the shim properly or may forget to shim altogether. The latest “shimless” dock levelers provide greater structural strength and durability while incorporating a self-leveling design that includes four heavy-duty vertical uprights at the rear of the leveler, each with an adjustable pad on the pit floor. Once the leveler is placed in the pit, the installer can easily adjust the height of the unit using a leveling bolt located at the top rear of the dock leveler at floor level. This unique design eliminates the need to crawl into the pit and thus ensures that each dock leveler is “shimmed” or leveled properly to provide years of trouble free operation.
Stamping Out Stump-Out. With over 60% of all new vehicles on the road today equipped with air- ride suspensions, stump-out has become an ever-increasing issue on the dock. Stump-out occurs when the mechanical safety legs or stops on a mechanical or power-assisted dock leveler engage and restrict the level-
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