Keeping Your Truck Dock Safe With The Right Equipment
Loading docks can be bustling areas of any company that deals with incoming and outgoing products. The activity at the dock may be limited to one truck, or there may be many people working around the docks loading and unloading trucks at the same time. Keeping everyone safe and ensuring the job is done right should be the priority of any dock, and having the right equipment can make that easier.
Dock Barriers
When a truck is being moved from one door to another or a trailer is being pulled out of a door, the dock door should be closed, but sometimes the door will be left open for a few minutes intentionally. For docks where this is a common practice, installing a dock barrier is an excellent way to ensure that no one can walk or drive off the dock when the door is open.
The barrier is typically an accordion gate that pulls across the opening and secures to the wall, creating an obstacle in the door opening. Painting the gates with a highly visible color like yellow or orange makes them noticeable, and when the door has a trailer in it again, the barrier folds back out of the way.
Door Light Systems
Communication between the outside yard crew and dock workers is critical. One system that can improve the safety and communication on your dock is a door light system. Each door has a set of lights inside and outside the door that look a little like small traffic lights.
If the light is set to red, the light inside and outside will both be on, and the dockworker and the yard truck operator know that the trailer is not ready to move. Once the truck is loaded, the dockworker will close the trailer, seal it, and then turn the light to green. The yard truck operator can see the green light outside and knows it is safe to move the trailer out of the door.
Self-Leveling Dock Plates
The dock plate is a ramp of sorts that extends into the back of the truck from the dock so that forklifts and other equipment can go in and out of the trailer. Installing automatic dock plates on the dock allows the dock worker to push a button to extend the plate into the truck.
Some of these systems have a self-leveling feature so that no matter how the trailer is sitting, the plate will lay flat in the trailer and the transition for the forklift will be much easier. The plate system is easy to use, can improve safety, and is a permanent part of the dock.
To learn more about warehouse docks, contact a company that works in the manufacturing industry.
Share