Loading docks are heavily used and potentially dangers areas, and having a comprehensive safety strategy can help your business avoid costly and business interrupting incidents.

Truck Restraints

When trucks enter a dock bay, ensuring that the vehicle is immobilized is essential to the safety of your employees. As forklifts move on and off trailers and goods are added or removed, significant weight fluctuations occur. As trailers are bumped they will move unless they are safely fastened in place by some type of restraint system.

When a trailer is inadvertently moved, it is known as “trailer creep.” This is exceedingly hazardous for a lift truck operator, as the dock plate is detached from the trailer. A lift truck can quickly go over the dock edge, ending up in serious injury or death.

Another concern is unplanned departures. Sometimes drivers will depart from the loading dock before loading or unloading is concluded due to miscalculation or miscommunication. If a forklift is on board when a truck moves it can be fatal to the driver.

Truck restraints are made to stop trucks from driving off from a loading dock until it is advisable to do so. Restraints can be as rudimentary as wheel chocks, or they can be as elaborate as hydraulic hooks that tie into doors and dock levelers through interlock safety systems.

Trailer Restraints (Dock Locks)

Trailer restraint mechanisms are essentially hooks that grasp the ICC bar on a trailer to hold it tightly in place. These hooks can be bare bones, manually operated systems or more advanced electric or hydraulic configurations.

Many times, truck restraints are wired directly into the signal lights and leveler equipment on a dock bay, so that they can’t be disengaged if the door is ajar, the dock leveler is engaged or the truck driver has not been advised to depart by the dock operator. Having safeguards like these can be advantageous on any busy loading dock and can greatly improve safety and productivity.

Wheel Chocks

Using wheel chocks is probably the simplest way to keep a vehicle stable. Why not just use chocks instead of fancy restraint systems? Although basic wheel chocks can easily hold a vehicle in place, there are some additional risks:

• Forgetful employees may sometimes fail to put chocks in place
• Uneven surfaces can cause chocks to slip or not function properly
• Chocks can get lost, and busy employees may forego them rather than fall behind
• Setting wheel chocks often requires workers to get down near the ground where truck drivers can’t see them, endangering the worker if the truck moves

Dock Restraints Near Me

To find out more about dock locks or other loading dock safety equipment, contact a dock and door professional at Raymond West today.

Raymond West's Santa Barbara County service area includes Buellton, Carpinteria, Goleta, Lompoc, Santa Barbara, Santa Maria and all surrounding areas.

Raymond West | Santa Barbara Material Handling Equipment Supplier

Santa Barbara County, CA
(805) 749-2777