Loading docks are heavily used and potentially dangers areas, and having a proper safety strategy can help your business avoid expensive and disruptive accidents.

Truck Restraints

As trucks are maneuvered into a slot on your loading dock, ensuring that the vehicle is immobilized is crucial to the safety of your labor force. As lift trucks maneuver on and off trailers and pallets are added or removed, substantial weight fluctuations ensue. As trailers are bumped they tend to move unless they are safely tethered in place by some type of restraint system.

Any time a trailer is accidentally moved, it is referred to as “trailer creep.” This is exceptionally unsafe for a lift truck driver, as the dock plate is separated from the trailer. A lift truck can quickly plummet from the side of the loading dock, ending up in serious injury or death.

A further concern is unscheduled departures. Sometimes drivers will depart from the loading dock before cargo transfer is completed due to oversight or miscommunication. If a forklift is active when a truck moves it can be fatal to the driver.

Truck restraints are designed to prevent trailers from pulling away from a dock until it is safe to do so. Restraints can be as simple as wheel chocks, or they can be as sophisticated as hydraulic hooks that tie into dock levelers and doors through interlock security mechanisms.

Trailer Restraints (Dock Locks)

Trailer restraint mechanisms are essentially claws that grab the ICC bar on a trailer frame to hold it tightly in place. These hooks can be bare bones, mechanically operated systems or sophisticated electric or hydraulic configurations.

Oftentimes, restraints are wired directly into the door, signaling lights and leveler equipment on a loading dock bay, so that they can’t be disengaged if the door is open, the dock leveler is in use or the truck driver hasn’t been instructed to proceed by the dock operator. Safety features like these are extremely beneficial on any high traffic loading dock and can substantially reduce safety incidents.

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 plain wheel chocks can easily hold a vehicle in place, there are several risks:

• Inattentive employees may sometimes fail to place chocks correctly
• A sloped or uneven approach can make chocks fail if they aren’t placed correctly
• Wheel chocks can get lost, and busy workers may choose to not use them rather than fall behind
• Placing wheel chocks often requires employees to get low to the pavement where truck drivers can’t see them, putting the employee in harm’s way if the truck moves

Dock Restraints Near Me

If you would like to learn more about dock locks or other dock safety equipment, contact a dock and door expert at Raymond West today.

Raymond West's Phoenix facility serves the entire Phoenix Metro area, including Phoenix, Tempe, Mesa, Gilbert, Chandler, Scottsdale, Glendale, Goodyear, Tolleson, Peoria and all surrounding areas.

Raymond West | Phoenix Material Handling Equipment Supplier

2659 E Magnolia St
Phoenix, AZ 85034
(602) 275-2228