Loading docks are the center of activity. This makes it even more important that this part of your facility be both energy-efficient and safe. Not using every tool at your disposal to improve energy consumption is doing nothing but costing you money. This is also an area that causes safety issues for your product and your employees. Using all the resources available in your loading dock area will help you save money and improve safety and efficiency in your warehouse.
Essential Solutions for Your Loading Dock
Every loading dock could use one or more of the following products to function properly. Without these products, you run the risk of impacting the workflow on your loading dock.
Loading dock levelers– using a leveler helps secure trucks that don’t naturally fit into your loading dock. By keeping the surface between the dock and the truck bed as level as possible during the load/unload process, you ensure the safety of both your product and your employees.
Loading dock seals– loading dock seals are great for keeping a consistent temperature in the dock area. They help with energy efficiency, plus they help keep products at the same temperature during the load/unload process. For some products, consistent temps are critical.
Loading dock shelters– Loading dock shelters are great for protecting products, employees, and the warehouse from the elements during the load/unload process. Things like snow, hail, or rain can be a determent to a loading dock.
Loading dock restraints– restraints are great at keeping trucks secured in the loading dock area. Accidents will happen if trucks can move around during the loading/unloading process. There are three different versions of restraints: hydraulic, mechanical, and electrical.
Loading dock accessories– there are many other kinds of accessories that increase the productivity of a loading dock. Dock lighting, control stations, traffic lights, and light control bundles are all accessories that are critical for loading dock operations. All of these can help improve efficiency and safety.
How to Improve Safety in Your Loading Dock Area
Accidents can happen in any type of workplace. A loading dock is no different. Twenty-five percent of all industrial accidents happen on loading docks. However, the stakes can be higher in a warehouse type of environment. If a truck trailer isn’t completely secured to a building or if it bounces or dislodges while a forklift is driving in or out of it, the consequences could be disastrous. If you don’t take steps to regulate traffic coming and going out of your dock area, there could be a collision between vehicles in your dock.
Use these tips and products to improve safety in your loading dock area:
- Use dock levelers to keep the loading/unloading surfaces even. These devices mean fewer bumps for forklifts and other devices that enter/exit a truck trailer. Fewer bumps mean a decrease in chances for the product to sustain damage or for an injury to happen to the employee loading/unloading the trailer.
- Use vehicle restraint systems to make sure trailers stay secure until it is time for them to pull away from your dock. If a trailer starts to move while the loading/unloading process is still happening, this could cause serious injury to your employees and substantial damage to your products. Restraints make sure that a situation like this doesn’t happen.
- Incorporate other accessories like traffic lighting and controls. Accidents can happen as trucks enter and exit your loading dock area. These safety features help you avoid such situations.
Ways to Make Your Loading Dock Area Energy Efficient
As stated earlier, loading docks are one of the major hubs of activity for your warehouse. Dozens of people and products travel in and out of them every day. It is important that they be energy efficient. Using loading dock seals and shelters is one of the easiest things you can do to make sure your dock area conserves energy and stays at a consistent temperature.
Another step you can take is to conduct regular inspections on your loading dock doors. Catching cracks and other issues like gaps early will also help save you money. Making the switch to LED lights in this area is another way to consume less energy.
Trust Authority Dock & Door with All of Your Loading Dock Needs
The loading dock area is a focal point of any warehouse shipping operation. It can run like a well-oiled machine, or it can function poorly. By making sure that you have taken steps to utilize as much equipment as possible to improve safety and efficiency, you can rest assured that your loading dock area will operate at its highest level.
