Your business, most likely, has a loading dock if you do a fair amount of shipping and receiving. Having the right loading dock equipment is essential because, without it, your employees’ safety could be at risk. This also makes the shipping and receiving processes operate more smoothly and efficiently.
At Authority Dock & Door, our goal is to offer products that not only promote safety but that also promote efficiency in your business. There are several loading dock essentials that can not only keep your employers more productive, but will also keep them safe.
Loading Dock Accessories
There are a lot of loading dock equipment accessories that make your dock much safer and more efficient. For example:
Traffic lights – Communication is important at a loading dock and having traffic lights lets everyone know what is happening at every moment.
Dock lighting – LED loading dock lights and Gooseneck loading dock lights are both examples of ways to keep the area your employees are working in illuminated and safe.
Control stations – Control stations make it easy to control lights, restraints, and levelers in your dock. They keep everything all in one place.
Loading Dock Seals and Shelters
Loading dock seals and shelters provide a lot of benefits to your dock, including:
- Offering protection from bad weather for your workers.
- Ensuring that your receiving area is well-sealed to protect against any damages to products or your property.
- Providing better insulation for your building, which can lower your energy costs.
You can choose between inflatable seals and compression seals; both have their benefits. Whether trucks are loading or unloading at your dock your team will be protected from rain, snow, sleet, and the hot sun.
Loading Dock Levelers
Dock levelers can lower your risk of accidents at your loading dock. Having a leveler installed at each of your dock doors makes loading and unloading trailers and trucks much easier. It is a permanent fixture that has a metal plate (lip) that is lowered onto the body of the truck or trailer.
Loading dock levelers are important because no two trucks or trailers are exactly the same height. They make loading and unloading a lot safer because no additional lifting or pulling is needed.
Vehicle Restraints
Vehicle restraints are pieces of loading dock equipment that no dock should be without. They keep trucks, and trailers secure so they cannot accidentally move, causing injuries to workers as they load or unload.
According to EHSToday:
- There were 270,000 injuries that were reported in the warehousing and transportation industry in 2017.
- That same year, there were 819 deaths.
- Between 2016 and 2017, the number of preventable fatal work injuries in this industry increased by 5.3%.
- Over 25% of all industrial accidents that occur take place at loading docks.
- For every accident that does take place, there are about 600 near misses.
So, as you can see, vehicle restraints can play a huge role in loading dock safety.
Let Authority Dock & Door Help with All Your Loading Dock Equipment Needs
Whether your warehouse is new and needs to get new loading dock equipment, or it is time to update your existing equipment, at Authority Dock & Door, we can help. You can be certain that our products meet the highest standards in the industry, and we will do our part to keep your workers safe and efficient.
