The Question:
What is the issue and how do we reduce the risks?
This Q&A has been produced to help delivery truck drivers and their wider organisations reduce the safety risks at loading docks.
Scope of the problem:
Loading docks are the main arrival and departure areas in a warehouse for truck or van deliveries. A loading dock is where the loading and unloading of goods and equipment takes place and is therefore typically shared by trucks, forklifts and workers.
Each kind of dock presents potential safety issues which need to be controlled for. For example, open docks are exposed to inclement weather and debris blowing onto the loading dock floor, which can create a slipping hazard. Depressed docks carry the risk of a truck driver colliding with the loading dock wall, due to the angle of driveway. However, while these specific dock types present their own unique challenges, all loading docks carry inherent safety risks which make them one of the most dangerous spots in a warehouse. This is due to the combination of hazards, number of activities and interactions between trucks, forklifts and people that occur in this confined area.
Please refer to the Q&A article for the entire content.