Safety & Maintenance
Walt Swietlik Rite-Hite Customer Service and Support Restraints, Levelers, Dock Communication Systems ABOUT THE AUTHOR Walt Swietlik has more than 35 years of experience in the material handling industry, with more than 30 of those dedicated to the area of loading dock and door safety and improved productivity. For the past two decades, Walt has managed Rite-Hite’s popular “Customer Fly-In Program,” where he works closely with a variety of customers to address the challenges associated with shipping and receiving areas. Walt’s experience has put him in close contact with many customers from many industries with unique safety and loading dock safety challenges. As a result, he has become a noted expert on issues related to shipping and receiving and ensuring safe and efficient material flow across critical loading docks throughout customer's supply chains. Walt has spoken at a variety of local, regional, and national forums, including ProMat and MODEX.
16 | IMD
MARCH 2022
Ensuring Safety, Reliability, And Productivity At The Loading Dock
T
he loading dock can be one of the most dangerous parts of any facility, with trailers constantly being loaded and unloaded and forklifts moving heavy pallets amid workers on foot. Unfortunately, safety precautions in this busy part of the plant are often overshadowed by more obvious hazards inside the plant, such as cutting, welding, and other machining equipment. Protecting workers—and the goods and equipment that are part of these processes—is one of the most fundamental aspects of any facility manager’s job, so overlooking loading dock safety can be a fatal mistake. However, by investing in the right loading dock products and dock management software, facilities can seamlessly build safety into their shipping and receiving operations, while also improving productivity. Here’s how:
Reliability with the Push of a Button Loading dock products must be equipped or designed to tolerate heavy loads and endure in-plant vehicles such as 3- and 4-wheel forklifts and automated guided vehicles (AGVs)—plus the weight of the materials being transferred— running over it daily. It’s imperative this equipment is sturdy and reliable. Central to any loading dock operation is the loading dock leveler. This piece of equipment bridges the gap from the facility floor to the bed of a trailer during loading and unloading. Beyond its most basic function as a bridge for forklifts, it should also have safety and ergonomic features built into it. Hydraulic loading dock levelers can be lowered or raised with a push-button instead of workers having to use a pull-chain, which could add long term safety concerns (like back problems) for employees operating this heavy equipment. Levelers that offer a smooth transition from floor to leveler to trailer and back are also preferred, since the “dock shock” caused to forklift drivers by bouncing across poorly designed
