on what kind of lift truck is being used.
With stand-up end-controlled lift trucks
that have an open back, operators should be
taught to jump clear of the vehicle, he says.
Operators of sit-down trucks, however,
should be trained to remain in position with
their restraints in place, brace themselves,
and lean away from the direction of the fall,
Kerila says.
STAYING OFF THE COLLISION COURSE
Unexpected trailer departure isn’t the only
hazard on the loading dock, of course.
There’s also the risk of collisions. Often as
not, the cause turns out to be some type of
visibility issue—like visual obstructions or
low lighting. To reduce these risks, the
experts urge DCs to avoid letting pallets,
trash, and packaging material pile up
around the dock and block lift truck drivers’
view. They also stress the importance of
ensuring that forklift operators can see into
the trailers they’re loading or unloading.
Sprunger recommends using LED lights,
noting that they burn brighter and last
longer than incandescent bulbs.
But visibility problems are tough to avoid
altogether. For instance, lift truck drivers
will almost invariably find their vision is
obstructed to some degree when the forks
are raised. For that reason, Piasecki recommends keeping pedestrian traffic separate
from lift truck traffic where possible and
making sure everyone on the dock receives
proper training on safety. “Pedestrians are
probably at greater risk than the lift truck
operators, so make sure they understand the
hazards of working around lift trucks and
delivery vehicles,” he says.
Perhaps the biggest hazard of all is a false
sense of security about safety, says Piasecki.
It’s easy to fall into the trap of thinking that
just because you haven’t had an accident—
or a near miss—on the dock, you are safe,
he says.
“But operating in unsafe conditions does
not always result in serious injuries,”
Piasecki points out. “Some businesses can
chug along for years … without something
really bad happening. Unfortunately, not
every business is this lucky. The facility you
read about in the paper where someone
died was not necessarily any less safe than
your facility. That facility just happened to
be on the wrong side of the statistics.” ;
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