Dock injuries

The most serious injuries involve powered equipment and the movement of trailers. Operators, employees, and visitors are vulnerable to injury. Pedestrians become victims of many dock injuries more than twenty workers die each year after being struck by powered equipment or product being handled by this equipment. Many others are seriously injured or killed in adjacent areas of docks. 

Docks Injuries happen here when forklifts run off the dock, products fall on employees or equipment strikes a person. 

Under the Disparate Impact theory, safety professionals should be aware that conduct that appears fair on its face but can detrimentally affect a number of individuals in a protected class can also constitute discrimination. However, safety professionals should be aware that if the employer has a job-related or business reason for this different treatment, this conduct may be permissible. For example, the safety professional is incurring a number of back injuries in the dock area where employees are lifting constantly. The company, in an effort to rednce back injuries, requires all employees to be able to lift X lbs. This conduct may disproportionally affect female employees. If the company possesses a valid business reason, such as reduction of back injuries, this may be appropriate however, even with a valid business reason, this practice may constitute discrimination if an alternative method, such as lifting assist equipment, exists that would not disproportionally affect the female employees. 

Over time, trucks can crack or break the lip of the dock, increasing the probability of persormel injury or equipment damage. Therefore, dock lips should be protected against shock by rubber, plastic, or steel bumpers. 

The American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) defines a powered industrial truck as a mobile, power-propelled truck used to carry, push, pull, lifi, stack, or tier materials. Powered industrial trucks are also commonly known as forklifts, pallet trucks, rider trucks, fork trucks, or lift trucks. Each year, tens of thousands of forklift-related injuries occur in U.S. workplaces. Injuries usually involve employees being struck by lift tmcks or falling while standing or working from elevated pallets and tines. Many employees are injured when lift trucks are inadvertently driven offloading docks or when the lift falls between a dock and an unchecked trailer. Most... 

At the dock, there has been an increase in the number of dock doors in warehouses. Parking lots and aprons must now accommodate 53-foot trailers. Although larger warehouses now have replaced numerous smaller facilities, it is estimated that there will be an increase in warehouse locations over the next few years. The reductions in the workforce caused by corporate downsizing can result in product being moved out the doors of the warehouse by fewer employees. Greater demands on the workforce can easily result in an increase in injuries. 

The hazards are many. As mentioned earlier, the operation of powered industrial trucks is probably the one element that causes the most injuries and incidents. Additional hazards can be found in the use of conveyors, stored or handled chemicals, movement of material at docks, trailers moving in and out of dock wells, and pedestrians in the aisles. Highly automated warehouses or distribution centers may utilize robotics, and the hazards associated with this technology would have to be recognized and controlled. The... 

Dock safety. Docks are busy by nature and also hazardous. Many injuries occur when lift trucks go off a dock, when product falls on an enq)loyee or visitor, or when someone is struck by a piece of equipment. Fires are not uncommon at a dock. Chemical spills also occur for which extensive cleanup plans are... 

Operators must be trained not to jump from a falling forklift, as this can be life-threatening. When a lift truck goes off the dock, the operator could be killed, suffer serious injuries, suffer less serious injuries, or be shaken up but not injured. By not securing the trailer properly, any one of these scenarios is possible. 

The potential for serious injury is evident when looking at the OSHA data regarding dock safety. Trailers being pulled away from the dock or creeping are responsible for many injuries and fatalities each year. Close calls and serious incidents provide other high-risk exposures. 

A comprehensive study of narrow-aisle truck injuries and fatalities by a major manufacturer of powered equipment was very descriptive of dock-related injuries and incidents. The study took place over a nineteen-year period. The data showed that ... 

How serious were the injuries to the 72 employees of off-the-dock narrow-aisle truck incidents Fortunately, one-third of the incidents did not involve an injury. Of course, the facility in which the incident occurred experienced significant economic losses as a result of work stoppages, damaged equipment, and most likely damaged product. Table 9-3 provides the details regarding the outcome of the off-the-dock incidents. 

Forklift fell rearward off dock operator jumped or was ejected and sustained serious injuries to back, pelvis, and internal organs. 

It is apparent from data in this study, as well as many other reports of serious injuries, incidents, and fatalities, that docks can be a dangerous department in a warehouse. 

The unexpected movement of trailers at docks over the years has caused many injuries and deaths. To prevent movement of trailers, powered equipment operators can be protected by wheel chocks and various forms of mechanical trailer restraints. 

Chocks can easily slip away from the trailer wheel. The constant impact of powered equipment entering and exiting trailers can cause trailers to creep. Trailers prematurely pulling away from the dock cause many injuries and deaths each year. When wheels are not chocked, trailers pull forward more easily. 

Truck drivers should be alerted to dock safety rules both inside and outside of the facility. They should not have free access to the dock area, for their own personal safety. Truck drivers will most likely not be familiar with forklift traffic patterns at the dock. This unfamiliarity creates the potential for injury. 

Portable dock plates can be used to bridge the gap between the dock and trailer, but there are some inherent dangers. The capacity must be adequate to handle the weight of the lift truck and load. The overall condition of the plate must be assured through regular inspections. The plates may be difficult to install. Back injuries are possible as well as pinch points to the hands and feet of those manually handling the plates. 

In another situation an operator at a warehouse dock was saved from serious injury because of a wing seat. A trailer pulled away from the dock too soon, before the last pallet was loaded. The front wheels of the lift... 

A forklift could easily drop a container of toxic chemicals at a dock or from a rack. The fork of the lift truck could easily spear and puncture a 55-gallon drum of solvent in a paint storage warehouse. Potentially deadly carbon monoxide could easily permeate an entire building. Poorly designed work areas could cause injuries to the arms, wrists, shoulders, and back because of material handling. 

Incidents are ever-present in a warehouse. With the heavy use of power equipment, the frequency of product movement, dock activity, and movement of people, incidents are commonplace. Incidents are taking place in every department during every hour of every day. Some of them cause minor damage or minor injuries. Some of them will go unnoticed because they are daily events. Some will cause minor fires, damage the building, or even cause slight injuries. It is difficult to imagine any workplace without incidents. 

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