According to the Employer’s Liability Insurance Association for Trade and Distribution of Goods (BGHW), loading platforms and docking stations are “an accident hotspot in warehouse logistics.”

In order to prevent serious accidents and minimise hazards, earlier this year Hörmann developed the wheel-blocking system MWB.

During the loading process, heavy goods vehicles usually drive onto the loading ramp that rests on the lorry loading surface multiple times. When loading and unloading, for example when the forklift operator brakes, the lorry can move slightly forwards and away from the docking position, meaning that this does not provide a sufficient amount of safety for individuals working in the warehouse. To help counteract this and prevent such incidents, Hörmann’s wheelblocking system MWB effectively ensures that the lorry remains in the safe docking position during the loading process.

The manually-operated system, locks lorries and trailers into place so that they can’t move until the unloading or loading process is complete. The standard components include an approximately five-metre-long wheel guide on which there is a carriage with a rotating locking arm that can be moved into any position. After the lorry has been docked to the loading bay, the operator guides the locking arm to the rear wheel with an operating lever. With a 90-degree turn, a fold-out support pedestal is brought in front of the tyres and consequently into the working position, so that the firmly anchored operating lever effectively prevents the lorry from rolling away. After loading, a release pedal is enabled and the operating lever is retracted.

On request, the wheel-blocking system can be expanded with an electronic control. In that case, a control light on the MWB carriage and an exterior traffic light communicate the current status of the wheel-blocking system. The integrated sensors detect the wheel position as well as the position of the locking arm. Only when the docking position is assured is the door on the loading point allowed to be opened.

During the loading process, the release pedal is blocked and is only released again when the door is closed. At the end of the loading and unloading process, the operator returns the locking arm from the working position to the home position, which causes the status display on the control unit to automatically change.

To make it possible to load and unload trailers that do not require wheel-blocking at the same loading point, the system can be bridged with a key switch. This way the door opens for loading even if the MWB is not blocking.

HÖRMANN (UK) LTD

Tel: 01530 513000

www.hormann.co.uk

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