In an average facility workers can cross the loading bay threshold more than 100,000 times per year, leaving them susceptible to risk and injury. This begs the questions what are the principal dangers involved and what equipment solutions are available to keep the loading bay safe at all times? Probably the most common danger is vehicle creep where the movement of forklift trucks on and off the trailer slowly pushes the trailer away from the dock. Contributing factors include the weight and speed of the forklift or the load, the slope of the ground, the condition of a truck’s suspension, and tyre pressure and whether the trailer is still connected to the tractor, according to Rite-Hite.
This article was first published in the November 15th 2022 issue of Warehouse & Logistics News, subscribe to the magazine by clicking here.
In the past year, Thorworld has dealt with big brands who suddenly needed the capability to load safely onto delivery vans to meet their growing e-commerce order book. The firm has rented ramps to help businesses cope with sudden spikes in demand. Its biggest ever bespoke platform recently went to a firm who needed an efficient way of handling returns.
There are a wide range of models and truck dimensions, and it is common for vehicles of different heights to park in the same dock. This means you’ll need to accommodate all vehicle sizes when selecting your loading bay equipment. In order to determine the average height of the vehicles in your bays, you’ll need to look at the lowest loaded lorry and highest unloaded lorry that you frequently deal with (BID Group advises omitting occasional vehicles with extremely low or high floors when calculating average floor height).
Miriam Kirkwood, Pre-Sales Team Leader within the Industrial Projects Team at Hörmann UK, says she is lucky to have access to the Hörmann training academy and also a dedicated showroom area where a number of industrial doors and loading bay products are displayed, and there are always experts on hand to answer any questions. “At Hörmann we are seeing a definite move toward projects coming to fruition much quicker, with things having speeded up since the pandemic,” Kirkwood comments. “The mix of business is also changing with more mega-sheds and faster build schedules – we definitely need to be ready to react quickly and be flexible.”
Stertil’s latest adjustable-height PE dock bumpers are adaptable for all vehicles and trailer types and are especially suitable for cold stores and sea containers. Ideal for simplifying all types of loading and unloading duties, the new adjustable-height bumpers provide an impressive reach of 248mm above the mounting position and are suitable for use in low height docks. Each bumper is housed within a solid galvanised steel frame mounted directly to the dock face using concealed fixings.
With the loading bay becoming ever more busy, the onus is on warehouse operators to maintain the highest standards of safety.
George Simpson
Features Editor
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