In the industrial and working worlds, nearly 50 laborers are injured every minute of each work week. These means that approximately 120,000 workers per week or 6.2 million employees are injured each year. The early departure and trailer creep from the loading dock can cause serious injuries and fatalities. Loading docks are one of the most crucial and most dangerous areas in your entire facility. One especially hazardous task that employees commonly perform is the loading and unloading of trailers. Keeping the vehicle restrained at the loading dock is vital to your company and the safety of your employees.
Companies use different devices and equipment to try to keep the truck and trailer in place at the dock. One method is to attach the rear impact guard (RIG bar) of the trailer with a hook. Another method is to use a standard wheel chock such as a common rubber chock. Alternatively, some use the option of using a wheel restraint system device to keep the trailer in place at the loading dock.
RIG bars
These RIG barsalso known as ICC bars, may not properly hold a truck at the dock. Why? RIG bars aren't designed to restrain a trailer. They're often not strong enough to do the job. The RIG bar is designed to prevent another vehicle from driving under the back of the trailer (under- rigging) during an accident. It is not designed to be used as a trailer restraint.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), an agency of the Department of Transportation (DOT), regulates the strength of RIG bars. A recent article states that, "many vehicle restraint systems provide 2-3 times more holding power than the strength of the typical RIG bar. The RIG bar is not sufficient to withstand the forces encountered during premature trailer pull-out (early departure) from loading docks." NHTSA requires RIG bars be designed to hold only 11,240 pounds, when they should be designed to hold more, because the pulling out force of a tractor trailer is approximately 33,370 pounds.
Damaged RIG bar
In addition, the strength of the RIG bar can be compromised by the bar being damaged or improperly installed on the vehicle. For example, if the average useful life of a semi-truck is 6-8 years and depending on what it's carrying - the average useful life of a semi-trailer is 10-15 years. If the RIG bar has been in place for 15 years, one should ask what sort of condition it is in and whether it is corroded, bent, or cracked.
Inspection
When a semi is backing up to your loading dock, do your dock workers have time or are they competent to go out and inspect the trailer's RIG bar? In a perfect world, you could always answer, "Yes." In real-life, day-to-day operations, chances are you must sometimes answer, "No."
Typically, your dock workers are first aware that a trailer has arrived after it has already backed up to the dock. At that point they can't even see the RIG bar from the top of the dock.
The fact is that the company receiving the trailer can't be sure of the condition of the RIG bar.
Damaged restraining device/wall foundation
What about the vehicle restraint device mounted on the customer's dock wall? The truck's early departure could have applied excessive force to the restraining device itself, causing extensive damage. There's a chance the device may be unable to function, effectively shutting down that loading dock until expensive repairs are made. In addition, the wall on which the device was mounted could be damaged from the early departure of the trailer.
As strong as the weakest link
Hook restraints can hold between 20,000 to 35,000 lbs., but RIG bars only can support a maximum of 11, 240 lbs. each. What will happen when there is an early departure? Remember the saying, "A chain is only as strong as its weakest link." This also applies to vehicle restraints at the loading dock.
Then there's the trailer chock. The typical rubber chock isn't helpful for vehicle restraint because it is dependent on:
Remembering to use the chock in the first place. Drivers often forget.
Installing the chock properly and periodically inspecting it to see whether it has moved.
Trailer creep results from the trailer moving away from the dock during loading and unloading operations. The force of the heavy forklift repeatedly entering the trailer can move it away from the dock. This, in turn, can push against the standard rubber chock, moving it away from the dock. Before you know it, the trailer has crept away from the dock.
A weak link in the chain, the trailer chock will often not be as efficient as a trailer restraint. The Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA) did a study* on forklift accidents and determined that there were about 68,400 of these accidents each year. About seven percent (4,700) occurred because a forklift truck ran off of a loading dock. An unknown number of these accidents were due to early departure of the trailer from the dock. With the truck and trailer gone from the dock, the forklift driver was also exposed to fall hazards.
Alternative vehicle restraint systems
Another option is the wheel restraint system. The axle assembly on a trailer is very strong because the axle and wheels support the entire load. Therefore, it makes sense to use the trailer's wheels to restrain the vehicle.
A wheel restraint system is the best way to safely keep the trailer properly positioned at the loading dock. The wheel and axle system to which it is attached is strong, resulting in positive anchoring to the loading dock.
It is important to note that the typical wheel restraint system does have several flaws:
It can be very expensive to purchase.
There are moving parts that can break down or fail, so the system may not work at 100 percent capacity all of the time.
In locations that get significant snowfall, removing the snow around the raised equipment can be a problem.
GMR Safety's Jay Jette said, "Companies should look for equipment that is designed for ease of use, designed for winter use, having a low Total Cost of Ownership (TCO), 100% universality of use, and using the 'Best Practice Protocols as a focus to having a safe work environment at the forefront."
To work properly and effectively, the wheel restraint system should allow easy and proper snow removal. In addition, a grade-level, wheel lock system should accommodate every vehicle, on any dock, and at all times.
Don't use devices around your loading docks that create a false sense of safety. Accidents on the loading dock can be very expensive. There expenses include the direct costs of medical expenses, workers compensation costs, and OSHA fines. There are also many indirect costs such as equipment damage, cargo loss, lost productivity, decline in employee morale, litigation, management and supervisor time, missed shipments, damaged customer relations and public image. To prevent serious injuries and fatalities, use a robust, time-proven wheel restraint system that can restrain any types of vehicle at every loading dock.
Written by: Sophie Bureauhttp://www.articlesbase.com/vans-articles/dont-leave-yet-3650784.html
