Page 48 - OHS, April 2021

FACILITY SAFETY
a forkliftft or other motion is detected in the trailer bed, they emit a blue light (similar to the blue safety lights on forkliftfts) onto the dock leveler, warning workers on foot of the potential danger.
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Similar blue light technology has been developed for blind or unmarked intersections. Ceiling-mounted units can communicate when pedestrians or fork truck traffic are approaching the intersection by employing high-visibility LED lights, including a blue LED light onto the floor.
Prevent Trailer Separation Accidents
There are four typical accidents caused by the premature departure of a semi-trailer from a loading dock—trailer creep, trailer pop- up/up-ending, landing gear collapse, and early departure. Any of these accidents can seriously injure forklift operators inside a trailer or attempting to enter or exit a trailer.
By investing in the appropriate equipment and technology, companies can reduce risk and help ensure employees return safely to their families every night.
The most effective solution is to use proper vehicle restraints to ensure the trailer is secured to the loading dock. Vehicle restraints that use a rotating hook design with secondary “shadow” hook technology are considered the gold standard, but other types of restraints may be used depending on truck, trailer type and application, including wheel-based restraints.
Program-in Safe Operating Procedures
Traditionally, each piece of loading dock equipment—including vehicle restraints, levelers and overhead doors—is operated independently. While most are now operated with the push of a button, there is still risk involved regarding the order of use.
Today’s leading loading dock control systems can ensure that workers operate equipment in a safe sequence of operation. For example, a common programmable sequence requires the vehicle restraint to be properly engaged before an overhead door can be raised. Continuing this safe sequence, the door must then be raised before the dock leveler can be operated. Even if the buttons are pushed in the wrong order, the programmed sequence prevents anything from happening – helping to mitigate the potential for risk from human error. When a trailer is ready to leave a facility, this order of operation is reversed.
Keep Docks Dry
Trips, slips and falls are traditionally one of OSHA’s top 10 most common industrial accidents. One way to prevent them is to prevent moisture from accumulating inside your loading dock. Unfortunately, many docks aren’t sealed as well as they could be, and even small openings around the perimeter of a docked trailer could let in a dangerous amount of rain, snow or sleet. If you can see daylight through a perimeter gap, it’s time to consider upgrading your seals and/or shelters.
Foam compression style dock seals generally are more energy efficient than dock shelters, but they can suffer significant wear- and-tear due to constant friction. Additionally, foam and other material can protrude inside of the trailer when compressed, interfering with forklift loading. In contrast, perimeter-sealing dock shelters offer full access loading since they seal along the side of the trailer. Selecting the right seal or shelter for your specific application will help guarantee sealing efficiency and employee safety.
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44 Occupational Health & Safety | APRIL 2021
www.ohsonline.com
Safety barriers separate workers and pedestrians from potentially hazardous operations or dangerous situations on a plant’s interior. They are also critical around open dock doors. A fall off of an open, unprotected dock edge (typically a 4-foot drop) can result in serious injury or even death for forklift operators.
To comply with OSHA’s Walking Working Surfaces regulations, look for barriers that are at least
58 inches tall and can stand up to 30,000 lbs. of force—strong enough to stop a forklift.
Dual Reciprocating Barriers
As more companies choose to expand their facilities up rather than out, fall safety related to elevated workspaces has become more of a worry for plant managers. According to the ANSI standard, companies must provide full-time protection when loading and unloading materials from an elevated platform—there can be no exposed areas where an employee could potentially fall. As a result, many companies are seeking a solution to secure elevated work environments.
Dual reciprocating barriers are a common choice for this application, since they create a controlled access area in which the inner gate and outer gate cannot be opened at the same time. Leading models use a link bar design that ensures both gates work in unison; when the outer gate opens to allow pallets in, the inner gate automatically closes to keep workers out. After the pallet is received, mezzanine-level workers open the inner gate to remove material from the work zone while the outer gate closes to secure the leading edge of the platform. A safety latch that can only be accessed when standing outside the work zone prevents the outer gate from being raised by a worker inside the work area. Similar products exist for racking applications.
“Seeing Through” High Speed Doors
Working near high-speed doors can be dangerous, as forklifts may not come to a full stop before going through. Knowing when an object is about to pass through a door opening can prevent a host of potential accidents, including collisions between forklifts and workers.
A new motion sensor-based system has been developed