An empty or vacant loading dock exposes personnel and material handling equipment such as forklifts to the risk of dangerous falls from a height of more than 1 meter. Companies must therefore install adequate protections at these levels under OSHA Regulation 1910.23 regarding "Protection of Openings and Holes in Walls." In addition, the ANSI, or American National Standards Institute, has established requirements for the safety of hazardous areas such as platforms, stairs, ramps and runways in the A1264.1-2007 directive. Let's take a look.

Security chain: an insecure solution

Some companies opt for safety chains, believing that they are sufficient to offer an adequate level of protection to personnel and equipment. However, this is not the case. In reality, these devices have almost no ability to stop a forklift, a motion pallet truck, or even a person, even in the case where a dock door is closed.

In other words, the risk of falls and serious accidents is always present. But what device should be installed for optimal security?

Safety barrier or suitable door: more suitable solutions

The installation of a safety barrier or a suitable industrial door is the best solution to offer optimal safety to personnel and handling equipment at a drop point of more than 1 m or any elevated area. To do this, we recommend that you opt for one of these Rite-Hite devices:

• Safe-T-Lip®: A protective barrier capable of stopping a forklift truck weighing approximately 10,000 pounds that is traveling at a speed of 4 mph.
• Dok-Guardian®: A safety barrier capable of holding equipment weighing up to 30,000 pounds.

In addition, these devices visually warn personnel of the danger and thus warn them not to approach the risk area to avoid falls from heights. Their presence is especially required for facilities that apply the "closed dock doors" policy.

Conclusion

Are you interested in these solutions? At Canado-Nacan Equipment, we offer solutions in terms of safety devices. We invite you to contact us for more information about them. We would also like to inform you that we are the exclusive distributor of the Rite-Hite network in Quebec. In fact, we have been partners for more than 25 years now.

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