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TOOL BOX Dangerous load If your work involves spending time at a busy loading dock, then you’ll need to be prepared for ever-changing hazards. The commonplace loading dock presents an uncommon 22 degree of danger for workers in a wide range of industries throughout B.C. “Businesses of all types and sizes may have a shipping and receiving component, so loading docks are found all over the place,” says WorkSafeBC occupational safety officer Andrew Lim. “They’re all full of hazards that increase in the busiest times, during periods of chaos, when loading and unloading is happening. “Things can get quite hairy, then, and the risk of injury is higher.” Loading docks are found in hospitals, warehouses, commercial March / April 2013 WorkSafe Magazine By Lynn Welburn and industrial buildings, manufacturing plants, and offices. They’re always hectic and hard-to-predict environments, Lim says, with forklifts and workers moving products around, and then ramping up activity every time a vehicle arrives to load or unload. “No matter where a loading dock is — whether it’s part of a manufacturing plant or a warehouse — you’ll find common safety concerns,” Lim says. “Primarily, workers need to deal with traffic. You have people and vehicles both in the yards and inside the buildings. You can have visibility issues at night, and tonnes of heavy freight being
Sarwan Singh Bhango, a forklift operator for Simard Westlink in Richmond, B.C., loads his trailer only after locking out, securing the ramp, and relying on red-and-green-light sensors to confirm safe loading. moved around at all times. Plus, all of the work is being done as quickly as possible.” Workers should anticipate multiple hazards Loading dock risks range from repetitive stress injuries to major trauma — and even death — says WorkSafeBC occupational safety officer Sugavanam Prabhakaran. So, workers need to be vigilant in addressing both minor and major hazards if they want to stay safe and healthy. That means workers need to be trained to deal with heavy equipment, and ensure they work only on the equipment they’ve received training for, he says. They need to make sure vehicles that need loading and unloading are secure and immobile, keep the ground outside and the floor inside clear of obstructions or hazards, and have well-understood procedures so everyone knows what, when, where, and how to do their work. Among the more devastating injuries Prabhakaran has seen around loading docks are workers who were injured or crushed by falling freight. This is sometimes caused by load shifts in containers coming from overseas. “You can get 20-to-30-pound (9-to-14-kg) boxes falling. So, anytime you open the doors of a truck or container, it’s important to stand in a protected place,” he says. “Don’t ever try to stop a falling load, because you can be crushed.” “ No matter where a loading dock is — whether it’s part of a manufacturing plant or a warehouse — you’ll find common safety concerns.” —WorkSafeBC occupational safety officer Andrew Lim Ensure that a truck being loaded or unloaded has its tires properly chocked so the trailer doesn’t begin to creep away from the dock. That can lead to the ramp falling off, and sometimes the forklift and driver as well, he says. Other risks are less traumatic, but not without potentially long-term consequences. “If the ramp between the loading dock and the trailer that’s being unloaded is not adjusted properly, every time the forklift driver rolls over it, there will be a little bump,” Prabhakaran says. “It doesn’t seem like much: just a jump each time they pass over the ramp. But when you do that hundreds of times a day for years, it can cause serious back strain that’s debilitating and can lead to pain and lost time from work.” As well, Lim points out that forklift drivers aren’t the only ones who face risks on a loading dock. Sometimes their actions pose risks to other workers. “Employers need to set up a good system to keep pedestrians and workers using hand trucks out of the way of forklifts,” he says. “The onus is on the workers, who are working around equipment, to ensure they’re seen by the operator. That means wearing high-visibility vests and remembering that pedestrians don’t have the right-of-way in these locations.” Procedures and training protect dock workers Fourteen years ago, Sandra Kolberg worked for a warehouse and logistics company, driving forklifts and “throwing boxes” in a warehouse. Between 2005 and 2011, she worked as a supervisor for Damco (Maersk) Distribution Services Canada. She became the company’s health and safety manager in 2007, charged with improving policies and procedures for workplace safety — and WorkSafe Magazine March / April 2013 23
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