Preventing Accidents By Improving Loading Bay Safety Procedures

Even after many improvements to loading bay equipment over the years, the continued number of accidents suggest that loading bays remain the most dangerous part of any warehouse. Forklifts and trucks are very often implicated in these accidents, however, similarly to loading bay equipment, much has been done to improve the safety of forklifts, trucks and other vehicles in a loading situation. Statistics show that the vast majority of injuries and fatalities related to loading bays are not to truck drivers or shutter door operators, but to pedestrians walking around them.

This statistic shows that the solution to improving loading bay safety is not to improve the safety of equipment, but to improve procedural safety and to improve housekeeping so as to avoid loading bay accidents. No matter how many safety devices are present at a particular loading bay, accidents can still happen if safety procedures are not followed by individuals and a loading bay area is not kept tidy.

Safety training is key to improving loading bay safety procedures. Any individuals involved in working near a loading bay should be fully trained and inducted to exercise correct loading bay safety procedures, including forklift and truck drivers. Extra care should be taken when training any temporary staff that are not familiar with loading bay equipment, forklifts or any other vehicles that could be a hazard. Care should also be taken to make use of necessary safety signs around loading bays, warning pedestrians and drivers of possible hazards. Signs must be displayed or mounted so that they can be seen clearly.

Lighting is very important in assuring safety in loadingbays. It is important that forklift or truck drivers are presented with adequate light to be able to discern all pedestrians and objects clearly to prevent possible collisions. Likewise, designated areas for pedestrians only must be marked clearly for pedestrians and drivers to see. A large number of cases where pedestrians are hit are because the driver does not see the pedestrian that they hit.

Although training and sufficient lighting is essential in improving loading bay safety, good house-keeping can play just as big a part in preventing loading bay accidents. Debris or obstacles lying around a loading bay floor, or even potholes or other damages to floor surfaces can not only cause accidents, but also cause serious and expensive damage to vehicles and other loading bay equipment, and any stored goods.

All individuals near loading bays must be sure to stand clear when opening vehicle or container doors in case something is not packed or stored safely and may fall out and cause serious injury or worse. People must also take care to stay clear or heavy roller shutter doors, which are very heavy and could be extremely dangerous if not operated correctly.

All of these procedures must be implemented in order to improve loading bay safety procedures and prevent accidents in loading bays. To find out more about loading bay safety, you can visit www.amberdoors.co.uk