Video offers tips on dock safety

A busy loading dock can be the most dangerous area of a distribution center, with potential for employees, products, or equipment to fall off the dock at an unprotected door. Not only can sucg accidents lead to injury or property damage, but their financial impact can be significant, with a single forklift accident easily leading to more than $100,000 in related costs, according to the Protective Guarding Manufacturers Association (ProGMA), a product group within the Material Handling Industry (MHI) trade association. To help promote dock safety, the group recently released a two-minute educational video that offers tips for protecting people and property. Titled "Prevent Accidents and Injuries Near Loading Docks/Doors," the animated short film looks at a variety of protective devices, including bumpers, bollards, mesh door netting, and single and double guardrails.

"The loading dock is the most active area of any facility; if a company isn't shipping and receiving product, it isn't making money," Ray Niemeyer, the chairman of ProGMA and director of business development at SpaceGuard Products, said in a statement. "It is here where personnel either on foot or riding powered operated equipment can find themselves in dangerous situations unless proper protective guarding and safety equipment are installed. Buildings and product can also be damaged."

Watch the video below.