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organizing a warehouse for safety
Making Your Loading Dock More Efficient With The Right Tools
Sam Gomez
Loading docks can be busy depending on the volume of freight passing through them. Making the dock work in the most efficient way possible is important, especially if your dock is shipping or receiving time-critical freight. Having the right tools for the job is the best way to ensure that the dock functions at its best and is safe for people working on the dock.
Loading and Unloading Equipment
When a truck comes into the loading dock, it is important to get it loaded or unloaded as quickly as possible so the driver can get back on the road. The best way to load the freight might change from load to load, but often a forklift is one of the most important items for loading and unloading operations.
When operated properly, a forklift can move freight as well as stack it in the truck or on the dock. A good operator can unload an entire truck in just a few minutes and then organize it on the dock or in pallet racks, making it easier for the receiver to track the freight.
Hand trucks or pallet jacks are also very efficient at moving palletized freight but don't have the ability to stack pallets above floor level but still have an important role in moving freight around the dock.
Dock Plates
In order to get forklifts and hand trucks in and out of the trucks, you need a dock plate the will span the gap between the dock and trailer. Even if the truck is back all the way to the building, a small gap will remain and if the trailer is higher or lower than the dock, you have to have a system in place to deal with that.
Dock plates are commonly made from aluminum and can easily drop in place over the gap so the forklift and hand truck can move in and out of the truck, then is removed until next time the operator needs it.
Warning Systems
Putting warning systems, barriers, or signs in place on the dock to indicate where freight should go, what areas are off-limits to equipment, and what trucks need loading or unloading can increase the safety and efficiency on your dock.
Improving the traffic flow on the dock can speed freight processing but it is important that safety remains the priority and sometimes a sign to indicate a travel path or a restricted travel area is all it takes to ensure that everyone on the dock knows where forklifts and other equipment is working.
For more information, contact a dock equipment supplier.
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