Is Your Dock OSHA Compliant?

At Riekes Equipment, safety is our top priority and a key focus for us when it comes to helping our customers. In order to maintain compliance with safety standards, it is a good practice to “spot check” yourself regularly. One of those “spots” we’re going to be looking at today is your dock.

Make Sure Your Dock is in Compliance

The Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA) requires fall protection from elevations of four feet or higher in industry workplaces. Their requirement states that hazard areas must be guarded by a dock door, guard rail, dock net, folding gate, or an equivalent barrier. As a minimum requirement, the guard should also be able to withstand a concentrated load of 200lbs. In 2016, falls to a lower level ranked third on the list of top ten causes of disabling workplace injuries. This just goes to show how important it is to double-check that you’re meeting the safety standards!

Along with the installation of a safeguard, there are many other safety requirements your dock must meet to remain in compliance with OSHA. For example:

• When your dock door is open with a trailer backed up to the dock, and the trailer is not connected to a truck, the trailer must sit on a trailer jack!
• When there is no trailer backed up to the dock and you have the dock door open to let in the summer breeze, you must have a barrier that reaches a height of 42” and also crosses at 21”. For example, this could be a 42” high dock net or even two chains crossing at each of the required heights.
• When meeting the height requirements for your dock barrier, it is important to ensure that there is no variation of +/- 3”. For instance, if you set up two chains at 42” and 21”, they must not sag below 39” and 18” at their midpoint and also not be raised above 45” and 24” at any point.

With solutions at every price point, it is easy to adhere to safety standards. Not sure if your dock practices meet the requirements? Stop by and talk to us at booth #15 of the 2017 Safety & Health Summit and we can help you explore options! Mark Your Calendar!

The 2017 Safety & Health Summit will be held on Thursday, September 28^th, 2017 from 7:15am until 3:45pm. It will be located at the Hotel RL & Convention Center at 3321 S 72^nd Street, Omaha, NE 68124. We would be happy to help you find the solution that fits your company best!

Workplace safety is always a top priority, and for this reason we beg the question: Is your company OSHA compliant?