12.29.2016

Global Manufacturer Addresses Loading Dock Safety Concerns

Category: Loading Dock Equipment
Products: Truck Restraints
Industry: Manufacturing
Application: Loading Dock Safety

Intro

A global parts manufacturer for the lawn and garden and agricultural markets needed to make capital improvements to address OSHA and safety concerns at their loading docks.

Problem

The manufacturer contacted DH Pace to inquire about budgeting for truck restraints at their 56 existing dock openings. The customer was concerned about the safety and liability in loading and unloading materials at their docks. To ensure a safe material handling operation, they wanted an effective and dependable truck restraining system that was approved by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).

DH Pace recommended an automatic truck restraint designed to automatically position itself and secure a trailer’s rear impact guard (RIG). It reduces the likelihood of premature trailer separation during the loading or unloading process. Also, this restraint system offered a lighted communication system inside and outside the dock. The parts manufacturer submitted DH Pace’s quote for capital funding for the following fiscal year and won the project. The Company installed the truck restraints in the summer.

In the fall, the customer contacted DH Pace again. They had just begun to ship and receive materials locally in smaller box trucks with lift gates which were not compatible with the automatic restraints they had installed at their dock positions.

Solution

With a new goal in mind, DH Pace worked with the customer to evaluate their options. The Company recommended to install two automatic surface-mounted wheel restraints at two of the loading dock positions. These restraints are compatible with pup and lift gate trailers. Also, they offered safety features like automatic wheel sensors, LED interior and exterior communication lights and an exterior audible alarm.

Since two of the originally installed truck restraints had not been used, DH Pace returned the restraints for credit and worked with the truck restraint manufacturer to transfer the warranty.

Conclusion

In any building project, it is ideal to identify all the potential uses a space may need to accommodate upfront. Since a facility’s needs may change over time, that is not always possible to do. Therefore, DH Pace helped the parts manufacturer reassess their requirements and offered a solution that met OSHA’s requirements, upheld their safety goals and interfered the least with business operations and the customer’s recent dock investment.

Customer Comments

“Our company has worked with DH Pace since the inception of our new building, which was built in the Kansas City Metro in late 2011, early 2012. Since that time, we have trusted DH Pace with countless projects to keep our facility running safely and efficiently. The projects DH Pace has completed include the installation of 50+ dock plates and dock doors when the building was built, the retrofitting of 50 plus dock plates to the building a couple years later, and the maintenance and upkeep of the dock plates and dock doors in the time since. The team at DH Pace has always been extremely responsive and professional to deal with during this time and has always provided quick turnaround times and high quality work. Based on this standard, our relationship will continue with DH Pace for years to come.”

– Mark, Maintenance & Facilities Supervisor