When you work on a loading dock, you don’t waste time. Forklifts zoom around the loading dock floor, unloading trucks and organizing delivered goods. With all this action of moving parts, you are at risk for a workplace injury.
But technology has slowly caught up to the dangers of loading docks. Electronic devices help improve safety and reduce the risks that forklift operators face. Here are a few ways technology keeps workers safer:
- Signals – Red and green lights can let you know when your forklift can safely enter a trailer. When the trailer is still too far away, you see a red light while the truck driver sees a green light. When the trailer is secure, the lights switch. The trucker knows you are going in and out of the trailer.
- Motion sensors – When you are working in a trailer, a motion sensor can alert workers outside to watch for your forklift backing out. A sensor can also help trailers backing to the dock, warning the drivers to any activity behind them.
- Interlocked systems – Work on a loading dock follows a typical process. The driver backs up, and the workers secure the trailer. Forklifts unload or load the trailer, and the truck pulls away. But if these events go out of order, accidents can happen that lead to injury. A system that only allows each action to go in the correct sequence can prevent these accidents.
Your job on a loading dock goes fast. You have an expected amount of work to do with a limited amount of time. When everyone follows safety precautions, you can avoid dangerous accidents. But when people work too fast and forget the necessary safety steps, you can see severe injuries in your workplace.
While technology can only do so much, it can help you take precautions that make your workplace a little safer.