How Loading Dock Barrier Gates and Nets Protect Workers
I think you would agree with me that loading dock safety is an important issue in the work environment. Slips, spills, and crashes can cause loss of productivity, damaged goods and employee fatalities.
Loading docks are an area often overlooked. Operations are typically fast-paced. Employees focus on the product and the logistical aspects of getting the deliveries out the door more so than where they are in the warehouse and what they are watching for. Forklift accidents still remain as one of the top causes of workplace-related injury.
(if you are unsure of what kind of solution to look into for your loading dock read an earlier post comparing the two: Loading Dock Safety Comparison
Superior Personnel Protection
US Netting works hard to innovate loading dock safety with our full line of loading dock safety nets and barrier gates. For personnel protection, we have developed our line of wall-mounted safety nets for loading docks as well as a standard safety gate that is crafted from steel and hand fabricated here in America.
How can you use these solutions?
The wall-mounted loading dock safety nets allow for a 42” height of coverage so employees can’t slide underneath the webbing. Deter any unwanted visitors from coming into the work area by creating a barrier between you and the outside. We’ve seen these wall-mounted dock nets used as a deterrent in oil change facilities to keep pedestrians from walking into the shop and falling into the oil pits.
The standard safety gate has been used as a visual barrier from personnel by closing and locking the gate when it is not in use. This deters dock workers from going off of the loading dock by accident.
What about stopping more than just humans?
A lot of businesses use heavy fork trucks in daily operations around the warehouse. Sometimes, accidents happen and these forklifts can create a wide array of collateral damage. In some instances we’ve seen a forklift completely take out the rails and upright door in an industrial setting. In our own home town we saw a loading dock take the life of a local man who reversed off of the loading dock without realizing it.
Durable, Quality-Tested Loading Dock Safety Barriers
Our post-mounted loading dock safety nets, Defender Gates™, and Ultimate Defender Gates™ have been put to the ultimate test of stopping real-live forklifts carrying heavy goods in the workplace. We have smashed plenty of gates and nets in order to find the correct way to build these products in order to avoid injuries on your docks.
The barrier gates are by far the strongest solution out there with the Ultimate Defender Gate™ and its unrivaled ability to stop a 13,000 lb forklift traveling at 4 mph. In fact, the Ultimate took 7 repeated hits at 4mph from that same forklift.
If you are a fan of the net but want added protection for the overhead door, then look no further than the loading dock safety nets on steel bollards. The steel bollards provide extra strength and upright protection from accidental run-ins.
Finally, the Defender Gate™ is a double rung steel safety gate that is suited for protection against slips and falls on the dock with the added bottom cross-beam to help against slide unders that can occur when freight is staged on the loading area.
Custom Loading Dock Safety Solutions
US Netting will custom build a loading dock solution for any specific scenario. Whether you need left or right-hand gates, special widths, heights or bollards, we want to make sure that your loading dock is the safest in the world. Give us a call and find out how we can help craft the dock solution that works perfectly in your application.
No blueprints, no on-site visits, and no required maintenance. We want loading dock safety to be easy and affordable for all businesses. Our gates ship assembled in 3 pieces and just need to be installed in the area that it is protecting. If you are unsure of size or configuration please call our sales reps at 1-800-331-2973 and we will assist you in making your loading docks the safest in the world with our line of loading dock safety nets and our Defender Gate™ barrier gate systems.
