Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 13:28 — 9.9MB)
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | RSS
Thanks for checking in with us again this week, Marty here with you at Warehouse and Operations as a Career and I’m a bit excited about today’s Episode. We have our go to WAOC Safety man in the house, we’ll on the line actually, Joe how have you been my friend?
I know what you mean, for all our listeners out there last Thursday was Thanksgiving here in the States, I’m still eating on all the desserts left sitting around the house.
I know you just came off the road, you traveled quite a bit in Nov!
Joe, your from Texas, I don’t think you could sustain a trip to Alaska right now bub, it’s a bit colder there than our 73 degrees here today!
I hate talking about things like this but I recently heard about another accident that resulted in a fatality in our industry, one that happened at the loading dock. I checked out a few different articles on line and found a really interesting one at upsideinnovations.com on “10 most recent loading dock injuries”, check it out, they have a hyperlink in the article with a Loading Dock Safety Checklist I found it to be really good too.
The article begins by naming Top five warehouse injury areas:
- Loading Docks – I think some of us wouldn’t have picked this as number 1?
- Forklifts – I guess this is where your P.I.T or Powered Industrial Truck training comes into play Joe. Maybe I can sneak in my Never get on or operate any machine or piece of equipment you have not been trained to do so statement!
- Conveyors – I’ve seen loose clothing and fingers, especially when we wear the wrong size or tattered gloves get caught here.
- Materials Storage – Again the importance of securely stacking or building our pallets and the proper placement or racking of them.
- Manual lifting and handling – I think this is where good ergonomics training comes into importance
I have to agree with their number 1. You know we can never be too Safe around a dock area. I find myself letting my guard down when I’m standing in a dock areas, maybe it’s because we can see the daylight or outside environments, I don’t know what it is but I do have to make myself pay attention up there.
Quickly here’s their listed 10 incidents: Be sure to check out the article, I’ll put the link in our show notes today https://upsideinnovations.com/10-most-recent-loading-dock-injuries/
Each one of these is an individual article:
Employee crushed and killed between a truck and loading dock
Worker crushed by dock level is killed
Worker is killed in fall from loading dock
Employee is crushed when fork lift drops off a loading platform
Employee is struck and killed by falling truck wall panel
Employee is crushed when forklift falls from loading dock
Employee sustains heart attack and dies
Employee is caught in between a tractor trailer and the loading dock
Employee crushed by forklift
Employee is crushed between truck and dock and is killed
We all know, and I hope we’re taught and trained, on the dangers of our front docks. There’s a lot of precautions taken up front to keep us Safe, from Security, Procedures with the tractors and trailers to locking systems etc, Joe what are you teaching & preaching out in the field, I guess what are you seeing out there?
I agree with you Joe and I guess its safe to say that Safety period begins with YOU. What’d you think of that Loading Dock Safety Checklist I sent over to you, and I’ve added it to our show notes at warehouseandoperationsasacareer.com for our listeners as well. http://upsideinnovations.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Dock-Safety-Checklist.pdf
Let’s kind of walk through the inbound cycle as we know it, kind of discuss the A to Z process. I guess first off there’s Security, I know of several DC’s utilizing a Guard shack, a secure gate approach. Why and how’s that being used?
I think the next step could be securing the trailer or container to the dock, what’s some of the choices or procedures your seeing used?
Now that we’ve got the loads and the dock connected, what’s some examples of our responsibilities as associates or I guess us as managers to make sure we’re training our employees on, what procedures are you seeing in place and what thoughts could you add?
Absolutely, I know pallet jack and forklift operators that will not enter a trailer to unload or load until they themselves make sure that trailer is secured to the dock. I’m ashamed to say it but it took me three near misses in my early years to learn it the hard way. Once I lost a dock plate, once a trailer rolled forward about 8 inches with myself and my pallet jack in it and my most embarrassing one I even had a driver pull away from the dock with me standing inside his trailer! Not a good feeling at all, one of those feelings that takes your lunch away!
You know Joe, when I’m researching something about Safety or occurrences and reading through an Incident Investigation Report I always try and think of what sideboards or procedures can be put in place to prevent something from happening again. I’d like to believe all accidents could have been prevented, now that may not be the case always but If we’re all diligent in our duties it’d seem we could prevent them. I guess I’m talking about a Culture instead of just a bunch of processes and procedures. I work with individuals regarding their job’s, tasks, attitudes and perspectives quite a bit. That could be considered a work culture or our Safety Culture. Do you do any work or training regarding a strong Safety Culture, lead us down that path Sir!
A couple of weeks ago we visited with Lavoil and Nelson on our Safety Meetings, how they prepare for them, why there important and how they as Managers they keep us as Associates engaged. I think that engagement by all is what plants the seeds for that Culture don’t you?
Over the weekend In a new Facebook Group called Warehouse Equipment Operators Community the question was asked Where are the Dangers found in the Warehouse and I found the answers really interesting and spot on. A few things that were mentioned were the Trailer Yards and Dock areas, kind of goes along with todays Topics nicely. Another member from Florida mentioned how dangerous broken boards from pallets can be with nails sticking up or equipment running over them, oh and another member, from across the pond in the UK brought up the dangers of machinery and also Heights, when working with like scaffolding or the Cherry Picker. I think discussing Safety, sharing Safety experiences, keeping Safety in the forefront of our minds helps build and instill a Culture of Safety I us.
Joe as always, I’d like to thank you for your time today, I know you stay busy and we here at WAOC appreciate your visits Sir!
And I hope each of you our listeners enjoyed todays episode, and I’d like to thank you for your time and we hope we bring a little value to you each week. Lets all look at the Safety Culture within our facilities this week & step forward and change someone’s outlook about Safety. We may just be saving them or ourselves from an injury!