Loading Gangway with Safety Cages: Complete Fall Protection for Trucks
Falls from height remain a top cause of industrial injuries, especially during tank and other truck loading operations. In 2022, there were 129,010 falls to a lower level that resulted in days away, restricted, or transferred (DART). Across all cases, the average was 28 DART days and 22 dates away from work, resulting in hundreds of lost work hours. Adequate safety gear protects employees from serious injury and maintains productivity.
SafeRack’s truck loading gangways with safety cages are the most effective engineered solution for preventing falls from tanker truck hatches, ensuring OSHA compliance without slowing down your throughput. At SafeRack, we design, build, and install fall protection systems that integrate seamlessly with your existing infrastructure.
Why Add a Safety Cage to Your Gangway?
Manual tie-offs and portable ladders are prone to human error. A gangway integrated with a safety cage creates a cohesive “safe zone” that surrounds the operator while they work.
- Total Enclosure: Our cages create a 360-degree barrier, preventing falls from the top of the vehicle.
- Operational Efficiency: Drivers can open hatches and load product without needing to hook up complex harnesses.
- Flexible Design: SafeRack track-mounted movable safety cages can be oriented to the exact position on a cargo bed where they are needed.
- Versatility: our truck onloading platforms come in one-sided, dual-sided, pedestal, or multi-hatched forms that can match your operation workload.
Our truck loading platforms can suit a variety of materials, whether you are loading bulk chemicals, petroleum and fuel, hatching station, LPG & cryogenic liquid, pharmaceuticals, or asphalt.
Key Features of SafeRack Safety Cages
We engineer our cages to solve the real-world problems operators face daily.
- Offset Cages for Trucks: Standard cages often block hatch access on cement hoppers. Our offset designs allow full hatch clearance, letting operators work safely without fighting the equipment.
- Self-Leveling Stairs: As vehicles fill and lower, our self-leveling treads keep the walking surface flat, preventing slips.
- Corrosion Resistance: Built with heavy-duty aluminum or galvanized steel to withstand acid, fertilizer, and chemical environments.
Turnkey Installation & Compliance Services
Choosing the right equipment is only half the battle. Our Regional Area Managers (RAMs) provide on-site safety walks to identify gaps in your tanker truck fall protection strategy. We handle the engineering, installation, and final checks for your safety equipment to ensure your system is ready for use.
Contact a SafeRack expert today so we can learn the current issues you face and provide a custom loading gangway with safety cages for your facility.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the OSHA requirements for gangway safety cages?
OSHA requires fall protection for any walking-working surface 4 feet or more above a lower level (1910.28). A safety cage integrated into a gangway meets this requirement by providing a guardrail system that eliminates the need for personal fall arrest systems in many applications.
Can you retrofit a safety cage to an existing gangway?
SafeRack can retrofit safety cages to match the existing gangways in your facility. Our engineering team can assess your current setup to determine the best custom safety cage design for hazardous areas.
Do you offer fall protection for different truck sizes?
We offer adjustable and varying-width cages to accommodate everything from standard tanker trucks to ISO containers and railcars. For varied fleets, our tracking gangway systems allow the cage to slide along the platform to align with the hatch.
