What is a truck loading platform safety assessment?
A truck loading platform safety assessment is a key component of a sound maintenance plan. The process involves evaluating all components of a truck loading platform system – truck loading platforms, safety cages, gangways, loading arms, and more. A truck loading platform safety assessment ensures that all components and safety equipment are functioning properly and providing the level of safety that the equipment was designed for. Maintaining and replacing your equipment also helps keep you in compliance and your operations running smoothly, as well as ensuring that you are maximizing your ROI in your truck loading platform system.
How Effective Is Your Truck Loading Platform?
Since every loading site is different and faces unique challenges, there is no simple answer to this question. There are, however, a range of factors that our safety experts will consider when evaluating the effectiveness of your truck loading platform, as well as your overall safety requirements and goals. These include:
- Product properties and potential hazards associated with loading and unloading particular chemicals from tanker trucks and/or railcars.
- Site-specific loading processes include the amount and sizes of trailers being loaded and/or unloaded, traffic flow, space constraints, existing configurations, and equipment that is currently being used.
- Environmental and climate considerations.
- Applicable safety standards, procedures, and best practices.
- Any power limitations that impact the use of electric or hydraulic equipment.
- Whether the existing truck loading platform and other equipment have been properly maintained.
- Whether your site layout, loading processes, or the types of trucks and/or railcars have changed since your truck loading platform was installed.
Stay Compliant and Keep Your Workers Safe with a Loading Platform Safety Assessment
Regardless of the material that is being loaded or unloaded, workers must be adequately protected to avoid serious injuries and potential OSHA fines. According to OSHA data, in 2019 the rate of worker injuries and illnesses was 10.9 incidents per 100 workers, while an average of 15 workers died each day. With the right safety equipment, many of these injuries and deaths could have been prevented. Yet OSHA data also shows that employers continue to be cited for the same safety violations. For instance, in 2021 the following standards were among the most commonly cited by officials:
- Fall protection, construction
- Hazard communication, general industry
- Scaffolding, construction
- Fall protection training, construction
As leaders in the industry, the SafeRack team conducts comprehensive truck loading platform safety assessments to ensure that you have the right loading and safety equipment and that your employees are properly trained to use your equipment. Our experts can assess a specific loading area or review your entire loading operation to create an actionable plan to maximize worker safety, efficiency, and throughput. Contact us today to schedule a truck loading platform safety assessment or to learn more about our full line of OSHA-compliant truck loading platform systems and safety equipment.
