How Dock Levelers Helps To Improve Loading Dock Safety

If you have looked at a truck backing up at the loading/unloading dock area, you are likely to notice that the trailer of the truck may not be of the same height as your loading dock. 

The existence of the gap is not brought to the fore without a valid reason.

The gap between the truck trailer and the warehouse floor is dangerous. It often has been the area causing injury to workers.

But, there is an effective solution to it.

With a dock leveler, businesses can prevent such incidents.A dock leveler adjusts the gap to make the dock operations safe.

When you station a hydraulic dock leveler in the dock pit, it provides a smooth transition between the trailer and the dock leveler.

The staff at the docking bay can operate the dock leveler smoothly by pushing a button.

The positioning of the lip of the dock leveler and platform provides high reliability and safety during the loading and unloading operations.

Again, hydraulic dock levelers are a good option for heavy volume and high-traffic areas.

With an automatic push button, hydraulic dock levelers provide maintenance-free operation.

Moreover, such dock levelers ensure lesser break-downs.

The sliding barrier lip of a hydraulic dock leveler provides strength, safety, and increased reliability.

The sliding lip can position automatically to prevent accidental falls in the dock area.

Given the generic capabilities, the stored barrier lip can resist the impact of 10,000 forklifts moving at 4 miles per hour.

Mechanical Dock Leveler

These dock levelers are easy to use. And, mechanical dock levelers are robust.

The operation of such a dock leveler involves the staff manually pulling and lifting the leveler from the stored position, and placing it on the platform.

Given the common perception, mechanical dock levelers are regarded as more economical because of the manual operation without necessitating a power source.

So, if money saving is your priority, investing in a mechanical dock leveler can be the best option.

However, there is a concern about owning a mechanical dock leveler.

The long-term maintenance costs associated with a mechanical dock leveler may outweigh the potential short-term savings.

While selecting a mechanical dock leveler, ensure that there is an exclusive lip lug, header plate, easy release hold down and dual pawls, and full-yielding walk-down lip extension.

The standard features of a mechanical dock leveler include working range side guards, retractable deck stop legs, night locks, and a comprehensive warranty.

You can regard a mechanical dock leveler as a unified structure built with continuous welds at the beam, header plate, and lug connections.

Given the common mechanical dock levelers available in the market, the deck plate, lip plate, beam sections, and lugs are built with a minimum of 55,000 PSI material.

Also, the support to the deck plate originates from a centralized standard deck beam and welded side guards.

Besides, the presence of a continuous rear hinge provides a 4 inches side-to-side tilt without the involvement of any points.

Air Powered Dock Levelers

You can regard air-powered versions of dock levelers as beneficial as hydraulic variants.

Amongst the benefits, an air-powered dock leveler eliminates possible stump-out problems due to the absence of legs and rollers.

The mode of operation of an air-powered dock leveler involves pushing a start button to make it run.

There is also an inflatable airbag to aid the rise of the dock leveler.

At the same time, there is a bit of a downside too. 

In comparison with a hydraulic dock leveler, this variant usually requires more maintenance. And the airbag requires more cleaning.

Again, airbag dock levelers cause the stump-out problem due to the presence of a safety leg system.

However, there are fewer components in air-powered dock levelers compared to mechanical variants. And there are more components in an air-powered dock leveler than in a hydraulic dock leveler.

Given the current trends, an air-powered dock leveler is a preferred choice for many businesses.

Usually, air-powered dock levelers can handle around 60,000 lb weight.

The key advantages of air dock levelers are easy to install, push-button operated, and robust strength.

Edge of Dock Levelers

These versions are sold in hydraulic and mechanical versions. And these dock levelers work best in low-volume facilities.

The best position of the dock-to-truck leveler is at the edge of the dock.

It is best suited for trucks with a minimal height difference.

Again, the edge type of dock leveler is the best option if you are looking for an economic solution.

With the edge-type dock leveler, there is no need for storing or moving plates to correct dock positions.

Usually, these types of dock levelers are suitable for loading dock heights with highway trailers.

With the edge-type dock leveler, businesses can get the benefits of robust strength, ease of use, and reliability.

The general features of a typical edge dock leveler are a self-cleaning lip lug-style front hinge, a continuous rear piano-style hinge, a gas spring counterbalance, etc.

Notably, the gas spring counterbalance needs no lubrication or adjustments, easing operations.

Usually, the capacity of this type of dock leveler is between 20,000 to 50,000 pounds.

Best Practices of Using Dock Levelers

It is needless to say that all equipment needs the best handling methods to make them last longer. And dock levelers cannot be an exception.

So, here are some of the best practices for using dock levelers.

The first thing to do is to check the load capacity of the dock leveler.

It will help to ensure that the dock leveler can handle the weight of the load, forklift, and worker.

Again, you should check for the signs of any wear and tear, corrosion, or material failure.

Positioning the dock leveler is important. 

You should ensure that you position the dock leveler at least with 8 inches of overlap at each end.

You should avoid dropping dock levelers into position. It helps to minimize wear and tear at the edges.

There has to be a periodic inspection. Certified personnel should inspect your dock leveler at least once every year.

When the dock leveler is not in use, it should be lowered to ground level.

Again, it is good practice to paint the edges of the leveler.

In addition, you should consider the installation of a lip on the dock leveler to prevent the forklift, people, and weight from falling from the dock leveler.

Slippery surfaces can create danger. So, you should not keep oil, grease, and other slippery fluid from the surface of the dock lift.

Moreover, you should clean up oil spills on the dock lift.

Factors to Consider Before Purchasing A Dock Lift

Although investing in a dock lift can entail significant benefits, purchasing one is not a straightforward affair.

If you purchase a dock lift without any due diligence, you might not end up buying the right one. As a result, your business operations will suffer.

So, here are the key factors to consider before purchasing a dock leveler:

Long Term Maintenance Costs

The maintenance costs act as critical expenditures for dock leveler owners. 

Therefore, you should check the maintenance costs of your prospective loading dock. Interestingly, you might find it tempting to put money in a dock level that has low maintenance costs. 

In such a case, the maintenance costs may shoot up in the long -term, making owning such a dock leveler an expensive affair.

Therefore, you should look at the long-term maintenance costs before investing in a dock leveler. 

The status of your loading dock is the next thing to consider before finalizing a dock leveler to purchase. And for that, you should consider the equipment, trucks, loading dock, loading capacities, and loading schedule.

Finally, you should check the reliability. So, you must check the design, quality, and strength of the dock leveler to ensure that it operates safely and reliably.

Conclusion

An investment in a dock leveler can bring immense benefits to your business. In addition to making the dock operations safe, a dock leveler can make your business more productive. But, you should not select a dock leveler straightway. Instead, you should make a proper assessment to determine the best fit for your business.