Loading Dock Maintenance

It’s no secret that safety is your organization’s first concern. In achieving that end-goal of an accident-free environment, good maintenance goes hand in hand with keeping everyone—from employees to vendors to delivery people—safe and sound and all equipment and goods in working order. Loading dock maintenance is an important job as the loading dock area is likely a busy crossroads that is central to the operation of your business or facility.

Regular maintenance will head off preventable injuries and stop damage to property and products coming in and going out. Keep in mind that ‘maintenance’ refers to the daily and timely chores that keep the loading dock clean, tidy and in good repair. A maintenance schedule should be set in addition to a company safety policy that includes loading dock procedures, rules and regulations. Employees should be routinely trained on safety rules and policies, and they should be enforced for employees and visitors at all times.

You’ll find a general schedule for loading dock maintenance below. Adjust the schedule to fit the needs of your facility. You may want to put some tasks on the daily schedule while others can be made weekly or monthly,  but make sure that you clearly outline which employees are responsible for which tasks and when the tasks are to be done to ensure that the maintenance tasks are completed as needed.

Loading Dock Maintenance Tasks

1. Clean up debris, spills and any other objects or items that should not be in the loading dock to prevent trips, falls and other injuries. Typically, this task should be completed more than once a day; for instance, you might have an employee complete an hourly sweep of the loading dock area to check for clutter and debris.

2. Make sure that the lighting on and around the loading dock is adequate and in good working order, especially if the area is in use during the dark morning and evening hours.

3. Inspect dock approaches for potholes and crumbling blacktop. Complete any necessary repairs in a timely manner.

4. Ensure dock bumpers stay in good working condition, and replace any that are damaged or missing as soon as possible.

5. Test dock warning and safety systems—such as trailer-restraint systems—to ensure they are in good working order at all times.

6. Inspect dock components such as dock levelers, dock plates and boards for wear and tear. Red tag any equipment or machine until it is fixed, replaced and returned to optimum working order.

7. Ensure loading dock signs and all painted or tape lines are bright and visible, especially under adverse conditions like rain, snow or dark of night.

8. Make sure that the surface of the loading dock does not pose a slip hazard when wet.

9. Inspect mobile equipment—such as wheel chocks, used to ensure that trailers and trucks stay in place—for damage and replace any items that are lost.

10. Check safety equipment kept at the loading dock to ensure it is clear, undamaged and is either in good working order or within its expiration date.

11. Inspect seals and shelters to ensure they are keeping the elements out of the dock area.

Keeping to daily and weekly loading dock maintenance schedules will ensure that small issues don’t grow into serious problems over time. Such schedules also ensure the safety of employees and visitors, as well as cargo, so that your facility doesn’t miss a beat.