A "CHOCKING" DECISION!...CAN KEEP US ALL SAFE
A LIFTOR Certified Instructor, who was the manager of a large distribution center, asked:
"Is it OK to use only automatic dock locks and not bother with chocks? My operations director says that we need to train operators to use both. It seems a waste of time considering that the trailer restraints of the type we installed are pretty reliable."
Here's is my answer.
Yes, and NO! AND if you guess wrong, it could be a deadly decision. If this confuses you, you're not alone. From time-to-time this issue comes up at most warehouses having, or considering, automatic trailer restraint systems. Even if you do not plan any automatic trailer restraints, we need to get clear on what is important at the dock.
When any trailer is positioned at the dock, it needs to be restrained until ALL dock workers in the area are ABLE to confirm that no person or forklift is in it when it begins to move away. If you don't have automatic restraints to activate at your docks, then, under this condition, properly placed wheel chocks are about as effective a restraint as you are going to get. In this case, use the chocks. (You do have them, do you NOT?) If you have an operating automatic restraint at your dock door, then it is adequate, faster and more convenient to use it instead of a wheel chock.
However, if your operators are trained and have learned to use ONLY the auto dock locks, they will eventually ignore the idea of chocking trailers. This can be a plan for future serious injury, death or collateral damage. Why? Because, even in the best engineered and equipment-rich warehouses, things occasionally "go wrong".
An auto restraint could "go down". The ICC bar (now called a "rear crash guard") on a trailer might be defective. The operator might encounter the seldom-used lone dock door in the back of the warehouse that does NOT have an auto restraint. The operator might move to a warehouse where they do NOT use trailer auto restraints at all. Because you have NOT trained and reinforced the use of chocks, then the operator will be less likely to recognize such "off-normal" hazardous conditions, thereby exposing themselves to catastrophe.
To improve upon the risk of a dock catastrophe when automatic trailer restraints are the predominant and preferred work standard , I have two (2) general recommendations for you to consider.
1. If you do NOT use chocks under routine automatic trailer restraint conditions of the job, train and test ALL operators on the use of BOTH chocks and the automatic restraint system. If you train them and reinforce the use of BOTH, when operators are faced with a "restraint failure hazard" in the future, they are more likely to recognize the hazard AND respond to it with safe action (get the chock out of the closet and place it correctly!).
2. If you think that is "overkill", then I still advise you to train and test operators until they can recognize a "failed automatic trailer restraint" condition, that would require the use of a properly placed wheel chock, OR "lock-out" of the dock until a safe alternative (e.g. a different dock door with a fully functioning trailer restraint) is available.
This could be a Deadly Decision. Life and limb of YOUR operators is at stake.
Gotta go, Joe