Every year numerous individuals are severely injured while working in proximity to the loading dock, several of which have been fatal. As the St. Louis economy shows signs of growth in the warehouse/distribution sectors, safety appears to be in decline.
One of the best ways to combat injury at your loading dock is to use a 'trailer restraint.' Restraints grab onto the rear bar of a semi-trailer, preventing a driver from pulling away during loading/unloading.
The Bellville News-Democrat reports, "Police were called to the scene at 1:24 a.m., and [the victim] was pronounced dead at 2:08 a .m. The [deceased] was loading appliances onto a truck. The truck driver thought the loading of his truck had been completed and started to pull away, which caused the forklift to fall backward, causing Boland to strike his head on the lip of the dock leveler, the coroner’s office said. Boland, 19, had worked at the facility for less than a month."
Its fairly common to see individuals attempting to bypass safety policies, which further demonstrates the need for a trailer restraint system.
"The lawsuit contends that the area where Zachery Boland worked should have had a vehicle restraint system or wheel restraint system."
- http://www.bnd.com/news/local/article27312115.html