Health check your loading bay

Thorworld Industries recommends undertaking essential checks and following key advice to keep staff safe and loading bays performing efficiently throughout the coming weeks 

"We recommend that companies with loading bay facilities check records to establish whether active equipment meets the requirements of PUWER (Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations), and is correctly maintained to prevent operative health and safety being risked," the company said. 

"When arranging an inspection, ensure the task is performed by a competent person. If you’ve an employee within your workforce with the necessary credentials to execute an inspection, make sure they assess your apparatus on time. Alternatively, book an inspection, for example with a Thorworld engineer, who will certify compliancy using all current, relevant regulations, under the auspices of FEM Guidance Documents."

According to Thorworld, the addition of seals and shelters can also help create a safer loading area; while improved, clearer signage, and the add-on of accessories such as traffic lights, alignment curbs and dock bumpers, can all help play their part in preventing human accident and equipment damage.

The company concluded: "Apparatus such as a ‘Rent-a-Ramp’ from Thorworld can prove useful in facilitating increased capacity, while investment in cost effective accessories such as Dockplates or Dockboards, can prove beneficial during busy periods, as these highly mobile accessories can be brought into play to enable safe, anti-slip and efficient manoeuvre of fork trucks, pallet trucks, sack trucks and roll cages, while also providing safe pedestrian access."