Safer loading bays
September 1st 2007 The loading bay is an essential link between transport and storage. Although
safety standards are generally high, it can still be one of the most dangerous
areas in a distribution centre, with a very small margin for error between safe
operation and an accident comments Mike Bunn, general manager, Stertil Stokvis
The most common accidents around
loading bays occur when operators
are hurrying to complete loading or
unloading in order to meet a deadline. If a
trailer is not properly secured to the dock,
it can inch forward or back, leading to a
potentially serious event if a fork-lift should
leave the dock with no trailer attached.
It's easy to prevent this kind of incident,
says Stertil by fitting a Combilok. The
Combilok avoids this scenario by blocking
the wheels of the trailer and thereby
restricting movement away from the dock.
It is flexible and can restrain almost any
vehicle type, from rigid bodied vans to
semi-trailers, flat bed/tilt trailers and double
draw-bar trailers. Designed to be an
integral part of the docking process, the
Combilok is easily operated and, claimed
to be unlike most restraint devices, in that
it can operate with tail-lift vehicles and taillift
pits. Fitting a Combilok provides safety
for operators and drivers during a critical
phase of the logistics process. It also
protects the goods which are being
handled and reduces the risk of vehicle
theft, making it a small investment when
weighed against the potential costs of
litigation, compensation and damage of
goods.
The Combilok works by means of a
moving blocking arm that is sent out from
its rest position between tubular wheelguides.
Nothing is activated by the vehicle
at any time. When the vehicle has docked
and the 'engage' button on the control
panel has been depressed, the external
traffic light changes from green to red and
the blocking arm is sent out along the
wheel-guides. The arm contains a sensor
which judges the gap between the first
pair of wheels. Once the gap has been
sensed, the arm moves across into the
gap and then back against the rearmost
wheel, thus blocking the vehicle. The
pressure on this wheel is monitored to
ensure that the vehicle is secured until the
operator releases it. When the blocking
arm is moving, audible and visual alarms
are used for complete operator safety.
The status of the wheel-blocker is
displayed on the control panel in the
warehouse, allowing operatives to check if
the trailer is safely blocked. The door can
then be opened, the dock leveller put into
operation and safe loading and unloading
can begin. As soon as the door is
operated, the internal traffic light or mimic
changes to green, to confirm safe loading
can now take place. The COMBILOK is
disengaged once loading/unloading is
complete, and returns to its parked
position.
Among the Combilok's features are
vehicle alignment guides; a hydraulicallyoperated
sliding blocker mechanism; a
traffic management system with traffic
lights fitted adjacent to the dock leveller
and a PLC control panel with display,
control push buttons and emergency stop.
Its thermically galvanised, completely
hydraulic operation and low number of
moving parts mean it's simple and
inexpensive to maintain as well as install.
Stertil is happy to arrange Combilok
demonstrations to illustrate just how easy
it could be to make your loading bay a
safer place. More articles from Stertil UK Ltd: | 
