Utilizing Chock Blocks to Prevent Unnecessary Accidents

The loading dock area presents many opportunities for injuries. Trailers inadvertently moving while loading or unloading is especially dangerous and often results in serious injury and even death. A simple, effective solution to prevent trailer roll is using chock blocks.

There are many styles of chock blocks but wedges are the most effective at stopping movement. Chock blocks should be used during vehicle inspections and when loading and unloading cargo to make sure the unit doesn’t inch forward or backward.

Several factors can cause a trailer to move, including every time a forklift enters or exits a trailer when loading or unloading cargo. Oftentimes, forklift drivers don’t realize a trailer is moving because they are in motion too. Slick pavement surfaces can also cause a trailer to inadvertently shift. Regardless of the weather, chock blocks should always be used. Check chock blocks and the unit frequently during inclement weather to make sure unwanted movement is not occurring.

Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) guidelines dictate that it is the forklift driver’s responsibility to use chock blocks during the loading and unloading process. Even though liability falls on the dock owner and forklift driver, truck drivers should do their part to prevent the trailer from moving by utilizing chock blocks.

Truck drivers and dock workers shouldn’t assume spring brakes are enough to keep the trailer from moving. One of the most common Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) violations is out-of-service brakes, which are less effective at stopping motion. Drivers should only forgo using chock blocks if they are 100 percent certain their brakes are violation free and there is no potential for movement.

Keeping the tractor and trailer coupled when loading or unloading provides an extra set of brakes to prevent the trailer from moving. It also provides stability to prevent the trailer nose from tipping. In addition, some docks use mechanical devices to grab onto a truck’s ICC bar to keep it in place. These devices are equivalent to chock blocks and can help effectively prevent movement.

Jack stands can also help prevent dock accidents. Pup trailers and other smaller trailers run the risk of tipping forward when loading or unloading due to the extra weight of forklifts and cargo in the nose of the trailer. Jack stands can help maintain the trailer’s balance. They should be placed close to the kingpin to be most effective.

Even the slightest movement of the trailer can have serious consequences, especially if the truck inches forward enough to move away from the dock plate. Dock plates are not secured to the trailer and are just long enough to cover the gap between the trailer and dock. If the trailer moves even a few inches, it can cause the dock plate to slide off or collapse under the weight of the forklift. If forklift drivers are on or near the dock plate, they can be seriously injured or killed when the dock plate slips or collapses. Using chock blocks will help prevent this from happening.

Injuries and fatalities can also occur if truck drivers and forklift drivers don’t communicate clearly. In some circumstances a truck driver may pull away from the dock without realizing the forklift is still moving in or out of the trailer. Forklift drivers may also signal to the truck to drive away, then realize there is still cargo to load or unload and try to do so quickly before the driver takes off. In both situations, the forklift can end up falling off the back of the trailer or dock. Truck drivers should wait to remove chock blocks and pull away from the dock until they are sure the forklift is out of the trailer and safely on the dock.

It takes very little time to set up chock blocks but they can go a long way in preventing injuries and fatalities. Make sure your drivers don’t skip over this important step during vehicle inspections or when loading and unloading cargo.

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