The main loading dock hazards are trailers that pull away or creep during loading, forklifts driving off open dock edges, forklift-pedestrian collisions at the dock face, people caught between a reversing truck and the dock, and unsecured or overloaded dockboards. Others include trailer floors that fail under a forklift, semitrailers that upend when not coupled to a tractor, poor lighting inside trailers, and slippery surfaces from rain or snow at the door. Controls such as vehicle restraints, edge protection, trailer lighting and separated walkways each target one of these hazards directly.
The full guide is loading dock forklift safety, covering falls, trailer creep and dock-face traffic. OSHA 1910.178 requires set brakes and wheel chocks on highway trucks being boarded and dockboards secured before they are driven over, and 1910.26 sets further dockboard requirements.
For people on foot at the dock, see shipping and receiving pedestrian safety. A forklift risk assessment ranks which of these hazards matter most at your doors.