OSHA has no single loading-dock standard; the rules come from several sections. Under 29 CFR 1910.178(k), the brakes of a highway truck must be set and wheel chocks placed before a forklift drives onto it, and fixed jacks may be needed under an uncoupled semitrailer. Dockboards must be strong enough for the load and secured before use (1910.26 and 1910.178(n)(11)). Unprotected dock edges fall under the fall protection rules in 1910.28, which include a limited exception for loading docks. This is a summary, not legal advice; the standards set the employer's duty.
The full guide is loading dock forklift safety, which also covers trailer creep, the gradual drift of a trailer away from the dock as a forklift drives on and off. OSHA’s loading dock eTool walks through the same hazards from the forklift’s side.
Technology can support these duties but does not satisfy them on its own. Vehicle restraints with interlocks that keep the dock door closed until the trailer is secured, dock lights that show status to the truck driver and the forklift operator, and detection of people in the dock area all reduce exposure. The shipping and receiving pedestrian safety page covers people on foot at the dock face.