Have you ever been inside a storage warehouse? If you have, then you must have seen tons of storage goods, warehouse vehicles, and busy employees checking, packing, loading and unloading goods. Almost all manufacturers, importers, exporters, wholesalers, transport businesses, customs, etc. need a warehouse. It plays a very important role in the supply chain and is essential for continuous production and supply of goods.
One of the most important parts of the warehouse is the loading bay. And this will be our subject for the week. As we go on, we will discuss what a loading bay/dock is and its primary purpose. We will also briefly discuss about the types of loading bays used inside.
Purpose
A loading bay/dock is an area of a building or warehouse where trucks and goods vehicles are being loaded and unloaded. They are commonly found at manufacturing plants, warehouses and other industrial buildings. They are the primary location of the movement of product, coming in and out of the facility.
Their primary purpose is to ensure safety and order, and to provide convenience in moving in/out the goods into and out of the warehouse.
Loading bays/docks are the most hectic part of the warehouse. Warehouse owners must ensure that the loading dock area is not just efficient, but also safe. With employees and vehicle traffic constantly moving in and out of the area, a poorly designed or planned loading dock can easily create confusion and accidents like collisions between forklifts, employees/workers on duty, and trailers, causing severe damage to personnel, equipment, goods and even the building itself. To minimise risk and dangers associated with confusion and collision, proper planning and designing of the loading bay and selecting the proper equipment as well as installing warning and traffic lights is very much recommended.
Types of Loading Bay/Dock Lights
Loading dock lights such as Stop and Go lights, flashing and rotating beacons, and dock guide lights are great tools for any warehouse looking to improve safety and efficiency around the loading dock, as they give all employees and incoming drivers clear instructions when navigating or approaching the loading bay.
Stop and Go lights – Stop and Go lights are usually composed of Red and Green lights. They are used to help manage the traffic flow in loading dock station and prevent unscheduled truck departures and trailer entries by signalling red and green light signals to the truck driver and forklift driver. The Go or green light means the incoming driver is cleared to back into the dock, while the red light indicates that the driver must wait for the cleared green light. These lights alert the truck drivers and loading dock personnel to the status of docked or docking trucks and helps them know when they can pull away from the loading bay which greatly helps in reducing accidents, injuries and damage to docks and trucks by increasing communications between drivers and dock personnel.
Dock Guide Lights – Dock guide lights are used to illuminate the trailer’s interior during loading and unloading. Loading and unloading goods from the trailer can sometimes cause accidents, and may result in harm to loading personnel and may also damage goods when a loading dock doesn’t have the proper lighting for illumination. These lights will help safe and accurate docking especially during night time operations.
Flashing and Rotating Beacons – Flashing and rotating beacons are usually used for indoor or outdoor signalling, safety systems or warning applications inside the facility. Its main purpose is to give signal and warning to truck drivers in order to prevent unnecessary accidents such as traffic and collision from happening.
Unnecessary accidents can be extremely troublesome as they may bring damage to the facility, equipment and goods, which will cause unnecessary expenses and may affect the business’ performance. Aside from facilities and equipment, the safety of employees, personnel and workers must always be taken into account at all times.