FACTS
- To prevent the hazards associated with trailer creep, all trailers should be restrained during loading and unloading operations. The most common form of restraint is wheel chocks, which are wedge-shaped blocks placed in front of the rear wheels of the trailer. When used correctly, wheel chocks prevent trailer creep by limiting the forward movement of the trailer. Lack of traction between the chock and the pavement, often caused by rain, snow and ice, may cause the chock to slip, thereby reducing its effectiveness.
- It is critical to block all forms of hazardous energy including: potential energy due to gravity, hydraulic pressure, or any stored energy that may cause equipment to move or drift, such as electrical or mechanical energy. The lack of blocking allows equipment to move or drop, striking workers, which could lead to fatal and critical injuries.
- Unless you have ensured that raised equipment cannot move by securely blocking movement, the potential for collapse is very great. In the majority of incidents where equipment has unexpectedly come down, the person under it had no time to react and escape – it happens faster than you can move.
- Chocking (or blocking) prevents tractor trailer trucks from rolling or overturning while being loaded, unloaded or serviced. Chocking is especially important on uneven or sloped surfaces.
STATS
- In 2020, the U.S. mining industry saw fatal accidents claim the lives of 29 workers, according to the U.S. Department of Labor. Vehicle-related incidents cause a large portion of these accidents year after year and highlight the need for proper mining safety equipment, such as wheel chocks.
- More than 25% of all industrial accidents happen at the loading dock, and for every accident, there are about 600 near misses.
- In a number of cases, (28 %) instances of wheels not being properly secured resulted in trucking catastrophes—injuries or fatalities that could have been avoided with proper use of tractor trailer safety equipment like industrial wheel chocks.
- In 2017, there were 270,000 injuries reported in the transportation and warehousing industry caused by improper truck wheel choking and blocking. The same industry also saw 819 deaths, a number only surpassed by the construction industry. The number of preventable fatal work injuries in transportation and warehousing grew 5.3% in 2017.
- Data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) indicates that an average of 3 workers are killed and many more are injured in loading dock accidents caused by inadequate or improper wheel chocks each year.