Safety Engineer Discusses Loading Dock Safety: Portable Loading Ramps:
The attaching mechanism for a loading ramp should be readily visible to the user. If not, he can think that the ramp is properly attached and proceed to use it. This was the case recently when a driver was using a ramp, and it fell injuring him. The photo on the left is a side view from below. If one looks carefully, the “tab” on the ramp is not in the proper “slot”. The photo on the right is a top down view. In this photo the misplaced tab is hard to see. This photowas taken during the day. It would bemuch harder to see at night. This is a poor design, and a worker was injured as a result of the ramp not being properly mounted.