The Importance Of Maintaining A Loading Dock Leveler

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Many warehouses and fulfillment centers don’t realize they have a problem right under their eyes. Trucks line up all day and deposit their loads without incident so all seems well. The reality is that often the loading dock and, more importantly, the loading dock leveler is not in peak condition. This is a problem waiting to happen.

By the time the problem becomes apparent, it is an expensive thing to deal with. Prevention is always the best medicine. Maintaining the loading dock leveler should be one of the primary concerns of any owner of a warehouse or fulfillment center.

In this article, we will go over the importance of this maintenance so you can avoid any issues down the line.

A safe workplace

The safety of the people working on the warehouse loading dock as well as the truck drivers making the delivery should be at the top of the priority list for any owner. Any failure of the loading dock leveler has the potential to cause serious injuries. When a hydraulic lift does something unexpected, it can end up either causing an injury because of damage it does to the loading dock area, or it can cause the injury directly.

For instance, if somebody is working near to the leveler and it begins moving when it shouldn’t it can trap somebody in the mechanism and cause a potentially deadly injury.

If it causes damage to the loading dock then this puts the truck driver in a position in which an injury is more likely to happen. The bottom line is that preventing these things is going to make sure the workers are able to work safely.

It saves money

It’s easy to look at the price tag of doing maintenance on the leveler and think that it is costing more money. Although in the short term it will increase your operating expenses, in the long term it costs less money.

The cost of an injury is far more expensive to pay for than routine maintenance. It costs a lot to pay the employee for medical expenses, worker’s compensation, and the loss of production when you find yourself a person short.

A malfunctioning leveler costs far more to repair than the cost of maintaining it over time. And in some cases, the leveler could be in such bad shape that it will have to be replaced. This is a huge expense for the machine itself and the costs of installing.

Lastly, there will be a loss of revenue as it takes time to install a new one so deliveries will be delayed during this time.

It’s more efficient

Machinery and equipment working at their peak don’t use as much energy to operate. A dock leveler that is not maintained well will struggle to perform. The extra effort it takes to do the job means it is using more electricity than it otherwise would use. With the cost of energy rising all the time, this is no small matter.

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