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In any warehouse or workplace that welcomes double deck trailers into its loading bay, you need the right equipment to keep your staff safe and efficient.
Without the right tools you can forget about reaching loading and unloading trailers safely or the absence of significant worker compensation bills. Double deck scissor lifts are an essential piece of machinery for any setting like this.
This isn’t just about avoiding lawsuits or upholding compliance with workplace regulations, purchasing lifts like these makes double deck trailer usage a lot smoother for loading bays.
In this piece, we’ll outline some of the important safety procedures that any workplace should follow with double deck lifts to ensure that staff are protected, along with working at their most efficient capacity.
How to Use Double Deck Scissor Lifts Safely and Efficiently?
Basic Safety Procedures & Training
Double deck scissor lifts, like any other heavy-duty piece of machinery, need to be treated with respect.
This means enshrining a universal safety protocol that every staff member needs to keep in mind, including steps like only allowing trained and authorised personnel to operate the lifts.
The vital training points for all staff include:
- Pre-operation checks and inspections
- Proper understanding of operational steps
- Any emergency procedures and features
- Load capacity limitations
- Ability to identify common hazards
This isn’t the meat of the safety; rather an umbrella approach to the process from front-to-back.
Essential Checks Before Operation
Before anyone uses the lift for trailer unloading, they must complete some essential checks.
- Ensuring there are no hydraulic leaks
- Looking for any superficial or internal damage
- Testing the buttons before and while the machine is on (pre-loading)
- Testing the stability of the base
- Setting up any safety rails and edge safety features
Neglecting to complete these inspections could lead them to becoming one of the thousands of Brits injured in the workplace every year.
Safety During Operation
Once training and essential safety checks are entirely complete, there are several essential considerations that need to be made whilst double deck scissor lifts are in operation.
Load Capacity
Efficiency isn’t as important as safety and equipment protection. Don’t ever let staff overdo it in terms of load capacity on any sort of warehouse lifting equipment.
Lift Stability
Operation should only ever be completed on firm, level surfaces. Obstructions, uneven terrain and slopes can easily compromise the stability. Additional stabilisers can be brought in if necessary.
Environmental Hazards
Being a double deck trailer unloader requires working at height, so operators need to be cautious of overhead obstructions, along with factors like high winds or other distracting weather conditions.
These are some of the essentials that every employee using one of the lifts needs to keep in mind while on the job.
Proper Maintenance and Add-on Features
Like any piece of equipment, double deck scissor lifts need to be given regular maintenance to ensure they’re safe to use in the long run.
Time and operation will wear on the parts, so make sure to buy from a supplier that can offer a servicing, maintenance and repair contract alongside the equipment itself.
You can also install additional safety features on these lifts, such as:
- Capacity barriers
- Gates railings
- Electric trip counter
- Lockable control enclosure
- Retracting cage roll off stops
- Bridge plate
- Goal post safety barriers
- Spotlight/working light
- Key operated controls
- Additional control sets
- Traffic lights
- Rubber bumper posts
- Remote power units
All of these extra added parts will enhance the safety of operations when running a loading and unloading-focused business with double-deck trailers.
Make sure to find the right supplier that offers good maintenance options, along with proper installation and plenty of extra features available. Safety always starts with the right equipment.