03 Nov Chocking and Blocking Safety

Chocking and Blocking Safety

Chocking and blocking are important methods for preventing the unexpected movement of vehicles, trailers, mobile equipment, cargo, and equipment components. Proper use can prevent struck-by, caught-between, crushing, rollover, and loading-dock incidents.

Chocking and Blocking Hazards

Unexpected movement can occur during:

• Loading and unloading;
• Hitching and unhitching trailers;
• Parking mobile equipment;
• Entering trailers with forklifts or other powered industrial trucks;
• Transporting or unloading cargo; and
• Servicing, repairing, or maintaining equipment.

Never place yourself between, beneath, or in the path of equipment or materials that have not been adequately secured against movement.

Wheel Chocks

Use wheel chocks that are specifically designed and appropriately sized for the vehicle, tire, surface, and conditions.

• Do not substitute rocks, scrap lumber, concrete blocks, or other makeshift materials for approved wheel chocks.
• Inspect chocks before use for cracks, deformation, excessive wear, contamination, or other damage.
• Place chocks firmly against the tires.
• Ensure the chock rests squarely on a firm surface.
• Consider the direction of potential movement, grade, vehicle configuration, and manufacturer’s instructions when determining chock placement.
• Keep wheel chocks readily available where vehicles and trailers are routinely secured.
• Store chocks where they will remain accessible and protected from damage.

Wheel chocks supplement required parking brakes and other vehicle-securing procedures; they should not be used as a substitute for properly functioning brakes.

Parking and Securing Vehicles

Before leaving a truck, tractor, trailer, or other mobile equipment:

• Bring the equipment to a complete stop.
• Place the transmission or controls in the appropriate parked or neutral position as required by the manufacturer.
• Set the parking brake.
• Lower attachments or implements when applicable.
• Shut down and secure the equipment as required.
• Chock the wheels when required by the task, site conditions, or applicable procedures.

On grades or uneven surfaces, additional precautions may be necessary to prevent movement.

Loading Dock and Trailer Safety

Unexpected trailer movement away from a loading dock can cause a forklift to fall between the trailer and dock, resulting in serious injury or death.

Before loading or unloading a trailer:

• Verify that the trailer has been secured against movement.
• Use wheel chocks, a vehicle-restraint system, or other approved means as required.
• Confirm that the restraint is properly engaged before entering the trailer.
• Ensure the dock plate or dockboard is properly positioned and secured.
• Inspect the trailer floor for deterioration, holes, weakness, or other damage.
• Verify that the trailer floor can support the combined weight of the forklift, operator, and load.
• Ensure adequate lighting and clearance inside the trailer.

Do not enter a trailer with a forklift until the trailer has been properly secured.

Trailer Support

A semitrailer that is not attached to a tractor may tip or collapse when a powered industrial truck enters it.

When required, use fixed jacks or other suitable supports to prevent an uncoupled trailer from upending during loading and unloading. Supports must be properly positioned and capable of supporting the anticipated load.

Cargo Blocking and Securement

Cargo must be secured against movement during transportation, loading, and unloading. Shifting cargo can strike or crush workers and may adversely affect vehicle stability.

Before moving or unloading cargo:

• Inspect the load for signs of shifting or instability.
• Use appropriate blocking, bracing, dunnage, straps, chains, or other approved securement methods.
• Secure round, wheeled, cylindrical, or other materials that can roll.
• Use blocking materials of sufficient strength for the anticipated load.
• Do not rely on adjacent unsecured cargo to restrain a load.
• Keep employees out of areas where shifting or falling materials could strike them.
• Release load securement carefully when there is evidence that cargo has shifted during transit.

Cargo securement methods must be appropriate for the material and comply with applicable transportation and company requirements.

Blocking Equipment During Maintenance

Blocking is also used to prevent equipment components from falling, lowering, rotating, or otherwise moving during servicing and maintenance.

Before working beneath or between raised equipment or components:

• Shut down the equipment.
• Control hazardous energy in accordance with the company’s Lockout/Tagout Program.
• Lower equipment to a safe position whenever possible.
• Install manufacturer-approved blocking, stands, pins, or other positive mechanical restraints when components must remain elevated.
• Relieve or control stored hydraulic, pneumatic, mechanical, gravitational, or other energy.
• Verify that the equipment is stable before beginning work.

Never rely solely on hydraulic pressure, jacks, hoists, or other lifting devices to support equipment while an employee works beneath it.

Employee Responsibilities

Employees should:

• Follow established chocking, blocking, and vehicle-restraint procedures.
• Inspect chocks, blocking, and restraints before use.
• Never remove another worker’s protective blocking or restraint without authorization.
• Stay clear of pinch points and potential paths of movement.
• Report damaged or missing chocks, restraints, dock equipment, or blocking materials.
• Never bypass dock restraints or other safety devices.
• Stop work when a vehicle, trailer, load, or equipment component cannot be adequately secured.

Remember

A parking brake, hydraulic system, or assumption that equipment will remain stationary is not enough when unexpected movement could injure someone. Chock it, block it, secure it, and verify stability before beginning work.