Eventually, everyday wear and tear over time can cause your warehouse doors to become damaged and become less efficient - or even dangerous! Although you may think preventative maintenance only applies to warehouse equipment such as forklift batteries and industrial shelving, your warehouse door repair is just as important - and can have the same consequences if left ignored!
When warehouse loading dock doors are exposed to frequent use and weather, they’ll wear out faster, causing you to worry about warehouse door mishaps. To improve the useful life of your warehouse dock doors and reduce the chances of any dangerous accidents, keeping up on warehouse door repair is essential.
Industrial Overhead Door Safety and OSHA Considerations
When warehouse doors become damaged, dangerous mishaps can occur as a result. Maintenance managers need to stay informed on proper industrial door safety so they can protect employees and follow OSHA considerations.
Industrial doors should be inspected to avoid any mishaps from any damage to the structure. For instance, cables support the entire weight of the door. If cables are frayed or undersized, they can break and leave one side of the door unsupported - or worse - may even fall on employees. Cables may need to be replaced several times throughout an overhead door’s lifetime.
Rolling doors need to be inspected in case rollers need to be repaired. Rollers guide the door in its tracks and worn rollers can impede movement and cause the door to jam, resulting in extensive warehouse door repair and down time for your warehouse’s loading dock.
Although there are no specific OSHA requirements for industrial door safety, there are safety considerations that maintenance managers should follow. Industrial door docs are still subject to OSHA’s General Duty Clause: Section 5:
Duties (a) Each employer— (1) shall furnish to each of his employees employment and a place of employment which are free from recognized hazards that are causing or are likely to cause death or serious physical harm to his employees…
So although there are no OSHA requirements, Section 5 can still be used towards OSHA citations and penalties for employee injuries relating to industrial door mishaps.
Three Common Warehouse Mishaps That Require Industrial Door Repairs
These common warehouse door mishaps require industrial repairs in order to protect your employees.
Storm Damage
Your warehouse overhead doors protect the loading dock and interior of the warehouse from the environment - but you also have to make sure your doors themselves are protected as well! Besides general wear and tear from storms, warehouse managers in Florida must prepare their doors for the yearly hurricane season.
During a hurricane, your loading dock area must withstand high winds and rain and possibly even flood water depending on your location and the intensity of the storm. This can cause doors and walls to collapse, a major hazard. Hurricane-force winds can blow in walls or tear doors from their frames—warehouse doors are especially vulnerable since they’re a structural weak point. Also, high winds can pick up and throw objects or knock over trees, light poles, and other tall objects.
Damage from Equipment
Your industrial doors can be damaged from forklifts or other equipment. Even the most experienced drivers can easily make mistakes when backing a truck’s trailer into your loading docks. All it takes is a slip of the foot or a misjudgment of distance between the trailer and the door and a driver can accidentally back their truck’s trailer right into the door.
This, of course, can cause significant damage to both the trailer and the loading dock doors.
One way to prolong the useful life of your warehouse dock doors is to install loading dock safety gear that is designed to prevent trailers from impacting the doors directly—such as trailer restraint systems. This prevents trailers from smashing your warehouse dock doors, keeping them in top condition for longer.
Potential Flooding
Flooding, whether from hurricanes or storms, can easily damage the interior of your warehouse. If the seal around the warehouse door isn’t tight against water, the loading dock door could become an easy way for water to flow into the warehouse itself—especially during the extreme rainfall caused by a hurricane.
If your warehouse is located downhill or in an area susceptible to hurricanes, then properly sealing your warehouse doors can help protect your equipment and property from water damage.
How to Find the Right Warehouse Door Repair Services
Being proactive with warehouse door repairs can be a major time and money saver. For example, consider what can happen if the chain for pulling a sectional door breaks unexpectedly. At best, you simply won’t be able to keep that dock door open and will have to redirect traffic from that door to another one while you wait for the chain to be replaced. At worst, it could fall on an employee and cause severe injuries.
By creating and following a preventative maintenance plan, you could spot the issue with the chain before it breaks, replacing it quickly at a time that isn’t disruptive to your operations and preventing a sudden, catastrophic failure.
Need help finding the right industrial dock door systems for your warehouse operations? Or, would you like to take advantage of our planned maintenance services? Contact Southern States Dock & Door today for assistance.