Loading docks are a company’s main point of distribution of materials and products. Over time, a loading dock can become worn, resulting in the build-up of dirt, mildew, mold, and other contaminants. As such, it is essential for an effective business to keep loading docks clean.
Why You Should Keep Loading Docks Clean
Loading docks are usually found at production plants, stores, and other commercial buildings. Various people go through them every day, with the added weight of heavy equipment and a plethora of products. As a result, these docks tend to accumulate plenty of dirt, grime, and other pollutants on a daily basis. To keep them clean, you will need to perform regular maintenance in the area.
Without proper maintenance, your loading dock can become a hazard, potentially causing employees to slip and injure themselves, forklifts to overturn, debris to fall, and chemicals to splash. All of this will cost you an arm and a leg to fix and will open yourself up to possible legal trouble. Other than that, a dirty loading dock sends the wrong signal to potential customers, repelling them in the process. In the end, neglect will cause your business to suffer and fail.
Luckily, you do not have to face these issues. Here are some tips on how to keep your loading dock clean, which will help you avoid unnecessary financial and legal liabilities.
1. Make Sure All Items Are Secure
An average loading dock processes at least hundreds, if not thousands, of items each day. Keeping your loading dock clean means keeping spills and falling items to a minimum. If items fall, they can leave behind nasty contaminants. They can even stain, chip, or crack your flooring, which will cost you more money to repair or replace.
As a safety measure, use steel or plastic banding to secure products to pallets for transportation or storage. It is also very important to secure small items that can slip through a lift truck’s overhead guard. In the case of any spills, make sure to immediately clean up all hazards before they spread and cause extensive damage.
This precaution not only helps keep loading docks clean, but it also prevents your items from becoming damaged. Damaged or lost items are losses to a business, so you can easily hit two birds with one stone by securing them all properly.
2. Set a Daily Cleaning Schedule
Keeping loading docks clean demands a systematic approach to cleaning. As such, you should find time for loading dock cleaning, even during busy seasons. To properly maintain your loading dock, make sure to set up a daily cleaning schedule.
As a part of this schedule, make sure that you remove all accumulated debris, clean up all hazards and contaminants, and ensure that all safety regulations are enforced. You don’t need to dispense all employees for this job. Just allocate a couple of staff members to carry out the work, and that should be enough.
3. Protect Your Dock from the Elements
Apart from time and traffic, a loading dock’s worst enemy is the weather. Even though most loading docks are located inside, the elements can still harm your facility. Rain and snow might provide you with a cozy night in, but they can be detrimental to your loading dock.
For the best protection, get a dock seal or shelter to keep rain and snow off of your loading docks. Without this preventative measure, your dock will likely become slippery and muddy. Apart from being a safety hazard, a slippery or muddy loading dock can potentially attract more contaminants.
4. Impose a Strict No Food/Drinks Policy
Everyone gets hungry every now and then, but there is a proper place for eating and drinking. Your loading docks serve as a mode of transport for your business’s goods. It is important to keep them immaculate and free from any kind of filth, including fallen food and spilled drinks.
To do this, you must impose a strict no eating and drinking policy when employees are in the loading dock area. Food and drinks can dry up on the surface, especially when stepped on and left to rot. Aside from producing a nasty odor, these spills can attract unwanted insects or animals.
5. Routine Pressure Washing
It is important to clean your dock daily and to enforce safety measures that reduce accidents. But for the best results, you need to perform routine pressure washing on your loading facility.
Even with daily cleaning, dirt, grime, oil, grease, and other contaminants will build up over time. If you allow this mess to accumulate, stains will form and your surfaces can crack or chip, causing lasting damage. To avoid this, schedule routine loading dock pressure washing to get rid of hard-to-reach oil, grease, dirt, and all other contaminants.
Some business owners cut every possible corner to save money. They think that hiring a professional service to clean their loading dock is a waste of funds, but they could not be more wrong. Professional pressure washing services can save you more money in the long run. They have the expertise and experience to deliver the best possible results in half the time it would take you to clean it in-house.
Pressure washing loading docks should be left to professionals. If you are unsure, you can always request an estimate before committing. If you insist and choose to DIY, make sure you have the proper equipment and training to do the job effectively.
Keep Loading Docks Clean with These Tips
Loading docks take beatings in the form of foot traffic and heavy equipment every single day. It is no wonder they suffer dirt, grime, and mold build-up over time. As a business owner, it is your responsibility to keep loading docks clean. Apart from costing you more money down the road, dirty loading docks are health and safety hazards. Beyond that, they can make you and your business vulnerable to lawsuits. And no one wants to get in trouble with the law.
If your business requires loading dock cleaning, Washh provides unparalleled pressure washing services. Give us a call anytime.
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