Keeping Loading Docks Clean Made Easy With These Tips

 

Keeping loading docks clean should be a part of any business establishment’s standard procedures. After all, loading docks experience a ton of foot and vehicle traffic, resulting in the accumulation of dirt, grime, mold, and other filth.

 

A Guide to Keeping Loading Docks Clean

Many commercial establishments and warehouses are home to loading docks. As a venue for product storage, loading docks see a lot of people and vehicles coming and going. Workers lug around items of varying sizes and weights, their dirty footprints smearing the surface and drying out. Some products even spill over and make a mess. Over time, dirt, grime, mold, and mildew can build up.

 

Without regular cleaning, these pollutants can become unmanageable and even cause damage. The safety of employees can also become jeopardized. Mold and mildew are health hazards, while mud and grease are slip hazards. In addition to the cost of repairs, your business may also face costs related to liability. As a mode of precaution, here are some tips for keeping loading docks clean:

 

1. Clean Daily

You may feel tempted to call it a day without cleaning your loading dock, especially after a busy shift. But, it’s this kind of neglect that can cause filth to accumulate and fester. If you want to preserve your loading dock and ensure the safety of your workers, make it a part of your daily routine to clean the area. To make things easier, adopt a schedule so that employees can clean the loading dock in groups every day.

 

2. Enforce a No Food and Drinks Policy

Spilt food and drinks are a common cause for oil, grease, stains, and mold. When stepped on or left to dry, these can attract animals and produce an unpleasant scent. They can even make the floor sticky and cause accidents. As such, it’s essential to impose a no food and drinks policy in your loading dock area. Make sure to enforce this strictly, too. Your workers deserve a break every once in a while, but there’s a right place for that and it’s not the loading dock.

 

3. Secure All Items

Your business likely deals with hundreds of products and materials every day, which means your loading dock sees a lot of action. In the process, items can fall or spill. Large or sharp items can also crack your loading dock floor.

 

To prevent this from happening, it’s imperative to make sure all products and materials are secure. You can use a plastic or steel banding to fasten items to pallets. If any liquid products spill anywhere, it’s important to act fast. Clean up the spill immediately before the situation worsens.

 

4. Consider the Weather

No matter where your loading dock is located, you must take the weather’s effect into account. Rain and snow can cause serious damage to any loading dock. In particularly cold areas, rainwater can freeze over, resulting in a thin layer of ice on the dock floor. Water damage is another area of concern.

 

When rain and snow get into your loading dock, it can turn the floor muddy and slippery. Muddy or slippery floors are not only unsafe for people, but they can also breed contaminants. For this, preventive maintenance is key. Invest in a secure dock seal to keep rain and snow outside where it belongs.

 

5. Regular Pressure Washing

Cleaning your loading dock every day can help mitigate the accumulation of dirt, grime, mold, and grease. But, nothing beats the cleaning power of a pressure washer. Coupled with the right detergent, pressure washing can blast away all kinds of contaminants. This includes dirt, dust, grime, mold, mildew, rust, stains, oil, and grease. Make sure to schedule routine pressure washing for your loading dock. The results are incomparable.

 

You might baulk at the idea of professional pressure washing because of the associated costs. Contrary to popular belief, though, pressure washing isn’t expensive. In fact, it can even save you money in the long run by avoiding damages brought on by pollutants.

 

A Safe and Healthy Workplace

With the number of vehicles, products, and people that go through loading docks every day, it’s not surprising that these areas easily get dirty. As such, cleaning your loading dock should always be a part of your maintenance checklist. In addition to improving the appearance of your loading dock, regular cleaning allows for a safe and healthy working environment. Proper business management means keeping loading docks clean, and you can start by following these five tips.

Washh has been pressure washing Charlotte homes for years and has the experience your home or business needs to make it sparkling clean.