By The Numbers

  • 1 in 4 industrial accidents occur at the loading dock

  • 7700 Forklift Accidents happen at US loading docks every year

  • For every accident, there are 600+ near misses

  • 21 accidents per day

  • 75 to 100 workers are killed annually in a forklift, a rough average of 87 deaths per year.

  • YOU ARE 250% more likely to die than be injured when falling from a loading dock on a forklift

  • 25% of all industrial accidents occur in loading docks

  • In 2017, employers paid $9.72 BILLION in worker’s compensation for loading dock injuries

  • The average cost of a forklift fall-through is $191,000 ($41K average medical cost+ $75,000 forklift replacement + $75,000 building repair= $191,000).

    *The medical cost assumes the forklift operator survives; many do not.

  • $41K average cost of a medically consulted worker injury

  • $1.19 million average direct cost of a worker death

  • Indirect costs such as brand depreciation and loss of insurability can INCREASE the total accident cost up to 10X

  • According to the latest estimates from OSHA, between 35,000 and 62,000 forklift-related injuries occur each year. In 2021, the organization conducted investigations into 15 accidents at loading docks, 12 of which led to fatalities. The most commonly reported injuries at loading docks involve slips, trips, and falls, particularly from the edge of the dock. Additionally, fatalities among workers most frequently result from being crushed between trucks and docks.

According to 2007 NIOSH data, each year over 94,750 Americans are injured by forklifts. A study of forklift related deaths in the years 1980-1994 showed 7% were caused by a forklift falling off the loading dock

The costs that a company can incur due to an accident can be catastrophic. Most obvious costs are the direct costs associated with an injured employee such as medical expenses and works compensation. However, the largest portion of expenses can be attributed to the “hidden” costs of dealing with the aftermath of an accident.

  • Forklift and equipment damage

  • Building and property damage

  • Product and material loss or spoilage

  • Scrap

  • Production delays

  • Lost time from fellow workers

  • Loss of time from supervisors

  • Loss of efficiency

  • Cost of hiring and training a new worker (temporary or permanent)

  • Overtime costs

  • Failure to ship orders

  • Potential increase in worker’s compensation insurance based on your company’s

    Experience Modification Factor. (Annual insurance payouts for US worker accidents exceed $55 BILLION each year*)

  • Potential OSHA fine (2009 fines ranged from $10,000 to $70,000)

  • Potential lawsuit

  • For every dollar of direct cost, a company has the potential of incurring an additional $5 to $50 of these indirect or “hidden” costs.

In 2017. There were 270,000 injuries reported in the transportation and warehousing industry. The same industry also saw 819 deaths, a number only surpassed by the construction industry. The number of preventable fatal work injuries in transportation and warehousing grew 5.3% from 2016 to 2017.

What do these statistics have to do with loading docks? More than 25% of all industrial accidents happen at the loading dock, and for every accident, there are about 600 near misses. If your job has anything to do with loading docks, these figures are meant to help you understand how important loading dock safety really is.

Forklift Fall-Through

One of the most dangerous types of accidents that occur at the loading dock is forklift fall-through. This type of accident happens when a truck or trailer is being loaded or unloaded. Sometimes, the momentum of the forklift transfers to the truck or trailer, causing it to move forward until it separates from the building enough where the dock plate falls off the rear of the truck or trailer being loaded or unloaded. Other times, the truck driver thinks loading or unloading is complete and pulls away from the dock prematurely. When the forklift leaves the truck or trailer, it falls into the gap. The forklift driver often falls out or tries to escape, and the forklift falls on him or her. The average weighs as much as three cars.

Safety is an investment

Anyone who thinks automated wheel chocks are too expensive should consider that loading dock accidents cost companies an estimated $675 million every year, and the average cost of a worker injury is about $191,000. A better way to spend $191,000 is to install automated wheel chocks which will greatly reduce the chances of a forklift fall-through accident in the first place.