OSHA Rethinking Wheel Chock Rule
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration is re-evaluating a recent decision to enforce wheel chock rules
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration is re-evaluating a recent decision to enforce wheel chock rules.
According to the American Trucking Assns., which has been working with OSHA senior officials, the agency sent a memorandum to regional administrators outlining conditions when failure to chock truck and trailer wheels should not be cited. OSHA also said it was evaluating the use of spring-loaded brakes in lieu of wheel chocks.
Late last year OSHA said it would enforce an old rule which requires that "the brakes of highway trucks shall be set and wheel chocks placed under the rear wheels to prvent the trucks from rolling while they are boarded with powered industrial trucks."
The regulation is aimed at protecting dock workers but it isn't clear if truckers or dock supervisors are responsible for compliance.
ATA says OSHA is updating its wheel chock directive to reflect technological changes in mechanical means for securing powered industrial trucks to loading docks. The new directive, expected to be out in mid-May, will also incorporate several older powered industrial truck directives into one single comprehensive directive.
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