Plant floor problems · Dock Equipment
Why the dock door keeps getting hit, and what to install so it stops
Reviewed September 25, 2026. Official sources are linked where they exist.
Short answer
Dock doors are damaged from both sides. Inside, forklifts clip the lower track and the jambs; outside, trailers back into the wall. A goal-post guard, a steel crossbar on two posts sized to the opening, takes the forklift hits; track guards protect the lower door track; bumpers absorb the trailer. For the open door with no trailer, a dock edge safety gate closes the four-foot drop. On the compliance side, OSHA 1910.26 requires dockboards to support their intended load and, for boards placed in service after January 17, 2017, to be designed to prevent vehicles from running off the edge, and 1910.28 requires guardrail where a dockboard has a drop of 4 feet or more.
What OSHA requires at the dock
Regulation 1910.26 covers dockboards: they must be capable of supporting the maximum intended load, and those placed in service after January 17, 2017 must be designed, constructed, and maintained to prevent transfer vehicles from running off the edge. Portable dockboards must be secured and have handholds for safe handling, and the transport vehicle must be prevented from moving with wheel chocks, sand shoes, or an equivalent. Under 1910.28(b)(4), a dockboard where employees can fall 4 feet or more needs guardrails or handrails. Vehicle restraints with light communication are the standard way to prevent the trailer from moving.
Protection by problem
Match the fix to what is being damaged.
| Door tracks and jambs hit by forklifts | Goal-post guard sized to the opening, bolted to the slab inside the door |
|---|---|
| Lower track damaged | Bolt-down track guards |
| Wall and door hit by trailers | Laminated or molded bumpers with projection matched to traffic |
| Open door, no trailer | Dock edge safety gate rated to stop a lift truck at low speed |
| Trailer creep and early departure | Vehicle restraint with interior and exterior lights |
How we quote it
Send a photo of the door from inside and outside and the opening size. Goal posts and track guards are quoted per door; bumpers per pair; edge gates and restraints per position. They are sold with every door replacement and as a stand-alone package for doors that keep getting damaged.
Questions buyers ask
- Is a dock edge gate required?
- OSHA requires fall protection at drops of 4 feet or more. Open-sided dock areas are guarded except at the working face; a gate is the way to guard the working face when no trailer is present.
- Goal post or bollards?
- A goal post protects the whole opening, jambs and header track, in one piece. Bollards protect a point. Doors that get hit across the width get the goal post.
- How do I choose bumper projection?
- By the trailer traffic and whether the dock has a leveler that needs the trailer at a certain distance. Standard projection covers most docks; extended projection where trailers hit hard or the wall is exposed.
Do your own research
Official sources first. We link the rule, not a summary of the rule, wherever one exists.
- 29 CFR 1910.26 Dockboards
OSHA
Load, edge-protection design, anchoring, and vehicle immobilization requirements.
- 29 CFR 1910.28 Duty to have fall protection
OSHA
Paragraph (b)(4) on dockboards with a 4-foot drop.
- Standard interpretation on guarding of loading docks (1976)
OSHA
Open-sided dock areas guarded except at the working face.
What we quote for this
Dock Equipment
Dock Door Protection: Goal Posts, Bumpers, Track Guards
Steel goal-post guards, door track protectors, and bumpers that keep forklifts from taking out the dock door.
- Goal post
- Steel post-and-crossbar guard sized to the door opening
- Track guards
- Bolt-down angle guards on the lower track
- Bumpers
- Laminated or molded, projection per traffic
Dock Equipment
Dock Edge Safety Gate
A barrier across an open dock door that stops a forklift or a person from going off the edge when no trailer is present.
- Opening
- Sized to the door width, typically 8' to 10'
- Rating
- Rated to stop a lift truck at low speed (verify per model)
- Operation
- Manual lift or powered
Dock Equipment
Loading Dock Package: Leveler, Seal, Restraint, Bumpers
One quote per dock position: leveler sized to your door and fleet, seal or shelter, vehicle restraint, and bumpers.
- Leveler
- 6' or 7' wide by 6', 8', or 10' long; mechanical, hydraulic, or air-powered
- Capacity
- Sized to the heaviest forklift plus load, with safety factor
- Seal / shelter
- Compression seal or shelter sized to the door opening