Rite-Hite: Dok-Guardian™ XL Safety Barrier

The Rite-Hite Dok-Guardian™ XL Safety Barrier can help facilities with loading docks comply with OSHA’s Walking-Working Surfaces requirement. At 58 inches tall (nearly 5 feet tall), the Dok-Guardian XL provides a physical barrier at loading dock opening and can stop up to 30,000 lb of force.

“Too many preventable accidents happen on the loading dock,” said Andy Olson, Rite-Hite marketing manager. “The Dok-Guardian XL is tall enough to meet requirements in OSHA’s Walking-Working Surfaces standard and strong enough to stop fork trucks or other material handling equipment from taking a potentially catastrophic fall from a loading dock.”

Dock openings are one of the biggest safety hazards at any facility. Material handlers and forklift operators are at risk of falling off the dock at facilities that don’t use proper barriers or gates. This 4-foot fall can result in serious injury or even death.

Made from bright red PVC-coated fiberglass mesh curtain and four yellow heavy-duty polyester restraint straps, the Dok-Guardian XL provides a strong visual and physical barrier to mitigate potential falls from dock openings. Operated manually, this 58-inch tall curtain is able to stretch across openings up to 12-foot, 5-inches wide. The barrier is anchored on both sides of a dock opening with Rite-Hite steel warden guards (62 inches tall), which house the mesh curtain during loading/unloading and provides door track protection. 

A light duty model is also available, capable of stopping up to 5,500 lb of force, recommended for facilities using pallet jacks or smaller material handling equipment.

The Dok-Guardian XL can be interlocked with a Rite-Hite Dok-Lok vehicle restraint to create a requisite sequence of operation, ensuring full-time loading dock safety. The red light on the Dok-Lok control box indicates when the Dok-Guardian XL’s curtain is safely locked across the opening. When the lock button is pressed, the light turns green and the Dok-Guardian XL curtain releases to allow for easy loading and unloading of a trailer.