Skip to content
Safety topics · Warehouse

Warehouse safety topics: 10 talks for docks and aisles

Short answer

Warehouse safety topics that earn their five minutes are about trucks, docks and edges: chocking trailers, securing dockboards, leaving a truck unattended, battery charging, rated capacity, ramps and high put-away. Each of the 10 talks below gives the hazard, what to say, one question and the OSHA rule.

Last reviewed:

Print 30 toolbox talks, one page each

For plants and warehouses, with a sign-in sheet. Free after one short form.

Free to use: print it, copy it and edit it for your team. Enter your name and work email once to download.

Why most of these are about forklifts

Powered industrial trucks is number 7 on OSHA's preliminary list of most cited standards for fiscal year 2026. Nine of the ten talks here cite that one standard, 29 CFR 1910.178. The tenth covers the open edge of a mezzanine.

These are talks, not a program. For the full picture, including a scored weekly inspection, read the warehouse safety guide. For quick reminders such as the horn at cross aisles, use the 1-minute safety topics. Everything else is on the safety topics hub.

The 10 talks

Give each one at the dock door, ramp or rack it is about.

  1. Chock the trailer before the first pallet

    The hazard
    The forklift is inside the trailer when the trailer moves. The driver pulled forward early, or the trailer crept on the slope of the yard.
    What to say
    • Before the first pallet, the trailer's brakes are set and its wheels are chocked.
    • A semitrailer that is not coupled to a tractor may need fixed jacks to support it while it is loaded or unloaded.
    • Check the trailer floor for breaks and weak spots before you drive onto it.
    • The forklift driver looks at the chocks with their own eyes. Being told is not the same as seeing. If our dock holds trailers another way, the same check applies.
    Ask the crew
    Who puts the chocks in at our dock, and who checks them on nights?
    The rule

  2. The dockboard is secured before anyone drives over it

    The hazard
    A portable dock plate shifts as the drive wheels hit it. A gap opens between the dock and the trailer with the truck halfway across.
    What to say
    • A dockboard or bridge plate is properly secured before anyone drives over it.
    • It must be able to support the maximum load we intend to put across it. That means truck, driver and pallet together.
    • A portable dockboard is anchored or held in place so it cannot move out of position, and it has handholds or another way to handle it safely.
    • On an elevated dock, keep a safe distance from the edge.
    Ask the crew
    What is the capacity of our dock plates, and where is it written?
    The rule

  3. 25 feet from the truck means unattended

    The hazard
    The driver hops off to check a label at the far end of the aisle and leaves the truck running with the forks up.
    What to say
    • A truck is unattended when you are 25 feet or more away from it, even if you can still see it. It is also unattended any time it is out of your view.
    • Before you leave it unattended: forks fully lowered, controls in neutral, power off, brakes set. On an incline, block the wheels.
    • If you get off but stay within 25 feet and can see the truck, the forks still come all the way down, the controls go to neutral and the brakes are set.
    • From here, 25 feet is about as far as [landmark]. Pick a landmark so nobody has to guess.
    Ask the crew
    When you step off to check a label, how far do you usually walk?
    The rule

  4. The battery charging area

    The hazard
    Charging has spread out of the charging area. One truck is on charge beside the cardboard baler, and maintenance is grinding a bracket a few steps away.
    What to say
    • Batteries are charged in the designated charging area and nowhere else.
    • That area has a way to flush and neutralize spilled electrolyte, fire protection, ventilation, and protection so trucks cannot damage the chargers.
    • No smoking in the charging area.
    • Keep open flames, sparks and electric arcs out of it.
    Ask the crew
    Where is the flushing station in our charging area, and when did someone last check that it works?
    The rule

  5. Rated capacity and the attachment nobody approved

    The hazard
    A set of fork extensions was bought online and fitted in an afternoon. The data plate still shows the truck as it left the factory.
    What to say
    • Only loads within the rated capacity of the truck are handled. The plate tells you what that is.
    • Only stable or safely arranged loads are handled. If it is leaning or loose, restack it first.
    • Nothing is changed or added to a truck in a way that affects capacity or safe operation without the manufacturer's written approval beforehand.
    • When a change is approved, the plates and tags are changed to match. If the attachment on your truck is not on the plate, park it and tell me.
    Ask the crew
    Which attachments do we use, and are they on the data plate of the truck you drive?
    The rule

  6. Ramps, wet floors and turns

    The hazard
    A loaded truck comes down the ramp from the upper dock with the forks pointing downhill. The driver brakes. The load keeps going.
    What to say
    • Go up and down grades slowly.
    • On a grade steeper than 10 percent, a loaded truck is driven with the load upgrade. That means forks uphill, going up and coming down.
    • Drive at a speed that lets you stop safely, whatever the conditions.
    • Slow down on wet and slippery floors, and slow down for turns.
    Ask the crew
    Which ramp or slope here is the steepest, and which way do the forks face when you come down it loaded?
    The rule

  7. A near miss on a truck means refresher training

    The hazard
    A truck clips the end of a rack. Nobody is hurt, the upright gets a look, and the driver goes back to work. Why it happened never gets talked about.
    What to say
    • Refresher training is required when an operator has been in an accident or a near-miss incident.
    • It is also required when an operator is seen driving unsafely, when an evaluation shows unsafe operation, when they move to a different type of truck, or when a condition in the workplace changes in a way that could affect safe operation.
    • Every operator is evaluated at least once every three years.
    • So report the near miss. The refresher is the reason to report it.
    Ask the crew
    What was the last near miss with a truck in this building, and what changed afterwards?
    The rule

  8. The mezzanine edge and the pallet gate

    The hazard
    A rail section on the mezzanine is lifted out so pallets can be put up by forklift. It stays out until the end of the shift.
    What to say
    • An open edge 4 feet or more above the floor below needs a guardrail, a safety net or personal fall protection.
    • When the rail section is out for loading, that edge is open. Nobody works near it unprotected.
    • The section goes back as soon as the pallet is up. Do not leave it out for the next load.
    • If we take that section out several times a day, tell me. That is a reason to look at a gate that keeps the edge closed while the pallet is landed.
    Ask the crew
    How long was the rail section out yesterday, and who was up there while it was?
    The rule

  9. Never drive up to a person at a bench or rack

    The hazard
    A picker is at the packing bench with their back to the aisle. The truck rolls up behind them to drop a pallet, and they have nowhere to go.
    What to say
    • A truck is never driven up to anyone standing in front of a bench or any other fixed object.
    • Stop short, get their attention and let them step clear. Then bring the load in.
    • Arms and legs stay inside the truck. Nothing goes between the uprights of the mast or outside the running lines.
    • If you are on foot, try not to stand with your back to an aisle where trucks deliver.
    Ask the crew
    Where do trucks deliver to a spot where someone stands with a bench or rack behind them?
    The rule

  10. Putting a pallet away on the top beam

    The hazard
    At the top beam the mast is at full height. The driver tilts forward early to see the beam, with the pallet still out over the aisle.
    What to say
    • Get the forks under the load as far as they will go.
    • Only handle a load that is stable. Rewrap or restack a loose pallet on the floor, before it goes up.
    • Take extreme care tilting when you are stacking high. With the forks raised, tilting forward is prohibited except to pick up a load.
    • A raised load is tilted forward only when it is in position over the rack or stack. Use only enough back tilt to steady the load.
    Ask the crew
    Which location in our racking is the hardest to put a pallet into, and what makes it hard?
    The rule

Forklift numbers and rules worth knowing

Each figure comes from the standard cited beside it.

Forklift numbers and rules worth knowing
WhatThe numberRule
A truck is unattendedAt 25 feet or more from the operator, or out of view29 CFR 1910.178(m)(5)(ii)
Loaded trucks travel with the load upgradeOn grades over 10 percent29 CFR 1910.178(n)(7)(i)
Operator evaluationAt least once every three years29 CFR 1910.178(l)(4)(iii)
Truck examinationBefore being placed in service, at least daily. After each shift on round-the-clock use29 CFR 1910.178(q)(7)
Clearance below sprinklers18 inches at least29 CFR 1910.159(c)(10)
Unprotected side or edge4 feet or more above a lower level29 CFR 1910.28(b)(1)(i)
Travel distance to a Class A extinguisher75 feet or less29 CFR 1910.157(d)(2)
AttendedOff the truck, within 25 feet, truck in view
  • Forks fully lowered
  • Controls in neutral
  • Brakes set
Unattended25 feet or more away, or truck out of view
  • Forks fully lowered
  • Controls in neutral
  • Power off
  • Brakes set
  • Wheels blocked on an incline
The 25 feet rule from the talk. Past the line, or out of sight, the power goes off as well.

The trailer at door 5

Illustrative example

This example is made up. A food distribution warehouse has 8 dock doors. On Tuesday night the trailer at door 5 crept forward while a forklift was inside it. Nobody was hurt.

On Wednesday the night lead gives Chock the trailer before the first pallet, standing at door 5. She asks who puts the chocks in and who checks them on nights. Nobody answers. On days the yard driver does it. On nights there is no yard driver.

The action is one line. The first forklift driver into any trailer checks brakes and chocks and signs the sheet on the door. A week later she walks the dock at 2 a.m. and finds 7 of the 8 sheets signed. She gives the talk again at the eighth door.

  • Door 1Brakes and chocks signed
  • Door 2Brakes and chocks signed
  • Door 3Brakes and chocks signed
  • Door 4Brakes and chocks signed
  • Door 5Brakes and chocks signed
  • Door 6Brakes and chocks signed
  • Door 7Brakes and chocks signed
  • Door 8Sheet not signed
The 2 a.m. walk in the example: seven door sheets signed, one not. The talk is given again at that door.

Where the action goes after the talk

A talk ends with a hazard someone has to fix. In LeanSuite that hazard gets an owner and stays open until it is closed.

FAQ

Warehouse safety topics: common questions

  1. Trailer chocks, dockboards, leaving a truck unattended, battery charging, rated capacity and attachments, ramps and wet floors, refresher training after a near miss, mezzanine edges, driving up to people, and putting pallets away at height. All ten are scripted on this page.

  2. Once the operator is 25 feet or more away, or the truck is out of view, it counts as unattended. The forks must be fully lowered, the controls neutralized, the power shut off and the brakes set, with the wheels blocked if it is on an incline.

  3. After an accident or near-miss incident, when they are seen operating unsafely, when an evaluation shows unsafe operation, when they are assigned a different type of truck, or when a workplace condition changes in a way that could affect safe operation. Each operator is also evaluated at least once every three years.

  4. Trucks are examined before being placed in service, at least daily. Where trucks are used around the clock, they are examined after each shift. A truck with a condition that affects safety is not placed in service.

  5. The forklift standard says the brakes of highway trucks are set and wheel chocks placed under the rear wheels while they are boarded with powered industrial trucks. The dockboard standard asks for measures, such as wheel chocks or sand shoes, that stop the vehicle moving while employees are on the dockboard.

Take the talks to the floor

One page per talk: the hazard, what to say, a question for the crew and the OSHA rule. The last page is a sign-in sheet.

  • 10 for all areas: exits, PPE, first aid
  • 10 for the plant floor: lockout, guards, cranes
  • 10 for warehouses and docks: trailers, forklifts, racking

Pick your paper size

Opens after a short form, once.

Free to use: print it, copy it and edit it for your team. Enter your name and work email once to download.

See it on your own problem

Bring the problem you are stuck on, and we will show you on a call how LeanSuite handles it.

Schedule Demo