Door Dok-Guardian Safety Barriers Frequently Asked Questions
The Basics |
Q: What is the Door Dok-Guardian?
A: The Door Dok-Guardian is a unique product which provides loading dock fall protection and dock door maintenance solutions for facilities which enforce a "closed door" policy.
Q: What are the components?
A: The Door Dok-Guardian consists of the Universal GX-4000 bottom panel, two 31" high, 1/4" thick steel Warden door guards, and one 6" high restraining strap that is a total of 18" off the floor and attached to the bottom panel.
Q: How does the Door Dok-Guardian operate?
A: The strap of the Door Dok-Guardian travels up and down with the door as it is opened or closed. When the door is closed, the steel brackets that are attached to the end of the strap slide into the Wardens to provide a barrier that will stop a 10,000 lb. fork truck traveling at 4 mph.
Q: What benefits does the Door Dok-Guardian provide?
A: The strap has safety striping on it and provides a visual warning of the dangerous dropoff that exists on the other side of the closed door. In a situation where a fork truck crashes into a loading dock door, it becomes great safety insurance by preventing a catastrophic accident.
In addition, the GX-4000 bottom panel and the heavy-duty steel Wardens significantly reduce door maintenance costs. The flexible, impactable GX-4000 panel shrugs off most inadvertent fork truck impacts without damage. The 31" high Wardens protect door tracks where they are most vulnerable.
Q: Who are the best candidates for this product?
A: Facilities where a “closed door” policy is enforced. Companies typically have “closed door” policies because they need to control the air quality in their facility and/or for security purposes. Both of these issues have become more important for more companies in recent years.
Of course, the best candidates for this product will also be safety conscious. Even then, many people have the perception that a closed dock door helps keep their loading dock safe. For pedestrians, closed doors do improve safety at the dock; however, not for fork trucks. In fact, the closed door simply hides the danger by blocking the dropoff from sight, while providing minimal, if any, protection for fork trucks gone astray.
The Impact
Q: What actually happens when a fork truck impacts a dock door which is equipped with the Door Dok-Guardian?
A: In the case of a severe impact by a fork truck, the Dok-Guardian strap absorbs the impact and the force is transferred to the steel Wardens, preventing the fork truck from going through the door opening and off the loading dock.
The GX-4000 bottom panel will survive the impact with minor repair required, such as reattachment of a hinge/roller. If the other panels of the door are standard sectional door panels, one or more of them are likely to be damaged.
In this type of impact, the brackets that attach the strap to the door panel are designed to separate from the bottom door panel to minimize any damage. The brackets can be easily reattached to put the Door Dok-Guardian back in operation.
Application & Installation Information
Q: What if there are existing bollards in place that can’t be easily removed or relocated? A: In many cases, it will be possible to install the steel Wardens of the Door Dok-Guardian between the door track and the bollards. There is flexibility built into the design of the product to allow for a variety of applications. The drawing on the literature provides the proper location of the Wardens and the amount of allowable variance from this location in both directions.
Q: How much does the Door Dok-Guardian add to the door weight?
A: About 35 pounds. On a retro-fit basis, the door springs will need to be adjusted or replaced. Sold with a complete new door, this must be known in order to size the springs corrrectly.
Q: Can you attach the system to a standard door section without replacing it with a GX-4000 Universal panel?
A: No. The flexible GX-4000 panel is critical to the operation of the Door Dok-Guardian. A standard door section becomes bent when impacted and would effect the location of the steel brackets at the end of the strap, and potentially preventing the system from operating properly.
Q: Does the location and weight of the strap and brackets make it more difficult to open a non-powered door?
A: There is a strap included on the Door Dok-Guardian which actually makes the lifting of the door easier.
Q: How does the Dok-Guardian look from outside the facility?
A: The brackets attaching the strap to the GX-4000 bottom panel are through-bolted and there is a washer and nut showing on the outside of the panel. They are painted white to blend with the panel. Otherwise, it looks the same as any GX-4000 bottom panel application.
Q: How long does installation take?
A: For a retrofit installation to an existing door, installation should take about 2-2.5 hours plus whatever time is required to adjust or replace the door springs. This includes replacing the bottom panel, anchoring the Wardens and attaching the restraining strap.
For installation with a complete new door, the installation time is much less.
Shipping Point
Q: Where will the Door Dok-Guardian ship from?
A: Cudahy, WI 53110
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