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Dock leveller and loading bay inspection
An inspection of loading bays and dock levellers. Record the date of the last engineer service, then add each bay and check the leveller deck and lip, hydraulics, toe guards and side skirts, dock door and shelter, vehicle restraint or chocks, traffic lights, bumpers and markings, with the result, defects and photos. The form counts bays out of use and bays with no vehicle restraint, and sets the actions. Every question is listed below, and you can fill the live form in on this page.
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What is checked on a dock leveller?
A dock leveller inspection checks the deck and lip, the hydraulics for leaks, toe guards and side skirts, the dock door and shelter, the vehicle restraint, chocks or interlock, traffic lights, dock bumpers and edge markings. HSE's HSG76 says defective safety features or twisted, cracked or misaligned platforms can cause serious accidents, and that you should have planned routine maintenance and a system to report and repair defects.
Last updated . Facts checked by the SiteSurvey team on 17 October 2026 against HSE HSG76: warehousing and storage, a guide to health and safety, regulation 5 of the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 (maintenance) and regulation 6 of the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 (inspection).
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Every question in the dock leveller inspection template
A dock leveller and loading bay inspection: each bay's leveller, lip, hydraulics, toe guards, dock shelter and door, vehicle restraint or chocks, lights and signals, bumpers, markings, result and photos. 3 sections and 47 questions. Follow-up questions and guidance appear only when an answer calls for them, so the person on site never sees the ones that do not apply.
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This is a starting point, not a fixed form. Once it is in your SiteSurvey account you can reword any question, add or remove questions, sections and answer options, and add your own logo, so it fits the way your team works and the jobs you do.
Details you only enter once
Add this form to a project in SiteSurvey and it fills in what the project already knows, so nobody on site retypes it and every form on the job uses the same names. Anything filled in can still be changed.
- Project: the project name
- Client: the project's customer
- Site: the site, when the form is opened for a space or a product
- Site address: the site address, from the space or the project
Site
- ProjectShort answerFills in from the project name
- ClientShort answerFills in from the project's customer
- Site*Short answerFills in from the site, when the form is opened for a space or a product
- Site addressShort answerFills in from the site address, from the space or the project
- Inspection date*Date
- TimeTime
- Inspector*Short answer
- Last engineer service of the levellersDate
- Service interval in your maintenance plan (months)Number
From the leveller maintainer's contract or the manufacturer. The form sets no interval of its own.
- Days since the last engineer serviceWorked out by the formShown when “Last engineer service of the levellers” is answered and “Inspection date” is answered
- CheckThe last engineer service was longer ago than the interval in your maintenance plan. Book the service and record it in the actions.Shown only when the answers above make it relevant
- GuidanceHSE HSG76: a vehicle moving before loading or unloading is finished (a driveaway) can cause serious accidents, so there must be a safe system of work, such as vehicle restraints, interlocks, key control or traffic lights. Dock levellers need toe guards, skirts to enclose trapping points, planned routine maintenance and a system to report and repair defects.
Bays
- BaysRepeat for each bay. Each one asks:
- Bay number*Short answer
- Bay position (GPS)Short answer
Optional. Useful on a large yard with several docks. Fixes close to the building can be rough. Tap Mark current location on site. It saves the coordinates, a grid reference and the accuracy.
- Leveller deck and lipChoose one
- OK
- Defect
- Hydraulics, no leaksChoose one
- OK
- Defect
- Toe guards and side skirtsChoose one
- OK
- Defect
- Dock door and shelterChoose one
- OK
- Defect
- Vehicle restraint, chocks or interlockChoose one
- OK
- Defect
- None fitted
- How driveaways are prevented at this bayChoose one
HSG76 lists vehicle restraints, interlocks, key control, traffic lights or marshals as parts of a safe system of work.
- Key control (driver's keys held)
- Traffic lights with a procedure
- Marshal or banksman
- Bay not used for loading
- Other
- Nothing in place
Shown only when the answers above make it relevant - WarningNothing is in place to stop a driveaway at this bay. Take it out of use for loading until a safe system of work is in place.Shown only when the answers above make it relevant
- Traffic lights and signalsChoose one
- OK
- Defect
- None fitted
- Dock bumpersChoose one
- OK
- Defect
- Markings and edge protectionChoose one
- OK
- Defect
- Checks with a defectWorked out by the form
- Result*Choose one
- Safe to use
- Use with care: repair booked
- Out of use
- DefectsShort answerShown only when the answers above make it relevant
- CheckA check has a defect, but the bay is recorded as safe to use. Record the defect and the repair, or change the result.Shown only when the answers above make it relevant
- WarningThe toe guards or skirts are defective and the bay is still in use. HSG76 says feet can be trapped between the platform and the dock: take the bay out of use until it is repaired.Shown only when the answers above make it relevant
- PhotosPhotos
- b_f_safeWorked out by the form
- b_f_careWorked out by the form
- b_f_noneWorked out by the form
- Bays inspectedWorked out by the form
- Safe to useWorked out by the form
- Use with careWorked out by the form
- Bays out of useWorked out by the form
- Bays with no vehicle restraintWorked out by the form
- Defects foundWorked out by the form
- Bays with no driveaway controlWorked out by the form
- Walk Cam: loading bay walk-roundWalk Cam video with voice-to-text
Optional. Film a guided walk-through on the SiteSurvey app.
Actions and sign-off
- Are further actions needed?Yes or No
- Further actionsRepeat for each action. Each one asks:Shown when “Are further actions needed?” is Yes
- What needs doing?*Notes
- PriorityChoose one
- Urgent
- High
- Medium
- Low
- Who will do it?Short answer
- Due dateDate
- StatusChoose one
- Open
- In progress
- Completed
- Next inspection dueDate
Set by the manufacturer and the site's own inspection regime.
- Days until the next inspectionWorked out by the formShown when “Inspection date” is answered and “Next inspection due” is answered
- CheckCheck the date. The next date is before the date of this visit.Shown only when the answers above make it relevant
- Inspector name*Short answer
- Position or companyShort answer
- Inspector signatureSignature
- CheckSigning records what was found on the day. It does not make unsafe equipment safe or replace a thorough examination, design check or service by a competent person.
See it filled in
A completed dock leveller inspection report, made by SiteSurvey from a fictional site visit: every answer, the photos, the guidance that applied and the sign-off, ready to send as a PDF.
Dock leveller inspection FAQs
Why do vehicle restraints matter?
HSG76 says a vehicle moving before loading or unloading is finished, a driveaway, can cause serious accidents. You must have a safe system of work, which may include vehicle restraints, interlocks, key control, traffic lights or marshals. The form counts bays with no restraint.
What are the main dock leveller hazards?
HSG76 lists trapping of feet between the platform and dock, overturning of handling equipment, trips and falls, and trapping under the leveller. It recommends toe guards, skirts and a device to stop the platform falling in an emergency.
Is there a legal duty to maintain levellers?
Dock levellers are work equipment. PUWER regulation 5 requires work equipment to be maintained in efficient working order and good repair, and regulation 6 requires inspection where it is exposed to deterioration, with the result recorded.
What if a bay is unsafe?
Take it out of use and cone it off. The form counts bays out of use.
Can I photograph each bay?
Yes. Each bay has its own photos, so defects are clear to the engineer.
Who uses this?
Warehouse and distribution managers, logistics operators and dock equipment engineers.
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