Dangerous practice - propping

[RSC Friends]

Hi,
I am writing some new interpretation for Newton Abbot Town & GWR Museum.

We have a 1922 warning notice, which appears to be quite common, ours made during James Milne's tenure as GM, although the order dates from Felix Pole's time:

"Warning is given against the dangerous practice of propping up the doors of merchandise trucks for the support of coal weighing machines, for loading or unloading traffic, or for any other purpose....."

Can someone help me visualise this dangerous practice, please?
Thanks

 

[ChiefPlanner]

Coal wagons had drop down wooden doors (steel later) , and unloading staff were prone to shovel the coal out by emptying say half the wagon (no doubt a cascade of coal came out which had to be shovelled up from the ground - as it would go everywhere) - then for convenience stick some timber under the wagon door such that it formed a sort of shelf - back up the coal delivery "dray" or flatbed , stand on it and bag up the coal from inside the partly emptied wagon and save shovelling it up from the ground - there was therefore a risk of the wagon door "Platform" collapsing under the weight of the no doubt cloth capped worker(s) , potentially causing nasty injuries - these notices were fairly common on the ex GWR .

 

[RSC Friends]

I see.
Thanks