Keep letter carriers safe
The Plymouth Post Office requests that customers clear their mailboxes and walkways of snow and ice during the winter months. Postal Service letter carriers have suffered serious injuries related to slips, trips and falls during the past years.
“We want to assure there are no delays in mail delivery caused by letter carriers being unable to approach mailboxes safely,” said Plymouth Postmaster Jean Hilsmann.
Letter carriers are advised to not risk a vehicle accident or a fall if access to a mailbox is not free of snow or ice. In those cases, mail may be returned and delivery reattempted the next day.
“No one wants to inconvenience the customer,” Hilsmann said. “But we must ensure the safety of our employees.”
The Postal Service is asking customers to help keep their letter carrier safe this winter by keeping walkways, steps and porches clear of snow and ice that can lead to dangerous falls.
Additionally:
• Customers are asked to clear enough snow from curbside boxes to allow mail trucks to approach the box, deliver the mail, and to drive away from the box without danger or the need for backing.
• Walkways should be cleared of snow and ice and allow enough traction to avoid slips, trips or falls. Keep particular attention to areas affected by gutter runoff that refreezes onto the sidewalk.
• Steps should also be kept clear of ice and snow and in good repair so as not to cause injury to the letter carriers or others who visit the customer’s home.
• Overhangs should be clear and free of snow and ice to avoid injury.
The best way to avoid injury is prevention. Please help your letter carrier provide you with the best service, as safely as possible.
A self-supporting government enterprise, the United States Postal Service is the only delivery service that reaches every address in the nation, 150 million residences, businesses and Post Office boxes.
The Postal Service receives no tax dollars. With 36,000 retail locations and the most frequently visited Web site in the federal government, the Postal Service relies on the sale of postage, products and services to pay for operating expenses.
Named the Most Trusted Government Agency five consecutive years and the sixth Most Trusted Business in the nation by the Ponemon Institute, the Postal Service has annual revenue of more than $68 billion and delivers nearly half the world’s mail. If it were a private sector company, the Postal Service would rank 28th in the 2009 Fortune 500.
