Why are Postal Workers Injured so Often?
When looking at lists of “the most dangerous places to work” often times you will not see the United States Postal Service. That is only because those lists only take fatalities into consideration. A USPS postal worker indeed is one of the most dangerous jobs in America. Here are some safety tips for postal workers so they can make it home safely to their families every night. Many people might believe that being a postal worker is one of the easiest jobs out there. After all, they’re just putting letters into mail slots, right? But for those people who believe that they couldn’t be farther from the truth. Being a mail carrier is a job with a lot of risks and it is by no means easy. In fact, mail carriers are injured more often than any other federal employee in the United States. Crazy right! If you are a postal worker you need to be looking at the symptoms for different injuries, because if you wait till after you retire to file an OWCP claim you are out of luck.
Every day postal service workers face a number of risks to their physical health. Most of these risks might not look like anything to the non-postal worker, but for them, even something small can be a hazard to them. So how can a mail carrier stay safe while working? Here are our tips to stay safe while you work!
Prepare for the Weather – Postal Workers Need to Be Prepared
One of the biggest factors mail carriers have to deal with is the weather. The weather can be unpredictable and comes with risks of its own. So it’s important to be prepared for any weather condition. If it’s a hot sunny day, be sure to wear sunglasses and SPF sunscreen to prevent the risks of sunburn, skin cancer, and sun-related risks. Wear bug spray on those days as well to prevent bug bites from mosquitoes and other bugs that could potentially carry Zika, West Nile, or other viruses.
For the rain, make sure to have a durable rain poncho with you. Rain boots with a good grip on them are also helpful to prevent slip and fall accidents from occurring. For cold weather, it is important to have winter boots with a good tread on them that will help prevent you from slipping on ice. Make sure to have a warm and durable winter jacket that will hold up against the bitter cold and wind. Other gear such as gloves, a scarf, and earmuffs are also useful for keeping warm during the cold winter months.
Postal Workers Have to Be On the Look Out for Dogs
One of the biggest occupational safety hazards postal workers face on a daily basis are dogs. Dogs can be some of the most loyal, friendly, and wonderful pets in the world, but not all dogs are that way. Whether they are mean, violent, or vicious can be due to a lack of training or due to abuse from their owners. Some dogs can also be very territorial or protective of their families, meaning they might bite or attack any stranger who comes onto the property. Because postal workers might be viewed to the dog as a potential threat, they will act according to their nature or training to deal with that threat. For that reason, a postal worker might get bitten by a dog.
To avoid this happening, many USPS mail carriers have dog repellants that will keep dogs at bay, greatly decreasing your risk of being bitten. It is also said that dogs hate the smell of citrus, so keeping a baggie full of orange, lime, lemon or grapefruit peels on you could help.
Although pepper spray can work and is legal, using that on the dog might cause permanent damage to them if their owners can’t get it off them in time. It is important to protect yourself, but damaging an animal who is just trying to- in their mind- defend their family could lead to bigger problems down the road in the form of a lawsuit. So, find a dog repellant online or in stores that will keep you safe without hurting the animal.
The Postal Service offers the following safety tips for postal workers:
- When a letter carrier delivers mail or packages to your front door, place your dog in a separate room and close that door before opening the front door. Dogs have been known to burst through screen doors or plate-glass windows to attack visitors.
- Parents should remind children and other family members not to take mail directly from letter carriers in the presence of the family pet. The dog may view the letter carrier handing mail to a family member as a threatening gesture.
- If a letter carrier feels threatened by a dog, or if a dog is loose or unleashed, the owner may be asked to pick up mail at a Post Office or another facility until the letter carrier is assured the pet has been restrained. If the dog is roaming the neighborhood, the pet owner’s neighbors also may be asked to pick up their mail at the area’s Post Office.
Avoid Injuries While Delivering Mail
The Postal Service offers training and guides with safety tips for postal workers, but regardless of your training, an injury can happen at any time. Being alert to the world around you is important, especially when much of your job is dependant on walking from house to house. Especially during the summer, people will be out in their front yards mowing their lawns, watering their flowers, playing frisbee, etc. So if you’re not paying attention or have earbuds in your ears and unable to hear anything, you’re putting yourself at risk for slipping on a pile of freshly cut grass, tripping over a garden hose, or getting hit in the head by a frisbee that got carried by the wind. By not being able to hear the world around you, you risk getting hit by a car as you cross the street from one house to another. So keep the earbuds out and stay alert to the world around you at all times.
Another reason to stay alert is due to the possibility of violent activities going on around you. Not all neighborhoods are full of nice people or are in good parts of town. This means the potential to run across drug deals, gang warfare, drug deals, etc. So keep an eye out on the movements of others and delivering packages to rundown or condemned houses. If you feel unsafe in an area, get out of there quickly, get into your mail truck, and drive a distance away before contacting your supervisor of the local authorities- depending on the scenario you witnessed.
How Can Mail Carriers Stay Safe?
Being a mail carrier is a physically demanding job that requires a lot of walking and carrying heavy packages. For those reasons, it’s easy for your body to begin to feel rundown. The lifting of heavy packages can cause back strains and pulled muscles. To prevent that from happening, use the proper lifting technique. Bend with your knees, keeping your back straight while picking up the box. Doing this shifts your weight to your knees instead of your lower back, which will keep you protected from any potential injuries. Here are Fed Help Medical Centers we love our patients, however, we would prefer that they can stay away from injuries. If they are injured on the job our OWCP specialists are here to help them with their claim and most importantly use physical therapy, acupuncture and other techniques to get them healthy and back on their feet.
Although exercise is good for your health, too much of it is bad; balance is key. A mail carrier works six out of seven days a week anywhere from 7am to 6pm. This could lead to the potential of bone spurs, sprains, and even breaks. If you are experiencing pain in your legs, wear a leg brace until you can be properly looked at by a trained medical professional. If you can prove your injury is caused due to your job, contact the team at Fed Help today!
