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By: FEDweek StaffWhile the trend toward more and heavier packages in its overall mix of deliveries has benefitted USPS finances, it also “directly impacts the USPS workforce, as the repetitive nature of lifting, carrying, pushing, and pulling packages and other mail can and does contribute to carrier injuries,” an IG report has said.
In a study covering parts of 2021-2022, auditors found a correlation between total package weight and carrier injuries in all quarters it studied. Specifically, “a carrier was 4.4 percent more likely to be injured on average for every 2,000 pounds of packages they delivered in a quarter. This percentage is relevant considering that each carrier handled and delivered about 8,800 pounds per quarter, on average.”
The study further found that non-career carriers and others with less experience were more likely to suffer injuries, while carriers in medium-population density ZIP codes were the most likely to be injured, which it said is significant because nearly two-thirds of carriers work in such areas.
The report said that while USPS “has numerous policies and written guidance, training, awareness campaigns, as well as the promotion of tools that mitigate injury risk,” they are not geared specifically to carriers.
It added: “Interviews with postmasters indicated that procedures for handling heavier — 35 pounds or more — and bulky packages varied by locale and that the Postal Service has no specific protocols in place on how carriers should handle and deliver these items.” Issuing such guidance represents an area of opportunity” to reduce injury risks, it said.
“Minimizing injuries, in turn, may reduce workers’ compensation claims and other direct and indirect costs associated with carrier injuries, which directly impact USPS’s bottom line,” it said, adding that management agreed with its recommendation to develop and implement standard operating procedures for handling and delivering heavier packages.
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