Scott Archbold, 67, a postal carrier for 38 years, as he jumps off of his mail delivery bike at his next location on Aug. 14, 2024, in St. Petersburg. "I constantly hydrate," Archbold said regarding the hot days. "I like sweating. It's good for you." Image: Dirk Shadd/Tampa Bay Times/ZUMA Press Wire/Shutterstock
By: FEDweek StaffA group of about 80 House members has pressed the USPS to strengthen its protections for employees working in high heat conditions, in the wake of the recent death of a carrier in North Carolina in such conditions and the Postal Service’s statement that it will not adopt stronger OSHA standards that have been announced although not yet finalized.
“Proactively implementing this rule would save lives by ensuring that your workforce is protected with the most up to date heat safety standards,” says the letter, which notes that a carrier died last summer in Texas also while working in high heat.
After OSHA issued a preliminary version of its standards last month, the USPS cited its own Heat Illness Prevention Program in saying that adopting the OSHA standards now would be premature. The HIPP program includes, for example, training on symptoms of heat exhaustion or heat stroke and to call 911 if they feel symptoms, and reminders that carriers should wear appropriate clothing, get in the shade whenever possible and take water and ice with them on their routes.
The statement however acknowledged that the program does not include a period of acclimatization before working in high heat, saying it would be “incompatible with our universal service obligation.”
In their letter to Postmaster General Louis DeJoy, the House members said that the Texas carrier had not received the training even though records said that he had, and that “last year there were allegations of falsified training records across at least ten states . . . OSHA inspections have also found that while the HIPP directs supervisors to encourage breaks during high temperatures, supervisors often also chastise letter carriers who slow down on their route.”
In addition to an acclimatization period, they wrote, the OSHA rules would provide protections not in the Postal policy including mandatory 15-minute rest breaks every two hours when the temperature surpasses 90 degrees Fahrenheit and employer-provided cool drinking water.
“While the Postal Service is not yet required to implement this proposed rule, nothing stops you from improving on the Postal Service’s current policies to address failings and protect workers. OSHA will evaluate all public comments in its rulemaking process and consider changes to the proposed rule, but has made no indications that the rule will be substantially changed thus far. Postal delivery is among the most dangerous industries for heat-related illness and death, and so the Postal Service should be proactively expanding its worker protections using guidance from experts such as those at OSHA,” it says.
It adds: “The universal service obligation was not designed to interfere with worker health and safety, and the Postal Service should be able to adjust its staffing plans while maintaining its delivery standards.”
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