U.S. Postal Service Shares Safety Tips

(NAPSI)—The United States Postal Service cares about keeping employees and customers safe every day of the year. As the holidays approach, here are some important safety tips.

Slip, Trip And Fall Prevention:

Last year, 17,534 Postal Service employees were victims of a slip, trip, or fall—one of the leading types of accidents for mail carriers—many of which can result in serious injury. With increased letter and package deliveries during the holidays, carriers experience preventable falls in urban, suburban and rural settings, and in all kinds of weather.

To ensure carriers’ safety, the Post Office ask customers to identify and correct hazards on their properties, including:

• Walk the path your carrier takes along your property to identify potential hazards

• Repair cracks in steps, porches and uneven sidewalk joints

• Check railings and tighten any loose railings

• Clear snow, ice, mud, leaves and other debris from the paths walked by carriers

• Keep dogs secure

Customer Tips:

• Wear proper footwear

• Maintain good posture, to help keep balance

• Avoid walking on patchy snow, ice, wet leaves and mud slicks

• Avoid cracked or uneven surfaces

• Be certain you can see your path when you are carrying packages

Holiday Packages:

• Don’t over pack boxes. Over packed boxes can cause injuries

• Items should fit inside the box and not bulge out of it

• Consider getting a bigger size box or sending contents in multiple shipments

• Get free Priority Mail and Priority Mail Express boxes, in a wide variety of sizes, at any Post Office location

Restricted Items:

• Don’t send restricted items, including alcohol or alcoholic-based materials such as perfume or cologne, aerosols, or fireworks

• Visit usps.com, or ask a Postal Service employee for more information about restricted items

Batteries:

• If applicable, remove replaceable batteries from any battery-operated device

• Wrap and place batteries next to the items in the package

• Include new batteries in the unopened, original manufacturer’s packaging, if possible

COVID-19:

The Postal Service providing a vital public service that is a part of this nation’s critical infrastructure. During the pandemic, it is focused on employee and customer safety and continues to follow strategies and measures recommended by public health departments and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) at https://www.coronavirus.gov and the Postal Service has information about how it’s handling COVID-19 at https://about.usps.com/newsroom/statements/usps-statement-on-coronavirus.htm.

On the Net:North American Precis Syndicate, Inc.(NAPSI)