At least twenty letter carriers treated for frostbite in Ohio

postal 16 Comments

A report in today’s Columbus Dispatch reveals just how dangerous it is to deliver mail in this winter’s bitter cold:

At least 20 mail carriers have been treated for frostbite this month in the Postal Service district that covers Columbus and Cincinnati.

And although that number represents less than 1 percent of the carriers in the district, supervisors are warning carriers before they step out into the arctic wind.

“She’ll remind us about frostbite and how to avoid it,” carrier Andy Fraker, 52, said of his boss. “If you need to take extra breaks, go ahead.”

Read more: Mail carriers prepare for cold, but acclimate at own pace | The Columbus Dispatch.

  • Toejam

    Take ALL the breaks you want……….just be back in EIGHT….!!!!!

    • joe stutzman

      extra breaks? where I worked you would have been shot at dawn. this applied to extreme cold OR extreme heat. the heat ia a NUCH larger problem here. MR COMPUTER says the heat shouldn’t slow you down.

  • Don Juan

    That’s a joke. We don’t need extra breaks. They need to let us increase our office time and lessen our street time by casing our DPS and FSS. Our manager forbids us from casing the FSS or DPS and we have record breaking cold in our area. Just yesterday we had temperatures at below Zero and within an hour of starting the supervisors were yelling at us to tie out and go to the street. They don’t care about us.

    • Michael

      So we should stop caring about efficiency just because it’s reaaally cold out?

  • Lady carrier

    Management does not care about carriers just go out and be back in eight. No matter what! Glad I only have one year left. Not sure I can even make that. New carriers good luck. I used to say it can’t get any worse, but yet somehow management finds ways to make the job harder and more miserable. Worst management I have ever seen anywhere.

    • Ron

      that’s BS…

      • freecountry

        You are clueless. She is dead on.

  • Lady carrier

    Oh yea, we have been told that OPS does not recognize weather as a factor

  • TeflonPalin

    We were told 32 carriers in the district got frost bite. One was in my office, our newest CCA. She went out without hat or gloves. Not smart. But on the other hand a 204B was running the floor and never gave a safety talk about the cold. Plus the office was out of hand warmers. We have yet to hear anything about protecting from frostbite, certainly nothing about extra breaks. Our carrier will be out another 4 weeks but she gets to keep all her fingers.

    • Michael

      Did you really need someone to tell you it was cold out?

      • TeflonPalin

        Apparently some offices do, according to the story. There’s a difference between cold and dangerous/deadly, as any experienced letter carrier knows. It’s just ironic that carriers cann be disciplined, as has happened in my office. over something that has been mentioned in a safety talk. But when a carrier is hurt and no safety talk was given, management washes their hands. We had a least 20 safety talks about summer heat and not 1 about cold.

      • unionboy

        Typical jerkoff management response…try working for a living Michael and stop stealing from the USPS

  • POSTALNMT

    Let’s not believe everything that you see. Management doesn’t care about the City Letter Carrier…They only Care if the Carrier gets injured. Then its the Carriers fault and management wants to tell you what you should have done. If Management really cared City Carriers would NOT be out delivering mail for 10+ hours a day in sub zero temps. There is only so much you can do to stay warm. Take extra breaks, yea right, what time do you want us done. Please people, the next time you see your Letter Carrier out in sub Zero temps. offer them a warm cup of coffee, hot chocolate, any thing that will warm them up.

  • jjfad

    safety talk is we warned u, its not our fault. yea take extra breaks, then explain why u took so long. but come on, its cold, do u need to b told to wear a hat n gloves.

  • Nalc

    Rural carriers case everything in the office, one bundle, delivery is much faster. Moron!

  • unionboy

    Michael goes to show you’re just another ego driven screen watching prick.put your desk out on the dock and work there all day.And don’t turn on the office lights till all carriers return. Seen your type..I can only hope you and your type get sick and die before you retire you fucking war criminal!