The service reminds carriers to stay hydrated, wear hats and get in the shade whenever possible, it said, and noted that it started a heat illness prevention program to provide mail carriers with training and “resources needed to do their jobs safely.” “This includes during the summer months when the temperatures rise throughout the country.” “Our carriers deliver the mail throughout the year during varying temperatures and climatic conditions,” the Postal Service said in a statement. The measure is named after a 63-year-old driver for the service, Peggy Frank, who, on a 117-degree day in 2018, was found unresponsive in her mail truck in the San Fernando Valley, about 25 miles northwest of downtown Los Angeles.Ĭurrently, 34 percent of its vehicles have air-conditioning, and an additional 66 percent have fans, the Postal Service said, adding that any vehicles purchased after 2003 were equipped with air-conditioning. Last month, Tony Cárdenas, a Democratic United States representative in California, introduced a bill that would require the Postal Service to install air-conditioning in all of its vehicles. “We never want our employees to continue working to the point that they risk their health or work in an unsafe manner,” the company added.Īt the same time, lawmakers have also been pushing for better conditions for mail carriers. The company said it also planned to distribute cooling towels and uniforms made of moisture-wicking fabric, and to accelerate the installation of fans in vehicles across the country. “The health and safety of our employees is our highest priority,” UPS said, adding that in preparation for heat waves, it was providing workers with additional water, ice, electrolyte replacement beverages and fruit. “Our package delivery vehicles make frequent stops, which requires the engine to be turned off and the doors to be opened and closed, about 130 times a day on average,” the company said in a statement. The season for heat waves is now 45 days longer than it was in the 1960s, according to the report. In the United States, the number of hot days is increasing, according to the 2018 National Climate Assessment, a major scientific report by 13 federal agencies, which found that the frequency of heat waves jumped from an average of two per year in the 1960s to six per year by the 2010s. While tying a particular heat wave to climate change requires analysis, scientists have no doubt that heat waves around the world are becoming hotter, more frequent and longer lasting. “It’s absolutely getting worse,” he said. In just the past six weeks, he added, 18 of about 9,500 workers in his jurisdiction had become sickened by heat. ![]() “With the temperatures and the record heat waves, it’s getting to the point where we are getting an alarming amount of heat-related injuries,” Mr. The Teamsters have been mobilizing for better protection for UPS workers in anticipation of contract negotiations next year. The issue first drew widespread public attention in 2019, after reporting by the Center for Public Integrity and NBC News highlighted the grave heat dangers faced by mail and delivery workers.
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