Is this job dangerous to health

[Acca Dacca]

Stop carrying heavy bags and use a trolley.If you don’t you will definitely end up with deterioration in your back, knees, shoulders and feet.

During the covid pandemic I used a trolley for about 18 months and found I ended up with either lower back pain or shoulder , elbow pain walking 10 miles a day is going to knacker most of us up if we do it long enough no matter what, we're doomed , doomed!!

Are you quite tall? I did the same and had the same issues and put it down to my height

[pieoftheday]

Stop carrying heavy bags and use a trolley.If you don’t you will definitely end up with deterioration in your back, knees, shoulders and feet.

During the covid pandemic I used a trolley for about 18 months and found I ended up with either lower back pain or shoulder , elbow pain walking 10 miles a day is going to knacker most of us up if we do it long enough no matter what, we're doomed , doomed!!

Are you quite tall? I did the same and had the same issues and put it down to my height

5,11 I think I'm shrinking a bit as I get older I could never make my mind up if it was better to pull or push?

[mjd24]

It actually amazes me that the Union have not made more of the fact that increasing delivery lengths will cause so much physical harm to us. 2-3 hour deliveries for a 30-40 year career were bad enough but to now be regularly doing a minimum of 4.5 hours . . . Its just insane!!

[twoloops]

This cannot be true, everyone seems to think being a postie is a doddle

[scotchy1962]

This cannot be true, everyone seems to think being a postie is a doddle

I am with you on this one, lazy and overpaid as well or so simply sacked Slyman would have us believe.

[TopperGas]

It actually amazes me that the Union have not made more of the fact that increasing delivery lengths will cause so much physical harm to us. 2-3 hour deliveries for a 30-40 year career were bad enough but to now be regularly doing a minimum of 4.5 hours . . . Its just insane!!

The union is cr@p isn't? How they can let the company enforce SSP after just one period of sickness is beyond me, even the likes of Aldi & Lidl have been sickness policies.

[DirtyHarry]

Working for Royal Mail, especially as a walking postie in deliveries, is definitely not good for the health.

There was a good reason why walks were 2.5 hrs maximum, for so many decades in Royal Mail.

And why so many posties well into their 60s, were able to carry on right up to, and even beyond 65.

When I started in the job, there were at least 12 posties well into their 60s working at our office.

Today, there's 2, and they're struggling big-time, and on the verge of calling it a day.

Royal Mail today, can be summed up thus, a sad state of affairs. For us, for households, for any poor sod foolish enough to start working for them.

[eastie]

I do 21 blocks of flats and I'm 62 , on a single person duty and have to also take the large parcels as well to the same blocks on a 5 hour round and usually only have 3 hours to do the round after meal relief.
I am a fit person for my age but I am limping for the last hour of duty then just cut off.
Will be going soon as dont want to end up with fooked joints for my retirement

[Foxel]

Absolutely.

I'm sure this job is slowly trying to kill me, and then it takes up all my time making it very difficult to recover or consult a medical physician. It did actually come very close to killing me once who knows what future difficulties that it has left.

[Constance]

When I was a union official not that long ago I had an opportunity to hear the unspun beliefs and values of one local union rep who was also on the National CWU Postal H & S committee. I would call him a career unionist. Bit of a plastic prat. Anyway, he was of the view that the Delivery walks would inevitably get longer. He was utterly unbothered by this. Said it was a young persons job. I was utterly disillusioned by his attitude. I can't say this was the view the Postal Executive , but I do recall a national executive member ( thinking they were speaking to an ally , I'm guessing) saying how they cringed at all the old creaking posties slowly walking to speak at conference. I thought how utterly contemptible this was and how out of touch with the postal worker these people were. We should have an ergonomics team at HQ constantly mining for statistical analysis of the physical toll of being a Delivery worker. The CWU should be campaigning for the injuries we invariably suffer to be classed as an industrial injury with the DWP. They should never agree to longer deliveries on H & S grounds. However they don't have the slightest idea what physical toil is involved. To remedy this, I think they should all be put on delivery for at least a month every time they come up for election before they have any seat at any table supposedly representing our interests. Walk a mile in my crap shoes mate before you speak for me.

[DB1100]

When I was a union official not that long ago I had an opportunity to hear the unspun beliefs and values of one local union rep who was also on the National CWU Postal H & S committee. I would call him a career unionist. Bit of a plastic prat. Anyway, he was of the view that the Delivery walks would inevitably get longer. He was utterly unbothered by this. Said it was a young persons job. I was utterly disillusioned by his attitude. I can't say this was the view the Postal Executive , but I do recall a national executive member ( thinking they were speaking to an ally , I'm guessing) saying how they cringed at all the old creaking posties slowly walking to speak at conference. I thought how utterly contemptible this was and how out of touch with the postal worker these people were. We should have an ergonomics team at HQ constantly mining for statistical analysis of the physical toll of being a Delivery worker. The CWU should be campaigning for the injuries we invariably suffer to be classed as an industrial injury with the DWP. They should never agree to longer deliveries on H & S grounds. However they don't have the slightest idea what physical toil is involved. To remedy this, I think they should all be put on delivery for at least a month every time they come up for election before they have any seat at any table supposedly representing our interests. Walk a mile in my crap shoes mate before you speak for me.

Well said

[annem]

When I was a union official not that long ago I had an opportunity to hear the unspun beliefs and values of one local union rep who was also on the National CWU Postal H & S committee. I would call him a career unionist. Bit of a plastic prat. Anyway, he was of the view that the Delivery walks would inevitably get longer. He was utterly unbothered by this. Said it was a young persons job. I was utterly disillusioned by his attitude. I can't say this was the view the Postal Executive , but I do recall a national executive member ( thinking they were speaking to an ally , I'm guessing) saying how they cringed at all the old creaking posties slowly walking to speak at conference. I thought how utterly contemptible this was and how out of touch with the postal worker these people were. We should have an ergonomics team at HQ constantly mining for statistical analysis of the physical toll of being a Delivery worker. The CWU should be campaigning for the injuries we invariably suffer to be classed as an industrial injury with the DWP. They should never agree to longer deliveries on H & S grounds. However they don't have the slightest idea what physical toil is involved. To remedy this, I think they should all be put on delivery for at least a month every time they come up for election before they have any seat at any table supposedly representing our interests. Walk a mile in my crap shoes mate before you speak for me.

Well said

Agree 100%

[enskied]

During the pandemic when the workload increased dramatically, I developed quite severe anemia. If you are a woman it can be worse due to monthly bleeding. It's important to take a good quality supplement every day and slow down. Don't rush around as the morons in charge (including managers) couldn't care less about your health. We are just a cog in the profit-making machine. Profit comes before people in modern-day greedy Royal Mail.

I am not suggesting that you are wrong.
But, doesn't Royal Mail have all sorts of policies (that they stick to rigourously) about this.
Women's health matters to them. Wasn't there a campaign called " MennoMate" or something like that.?
We were all informed about the effect that menopause could have on our female colleagues.
Except managers . Just get on with it.

Not trying to be flippant btw.

[derekm]

It actually amazes me that the Union have not made more of the fact that increasing delivery lengths will cause so much physical harm to us. 2-3 hour deliveries for a 30-40 year career were bad enough but to now be regularly doing a minimum of 4.5 hours . . . Its just insane!!

That’s why they want to cut the ihr payments they know people will start dropping like flies in a few years and it’s going to cost them a fortune.

[derekm]

When I was a union official not that long ago I had an opportunity to hear the unspun beliefs and values of one local union rep who was also on the National CWU Postal H & S committee. I would call him a career unionist. Bit of a plastic prat. Anyway, he was of the view that the Delivery walks would inevitably get longer. He was utterly unbothered by this. Said it was a young persons job. I was utterly disillusioned by his attitude. I can't say this was the view the Postal Executive , but I do recall a national executive member ( thinking they were speaking to an ally , I'm guessing) saying how they cringed at all the old creaking posties slowly walking to speak at conference. I thought how utterly contemptible this was and how out of touch with the postal worker these people were. We should have an ergonomics team at HQ constantly mining for statistical analysis of the physical toll of being a Delivery worker. The CWU should be campaigning for the injuries we invariably suffer to be classed as an industrial injury with the DWP. They should never agree to longer deliveries on H & S grounds. However they don't have the slightest idea what physical toil is involved. To remedy this, I think they should all be put on delivery for at least a month every time they come up for election before they have any seat at any table supposedly representing our interests. Walk a mile in my crap shoes mate before you speak for me.
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