Someone is going to get very ill or worse....die

[smarterdarter]

A-DIY-Sun-Protective-Brim-for-a-Bicycle-Helmet.jpg

[worktotime]

I'm a relatively fit mid 30's postie and I was on a walk today with 380 calls.......it is a hilly walk but I literally was exhausted at the end of it, well, after I'd done my 20 mins absorption as well! My point...........is someone going to have to die before RM realise we shouldn't be going out at 10am on these 25 degree days?, cos I'm really expecting to read on here soon that someone somewhere has collapsed!

Is there anything we can do about these late departures from the office?

i doubt it , the union will do fu** a** , just get them to supply us will an energy drink and a drip feed we!ll be ok .

[smokerjim]

Can you guys think of other jobs that have to work outside for a long time.
Builders,scaffolders,roofers come to mind.

We are on to a loser with this,and before you cane me,i'm f****d as hell after i've finished.In fact at times i feel sick and a bit faint because i've been hit so long with the sun.

warning: this post contains a big rambling answer, with some good points, but a general scattergun approach, rather than the focus of a laser


With respect POSTMAN, how many manual workers have to carry 16kgs for extended periods of time in the hottest part of the day? I know we reduce that weight, but within an hour you get it back again with your next bag. How many have to carry their own refreshments? If you have to drink 2litres of water in 4 hrs, why should you have to carry that weight as well or increase the amount of bags / dead walking to bag drops. How many manual workers are expected to have completed a specific task at the hottest part of the day ( in our case, SDs ), even if insufficient time is given for this to be done safely? I've had to break off, dead walk 1/4mile with my pouch, get a sig, then dead walk back to re-start delivery.

In almost every other manual industry I can think of there has been a significant move towards using machines to reduce the load bearing of the worker, ok some moves have been made with golf trolleys and the like, but they're not too good around blocks of flats or hilly areas and the quality of componants wasn't the best & now the trollies and bikes are getting phased out, with nothing better to replace them than vans ( who wants to step out of a dry hot day & into a drier, hotter van? )

On top of that, a manager, foreman or chargehand is usually close at hand and, in my experience pre-RM, rarely refused to help if the heat was an issue.....if an RM manager became a site manager in any of the industries you mentioned, no doubt he'd expect a builder to continue digging foundations if a WWII bomb was found, a scaffolder to keep working with lightning flashing all over the place, and a roofer to continue laying tiles in a storm.

I don't know what solutions can be reached, but the laughably poor advice we have now ( which just reeks of an "inspired" office jockey on his fag break ) is a prime example of lip service to what will be a serious problem, sooner or later ( as soon as the first coroner states that excessive heat, and workload killed a postman on delivery, some bod will come out with the quote "Well, of course RM takes the H&S of our people very seriously, and we have proceedures in place for those conditions, but due to exceptional circumstances in this instance, even they were not sufficient, so we will be reviewing those proceedures to see if they need to be tightened up, etc, etc ). If RM & the CWU, got their senior H&S bods out from behind their desks, and actually went to DOs and spoke to postmen, I might have faith that something achieveable will happen.....but why will they bother, when the current system of Chinese whispers from office, to area, to brach, to division, etc isn't going to hurt them or those they know?

[Caniel]

Had a few grumbles off customers about letters all sticky with sweat god it was hot :(

[Stormproof]

Had a few grumbles off customers about letters all sticky with sweat god it was hot :(

Cue DGP and a couple of others

[TrueBlueTerrier]

Like that smiley

[andy2007]

In the short term, I'd be more worried about Heat Exhaustion and Heatstroke, than Skin Cancer. Because Skin Cancer takes years to start, but Heat Exhaustion and Heatstroke, can come on very quickly. Here are a couple of quotes from the NHS Choices Website: http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/Heat-exhau ... -+Symptoms" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
The symptoms of classic heatstroke can develop over several days if you are spending a long time somewhere hot.The symptoms of exertional heatstroke can appear more quickly, usually after physical activity.

Heatstroke is a medical emergency. If you are worried that you or someone you know may have heatstroke symptoms, dial 999 immediately and ask for an ambulance.

The symptoms of Heatstroke (provided by NHS Choices Website) include:
Symptoms of heatstroke include:

•high body temperature: having a temperature of 40°C (104°F) or above is a major sign of heatstroke,
•heavy sweating that suddenly stops: if the body is unable to produce any more sweat then this is a big warning sign that the body has become over-heated and dehydrated,
•tachycardia (a rapid heartbeat),
•hyperventilation (rapid breathing), and
•muscle cramps.
The extreme heat that causes heatstroke also affects the nervous system, which in turn can cause other symptoms such as:

•mental confusion,
•lack of co-ordination,
•seizures (fits),
•restlessness or anxiety,
•problems understanding or speaking to others,
•hallucinations (seeing or hearing things that are not real),
•loss of consciousness.

[Patrick Clifton]

I was on a walk today with 380 calls.......

Lucky bastard!

[smokerjim]

In the short term, I'd be more worried about Heat Exhaustion and Heatstroke, than Skin Cancer. Because Skin Cancer takes years to start, but Heat Exhaustion and Heatstroke, can come on very quickly. Here are a couple of quotes from the NHS Choices Website: http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/Heat-exhau ... -+Symptoms" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
The symptoms of classic heatstroke can develop over several days if you are spending a long time somewhere hot.The symptoms of exertional heatstroke can appear more quickly, usually after physical activity.

Heatstroke is a medical emergency. If you are worried that you or someone you know may have heatstroke symptoms, dial 999 immediately and ask for an ambulance.

The symptoms of Heatstroke (provided by NHS Choices Website) include:
Symptoms of heatstroke include:

•high body temperature: having a temperature of 40°C (104°F) or above is a major sign of heatstroke,
•heavy sweating that suddenly stops: if the body is unable to produce any more sweat then this is a big warning sign that the body has become over-heated and dehydrated,
•tachycardia (a rapid heartbeat),
•hyperventilation (rapid breathing), and
•muscle cramps.
The extreme heat that causes heatstroke also affects the nervous system, which in turn can cause other symptoms such as:

•mental confusion,
•lack of co-ordination,
•seizures (fits),
•restlessness or anxiety,
•problems understanding or speaking to others,
•hallucinations (seeing or hearing things that are not real),
•loss of consciousness.

That's actually quite worrying, I doubt I'd notice a high body temp without a thermometer, or a sudden stop in sweating ( at least initally ), and I might even try to pass off any muscle cramps to a more reasonable explanation.....chuck in the other symptoms of mental confusion, etc and we NEED some proper, usable guidance from RM & CWU, ASAFP - being out on our own, in extreme heat, with only our own mental confusion, etc to guide us is asking for trouble.

And before anyone calls me alarmist, how many times have you heard of experts in extreme conditions ( either heat or cold ) being caught out, and dying from making the wrong choice from confused thinking?

[jacee]

Simple solution - delay one days mail - send everyone out on delivery after the early despatch, say about 07:00 and instead of working outside in the heat all day - return to the office to prep the following days mail that arrived after the early departure then carry on from there and revert to normal when the average outside temp drops below 20 degrees C. Has anyone noticed how much heat paving stones and tarmac etc generates by midday or the reflected glare from concrete paths ?

[brothermagrew]

TUC document Skin Cancer and Outdoor Workers Guidance for Safety Reps:

Skin Cancer and Outdoor Workers Guidance for Safety Reps.pdf

Heatwave Plan for England 2010.pdf

[the mad woman]

tuc advise dont work if possible between 11 and 3 and to provide staff with water and sunscreen as usual its being ignored

[andy2007]

This bit from the Heatwave plan for England 2010 document (thanks Brothermagrew) is particularly useful:
Protective factors
The key message for preventing heatrelated illness and death is to keep cool! The best ways to do this include the following.
Stay out of the heat:
•Keep out of the sun between 11.00am and 3.00pm.
•If you have to go out in the heat, walk in the shade, apply sunscreen and wear a hat and light scarf.
•Avoid extreme physical exertion.
•Wear light, loosefitting cotton clothes. Cool yourself down:
•Have plenty of cold drinks, and avoid excess alcohol, caffeine and hot drinks.
•Eat cold foods, particularly salads and fruit with a high water content.
•Take a cool shower, bath or body wash.
• Sprinkle water over the skin or clothing, or keep a damp cloth on the back of your neck.

How are RM getting away with sending people out on Deliveries in the middle of the day, when we're being advised to avoid working outdoors between 11:00 and 15:00?

[Lounge Lizard]

A-DIY-Sun-Protective-Brim-for-a-Bicycle-Helmet.jpg

I know it's hot out there but put that high viz vest back on.

[Lounge Lizard]

A-DIY-Sun-Protective-Brim-for-a-Bicycle-Helmet.jpg

(( Picture's gone ))
I know it's hot out there but put that high viz vest back on.