Fact Sheet
Handling Mail and Incoming Packages and Deliveries
Mail and packages are delivered on at least a daily basis and sometimes several times a day. If the nonprofit is a large organization with offices covering many floors of a building, there may be a mail room, or a specific area in which mail is sorted before being delivered to the various floors.
Nature of the Hazard
The threat of terrorism has cast a heightened level of attention to how mail is handled and delivered. Suspicious packages are clearly a hazard, but more often, the genuine hazard is the potential for injuries caused by the careless handling of heavy or awkward packages.
Stacking incoming boxes and packages can be a hazard as well. Sacks of mail and mail carts can pose a tripping or falling hazard to workers, particularly if the mailroom is too small for the size of the operations.
Ensure that all staff, volunteers and delivery people from the Postal Service, and other package delivery vendors are clearly identified and that vehicles are parked in the appropriate location for deliveries.
Recommendations
- Be realistic about the amount of room that is needed to receive, sort and prepare mail and packages for delivery.
- Ensure that all staff members are trained in proper lifting methods, and provide carts, hand-trucks or dollies to move boxes and containers of mail.
- Evaluate on a regular basis the volume patterns of mail and package deliveries, and the types of supplies and materials that are delivered on regular basis. If the volume has grown significantly, consider adding more staff, or more equipment to assist staff in receiving, sorting and delivering mail, packages and deliveries in a safe manner.
Resource
U.S. Postal Service
Handling Mail and Incoming Packages/Deliveries Checklist Mail Protocol
Security Issues Checklist
