From Douglas E. Crooks

Postmaster, Monroe 

and

Patrick Miller

Safety Ambassador, Monroe

To the editor:

On an average day, 51 U.S. Postal Service mail carriers will experience a fall while working.

The Postal Service reports that last year, 18,684 carriers experienced a fall at work. With deliveries every day, in all seasons and weather conditions, carriers continue to experience falls in urban, suburban and rural settings.

Most falls are preventable.

To ensure mail carriers’ safety, we are asking all residents and business owners to identify and correct hazards on their properties. Walk the path your carrier takes along your property to identify hazards. This might be an entrance that you do not commonly use, so you may not be aware that a hazard is present. Cracks in steps and porches, loose railings, uneven sidewalk joints, and loose bricks or blocks in the walkway can be caused by deterioration over time.

Consider making repairs as quickly as possible. If you are not able to make the repair, block off the area or add paint to an uneven surface to bring attention to it.

Leaves, rain and ice also pose a fall hazard. Keep leaves off the walking paths and clear ice and snow from the path your carrier takes.

If a carrier feels unsafe, mail service could be interrupted, and when that happens, mail must be picked up at the post office. Service will not be restored until the necessary corrections have been made.

With your help, we can keep our carriers, your neighbors and your property safe. Thank you for protecting your property and our mail carriers as we continue to bring packages and correspondence to your door each day.