LTB 384/24 – Blue Cross Webinar (In Conjunction with Royal Mail) – Raising Awareness Amongst Dog Owners
No. 384/24
9th December 2024
Dear Colleagues,
Blue Cross Webinar (In Conjunction with Royal Mail) – Raising Awareness Amongst Dog Owners
Branches and Representatives will be aware of the union’s ongoing ‘Bite Back’ Campaign and the RM/CWU National Joint Dog Awareness Working Group.
Whilst we continue to work on the transition of the former roles and responsibilities of the Health, Safety & Environment Department into our Postal Departments, the purpose of this LTB is to advise Branches and our Safety Reps that Royal Mail have been working with the Blue Cross charity in terms of continuing to raise awareness of the steps owners can take to keep delivery workers safe.
Accordingly, we have now received the following communication from Royal Mail concerning a further webinar planned with Blue Cross in December:
There were over 2,200 dog attacks reported on our colleagues last year and a significant 148% increase in serious injuries.
We have been working with Blue Cross to try and raise awareness of the simple steps owners can take to keep delivery workers safe. This partnership has led to them delivering a free webinar for us, which has received great feedback from those attending.
The next webinar is coming up in December and we would like to get as many people attending as we can. The advice not only helps protect our workers, but also the owner and their dog from the repercussions of a dog attack.
If you could share the links below that would be hugely appreciated. I’ve also posted the message below on WorkPlace Link.
Next Blue Cross webinar: Protecting your Postie, 16th Dec 6pm – 7pm.
Protecting your Postie focuses on the risks postal workers face with dogs and provides essential advice to owners on how to prevent a dog attack. Anyone can register for this free webinar at www.bluecross.org.uk/protecting-your-postie.
The last webinar saw candidates’ confidence in managing their dog safely around postal workers increase from 55% at the start, to 96% by the end, so we know this is a really effective way of helping to educate those attending.
You can find the post shared by Royal Mail via their Facebook account HERE.
Given the nature of this webinar, I have no hesitation in encouraging our Reps to join the session, as we would support any programme or activity which seeks to further highlight owners’ responsibility to avoid dog attacks on our members when on Delivery.
Moreover, this outlined activity is very much in line with current wider initiatives planned and ones already in place, the most recent being the Dog Safety Partnership meeting held in Liverpool in September to support the setting up of an All-Wales Dog Attack Working Group, which our ASRs from across the North West and Wales areas have been front and centre in terms of moving forward.
In setting out the above, it is noteworthy to also remind ourselves that the union has previously worked with other animal groups such as the Dogs Trust and the British Veterinary Association on matters concerning Dangerous Dog control legislation. Such organisations are equally aware of the CWU’s wider ‘Bite Back’ Campaign.
In closing, I would further like to take the opportunity to update Branches that we have also recently been in direct contact with Royal Mail on the need to re-start and re-energise the RM/CWU National Joint Dog Awareness Working Group, which they have welcomed, alongside the need to review the outputs and feedback from the New Design Mk2 Posting Peg Trials, as outlined in LTB 216/24. Further updates on this will also be issued in due course.
Any enquiries to the content of this LTB should be directed to the Outdoor Department, email address: Pharacz@cwu.org.
Yours sincerely,
Tony Bouch
Assistant Secretary
LTB 384-24 – Blue Cross Webinar – Raising Awareness Amongst Dog Owners