LTB 388/20 Royal Mail – Mail Tray (Perstop Trays) Hygiene and Equipment Requirements
No. 388/2020
22 July 2020
Our Ref: E1/20
To: All Branches
Dear Colleagues,
Royal Mail – Mail Tray (Perstop Trays) Hygiene and Equipment Requirements
During the current Coronavirus/Covid-19 Pandemic, Royal Mail have received a number of complaints from customers that mail trays (Perstop Trays) and other equipment is being delivered to them a in filthy condition, soiled with gloves, sanitiser wipes, food and other rubbish. Attached is a photograph of some of the trays in question that were returned to Royal Mail from one of the Company’s largest customers.
A communication is being issued today by Royal Mail (copy attached) along with two posters on correct waste disposal of PPE items (gloves, masks, tissues and wipes). Copies of the posters are also attached.
The message, which CWU supports, is that basic hygiene and infection prevention and control practices must be maintained. These are health and safety law requirements and as such Royal Mail must present equipment to its customers in a safe, useable state.
The posters have been produced to highlight the correct bins to use and are available on The Royal Mail ‘SharePoint’.
Managers are being asked to communicate to the workforce the importance of mail equipment hygiene and that failure to dispose of used equipment and rubbish correctly is both a health and safety issue and a serious threat to contracts that Royal Mail and Parcelforce hold with customers.
The Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992 requires Royal Mail to keep furnishings, fittings, equipment and all surfaces in the workplace clean and waste free. Rubbish and used protective items e.g., gloves, wipes and face coverings must be disposed of in the correct bin.
Both management and all employees have a responsibility to help keep the premises clean and tidy and to identify areas that fall below acceptable or safe standards. The practice and promotion of effective hygiene and cleanliness is a vital measure, particularly at present during the Covid-19 health pandemic.
Attachments:
- Mail Tray Hygiene and Equipment Requirements Communication
- Royal Mail Letter (Perstop) Trays Full of Rubbish (sent to a large customer)
- ‘Sort Your Waste’ Poster
- ‘Dispose of Used Protective Equipment In Designated Bins’ Poster
Yours sincerely
Dave Joyce
National Health, Safety & Environment Officer
LTB 388/20- Royal Mail – Mail Tray (Perstop Trays) Hygiene and Equipment Requirements
Coronavirus Safety_Dispose Protective Equipment_Poster v1 (00000002)
Mail Tray Hygiene and Equipment Requirements
Royal Mail Letter (Perstop) Trays Full of Rubbish