Royal Mail Letters - Mk 3 [Hartwall] 'Lightweight' York

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Royal Mail Letters - Mk 3 [Hartwall] 'Lightweight' York Container

No. 624/09
Ref C2509
Date: 20 July 2009

To: All Postal Branches

Dear Colleagues


Royal Mail Letters - Mk 3 [Hartwall] 'Lightweight' York Container:

LTB 362/09 dated 24 April 2009 informed Branches and Area Safety Representatives that it had been agreed between Royal Mail and Hartwall's, the manufacturers, to withdraw all 26,000 plus Mk3 Lightweight [Hartwall] York Containers from the Royal Mail Letters network on a phased basis in order to rectify a number of manufacturing quality issues with the containers that have been identified and to carry out modifications to the brake handle system. The MK3 York Containers were released into the Network during Christmas 2008.

As already communicated earlier this year, a number of manufacturing quality issues have been identified with Mk3 Lightweight [Hartwall] York Containers. In order to rectify these issues, a certain level of "hot work" (welding) will need to take place, which cannot be undertaken on Royal Mail operational sites.

Therefore, it has been agreed with the manufacturer that over the next few months, all remedial work on the MK3 Yorks Containers will be completed at the manufacturers’ premises.

In order to facilitate this remedial work, with immediate effect, all Mail Centres have been instructed to use the MK3 York Containers (whenever available) to make up their Mail Order Returns (MOR) which are then despatched either directly or indirectly to Warrington Rail Terminal (WRT) where all MOR traffic ends up. This will require each Mail Centre to actively identify the MK3 York Containers on a daily basis and make them available for the MOR despatches.

A picture of the MK3 York is attached for quick reference. The Yorks will appear shinier than the previous York designs, and have a Tare Weight of 40kg, as opposed to the 50kg Tare Weight of the Standard York Containers.

Royal Mail have stressed once again that the MK3 York Containers are not being recalled for Safety concerns and they are completely safe to use providing the Safe System of Work (SSOW) is correctly followed.

This aim is for this instruction to result in all the MK3 York Containers being removed from the Royal Mail Network by the end of August. The plan will then be for the manufacturing issues to be resolved and the design changes implemented, in time for the 2009 Christmas pressure.

Any damaged MK3 Yorks should be notified through the usual York Container Repair process.
Any local Management problems should be referred to Mark Wythe RML National Container Manager. Tel: 07753833528. Email mark.d.wythe@royalmail.com


Yours Sincerely



Dave Joyce
National Health, Safety & Environment Officer

Please note that attachments on this LTB did not successfully downloads despite repeated attempt so reps and users will need to see hard copies.