Screenless Counters - Health, Safety & Security Standards

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Letter to Branches




No. 136/14
Ref C34/14
Date: 27 February 2014


To: All Postal Branches
All Royal Mail CWU Area Health and Safety Representatives
All CWU Regional Health and Safety Forums


Dear Colleagues,

"Customer and You"(CAY) Project - DO Enquiry/Callers Offices - Screenless Counters - Health, Safety & Security Standards Agreement/Joint Statement:
 
Further to LTB 55/14, Branches, Area Safety Representatives and Area Delivery Representatives will be aware that the deployment of new Delivery Office
- Enquiry/Callers Office design and layout standards, along with an associated programme of welfare accommodation uplifts have commenced. 

Discussions on an agreed approach aimed at securing both good accommodation along with good standards of staff safety and security have been concluded. The deployment process has also been agreed and this ensures the full involvement of CWU Area Safety Representatives and Local CWU Representatives.

The new standards are being deployed by Royal Mail via a number of projects. These are:-
 
Customer and You Programme
New Build Delivery Offices
Mail Centre Strategy (Delivery Offices moving into old Mail Centre sites)
Local projects
 
The new standards include the option of a new design 'Screenless Enquiry/Callers Office counter. The 'Customer and You' programme and Delivery Projects team along with the CWU National Health, Safety & Environment Officer, Royal Mail Head of Physical Security and the Group Safety Risk and Improvement Manager have jointly developed a process for confirming whether an Enquiry/Callers Office can operate with a 'Screenless' counter.
Alongside this, as part of the new design package, a new, standard package of security measures has been agreed, to be built in to the new design 'Screenless' Offices, ensuring the safety and wellbeing of CWU members working in these offices. This process is supported by and contained within the attached Royal Mail/CWU agreed Joint Statement and Terms of Reference. 

This is a generic process and is designed to cover all Enquiry/Callers Offices and will therefore be used in all accommodation projects and schemes. The agreement reached will ensure that all new or uplifted Enquiry/Callers Offices introducing the new format, regardless of the scheme funding source will follow the Joint Statement, Security/Safety Standard and joint involvement process.

The Customer and You Project Team will ensure compliance with the agreed standards and that the agreed process is followed for all Units funded by that programme's business case. Regional Logistics Directors have responsibility for ensuring adherence to the agreed standard and process for all other schemes within their Region, funded under other programmes or projects. 

Royal Mail have informed CWU/HQ that there are currently 32 Delivery Offices that have confirmed, authorised funding to be able to progress work to introduce the new format, design and security standards, subject to the agreed Security and Safety Risk Assessment process which encompasses a joint approach with full involvement and consultation with the CWU Area Safety Representative and Local CWU Representative in the Risk Assessment and decision making procedure.

The list of the 32 Offices and the schemes funding the re-design and new layout work are attached. Any others added in due course within later phases of the programme will follow the agreed attached process. 

It is important that Branches and CWU Area Safety Representatives covering the involved Delivery Office, Enquiry/Callers Office sites engage with their respective project managers and teams at local level to ensure they are fully involved in the project and that all aspects of Health & Safety, primarily the Security and Safety Risk Assessment processes are concluded with their input taken fully into account, as per the attached agreed joint statement.

With regard to the business wanting to move to a new more modern, customer friendly, open plan 'Screenless Counter' Callers’/Enquiry Offices environment, removing the old physical 'Fortress' screens where possible, this will be done following both a Premises Security Risk Assessment and a Safety Risk Assessment, with full CWU involvement,  to determine whether the Unit will be screened or unscreened and the 'Screenless Counter' layout will only be introduced along with the addition of a new extensive package of modern electronic security systems as 'standard'.

The agreed Security/Safety standard package ensures that all units that have a screen-less counter will have the following enhanced safety and security standards:

Secured electronic access controlled door fitted with safety viewing panel to a secure area behind the counter to protect staff under threat. The secure line becomes the wall behind the counter. This will provide a secure vantage point for our people that they can move to if they are threatened or feel at risk, which will also secure mail items/parcels and prevent customer access. This area will be secured using electronic Access Control that utilises Royal Mail’s standard Corporate 1000 Photo ID cards.
Mail items will be kept in the secure area.
A slam shut security access door to the counter area from the office.
Installation of silent personal attack alarm, (integrated with below).
Intruder Alarm system remotely monitored by the Romec Alarm Reporting Centre (ARC) to obtain Police response if button is pressed.
Regular alarm testing.
Lockable drawer for stamp stock and surcharge cash.
CCTV fitted with high profile visible monitors recording customers pre and post entry of the Enquiry office. The CCTV system will include "Audio recording".
Effective warning signage of CCTV raising customer awareness (Copy Attached).
High level, deep counters, (secured by design).
A full joint review of the site access and egress, including outside lighting to maximise safety and security.
Staff training to deal with difficult circumstances.

A final area which has received attention is the development of formal support and training material, providing a staff training programme designed to improve staff/customer relations, encourage an improved attitude and approach adopted by staff and to train staff in effective conflict management techniques to reduce and manage any conflict in the Enquiry/Callers Office environment. Work has been going on in this area within the CAY Project in conjunction with a professional retail environment training provider and Royal Mail Security to support all staff working in the Enquiry/Callers Offices.

It is worth mentioning at this stage that across the UK many Callers/Enquiry Offices have never had a screened counter. However the new type Counters that are being installed are constructed in order that they can be easily converted and a screen fitted if necessary following as review risk assessment.

In support of the change, Royal Mail considered the experience of Post Office Ltd where branches have been moving to a similar modern environment with 'Screenless' open plan counter positions for a number of years. Post Office Ltd have found Offices converted to open plan were far more conducive to customer contact and provided a more relaxed atmosphere in which to conduct business. Space too could be better utilised to give a brighter and less austere feel to the physical surroundings. POL customers and staff have reacted particularly well to the open plan environment, which gives staff a greater chance to hold more meaningful conversations in a more friendly and welcoming environment for people who are traditionally used to talking through a screen. Where Post Office Ltd has introduced a non-screen format, the reported experience has been consistently that this format was more popular with staff and customers and they report that non-screened branches are less likely to be attacked and in addition there are lower levels of loss where attacks have occurred. It is worth bearing in mind of course that Post Office Counters are at a higher risk operation than Royal Mail Enquiry/Callers Offices. Post Office Ltd Counters are retail outlets, holding a high level of cash and valuable stock, operating retail Banking and other financial services, accepting cash payments and selling merchandise. 'Fortress' screened counters' were introduced in Post Office Ltd to reduce robberies at a time when the risk could not be combated through the use of 'technology' and modern security systems which are available today. In recent years the POL business strategy has been moving to open plan working as industry experience indicates that this enhances the customer experience. This stance has been fully supported by Royal Mail Security and Post Office Security since 2001. However the use of screens will continue to have their place in POL’s most threatened of outlets and particular positions in their Offices for some time to come, where it is felt that procedural or other technical risk controls would not be sufficient to deter a criminal attack.

La Poste in France also embarked on a conversion programme, over a decade ago, to remove the screens and install open plan in Post Offices with teller cash dispensers. It has been reported that robberies and aggression dramatically fell.

For Royal Mail Callers/Enquiry Offices of course, considerations in these discussions are a review of far lower levels of cash management and is more an evaluation of the risk of anti-social behaviour and non-theft related aggression and threats on staff by disaffected customers, than a robbery risk.

The introduction of the non-screened, open-plan format will be undertaken by Royal Mail with a careful regard for the safety and security of Royal Mail staff and assets. 
All Enquiry/Callers Offices will be Security and Safety Risk Assessed before a change of format is introduced, and a number of factors will be taken into consideration to determine if an Office retains a fortress, security screen or if it can be formatted as a screenless operation. The CWU Area Safety Representative and Local CWU Representative will be fully involved and consulted during this process. Any exceptional local Security/Safety circumstances highlighted in the Safety Risk Assessment will be referred to the Security teams who will review the Premises Risk Assessments (PRA) outputs in light of this information.  Any Offices assessed above moderate will be a screened counter office. Three Offices already assessed above moderate and having Screens fitted within the new format are Hull, Londonderry and Walthamstow (London).
  
Quite understandably there can be an initial reluctance on the part of staff to move from the perceived safety of an enclosed fortress to the apparent vulnerability of a non-barrier environment when first confronted with the concept of open plan.  However, in reality the new open plan design will be appropriately supported by the agreed package of modern technological security equipment that has been well proven in many companies and organisation plus the arrangements will be kept under review and if need be, a screen can be added if necessary. Royal Mail acknowledge fully that whatever the office format, they have a legal duty of care to staff to ensure their safety by providing a safe place and safe system of work.

The attached agreed Joint Statement/TOR and 'flow-chart' process is now in place with a joint declaration that lays the foundation for improved customer service as well as ensuing that the safety and security of the staff remains paramount. This Royal Mail/CWU Joint Statement re-affirms the commitment to work together to ensure the delivery of improved customer services associated within Enquiry/Callers Offices and the general environment which will be jointly planned and deployed with the health, safety, security and wellbeing of our people at the forefront. This revised standard process document should now be used and followed in all current and future Enquiry/Callers Office accommodation projects.  The changes will be monitored on an ongoing basis and there will be a 12 months formal national review post-implementation to measure the success of the deployed changes in respect on safety and security.

Yours sincerely
                                                               

Dave Joyce
CWU National Health, Safety and Environment Officer

Attachments:

1. Royal Mail Respect Poster
2. CCTV Warning Sign (Including Audio)
3. Royal Mail-CWU Joint Statement on Screenless Counter V.5.8
4. We’re Here to Help You Poster
5. List of Units as at February 2014 where the new Delivery Office Enquiry/Callers
Office Design Standards are being applied

[dvbuk55]

Bet this was thought out by some chinless wonder who's never worked in a callers office full of irate customers who have been queuing for 15 minutes. The union should be looking to protect it's members not joining RM in making their position more hazardous.